Our family loves book-inspired adventures that become more than just one special day.

 

When my kids were younger, they were thrilled when I came up with fun ways to fill the long, chilly days of the winter season.

 

One of the more memorable things we did back then was something we called The Snowed In Winter Book Festival.

 

It was an at-home celebration of snow, recipes reading, and FUN.

 

Here is a look at some of the older classic picture books we selected for Chilly Winter Days.

 

 Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin.

 

There once was a boy who loved snow more than anything else in the whole wide world. Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, celebrates Wilson Bentley’s lifelong love and passion for snow and the snowflake specifically. Wilson Bentley had been fascinated by snow for as long as he could remember. Snow in Vermont is as common as dirt.

 

They saved money and bought him a camera and microscope to support their son’s enthusiasm for snow. Today, thousands of photos Wilson Bentley took are still used in snow and crystals research studies.

 

Along with telling the biography of Wilson Bentley, author Jacqueline Briggs Martin has nice “how he did it” information boxes in the sidebars.

 

Story of the Snow Children by Sibylle von Olfers

 

 

 

Who couldn’t love Poppy in her little red hat going to a winter’s feast? I was trying to remember the first time I heard this story, and I can’t remember. It has always been a constant throughout my life.

 

As Poppy is gazing out of the window, she notices the soft, gently blowing snowflakes have little faces and are snow children. As they dance and swirl in the garden, they soon take Poppy away to the snow kingdom of the Snow Queen. There, Poppy is welcomed to the grand festival by the Queen and her princess.

 

Amidst the sparkling Snow Kingdom is dancing, feasting, and exciting games. At the end of all this play, Poppy sleepily returns home to recount her tales of the snow children to her listening mother.

 

 

First Snow by Bomi Park

 

There’s something magical about the first snowfall of the year. This little girl is woken by the pat pat pat of the first snowflakes on her window. She’s drawn outside by the magic white flakes and starts rolling her first snowman of the year, followed by her puppy friend. The longer she rolls her snowball, the farther she gets into the forest. Then, she comes upon an entire field of children making snowmen. It’s the magic of the first snow!

         

DIY Homemade Snowflakes!

 

What you’ll need:
● Waxed Paper
● Puffy Paint in a variety of colors
● Photos of Wilson Bentley’s snowflake photos found on his website listed above.
Tear off a piece of waxed paper as large as your window pane. Choose one color of paint and draw a snowflake design to your liking.

 

Taking another paint color, create another snowflake on the waxed paper. Keep doing this until your piece of waxed paper is filled with beautiful colored snowflakes.

    

Then, let it dry thoroughly.

Happy Reading!