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Wintery
Books for Snowy Nights
By Holly E. Newton
Winter,
in many parts of the country, denotes snow, cold and ice. So, whether
you prefer your winter weather cold or warm, here’s the perfect
book list to celebrate winter.
This first
book concerns an event I knew nothing about. Blizzard: The
Storm that Changed America, by award-winning Jim Murphy,
tells about the 1888 snowstorm on the East Coast of America that
was so strong, so cold and so unexpected, that drastic changes were
made after the storm finally blew over.
Click
to Buy
 This
tremendous storm came about when two frontal systems hit the Northeast
at approximately the same time and hovered along the East Coast
for many hours. The forecasting system lacked technical knowledge
and equipment, and the storm hit early Sunday morning when everything
was shut down for the duration of the day.
No one
predicted the magnitude of this storm. The temperature dropped
quickly to zero, snow began to fall at an increasing rate as the
day wore on, and the wind velocity was clocked at 75 to 85 miles
per hour. Manhattan
Island became virtually isolated. No one
could get in — or out — due to all transportation becoming shut
down. Trains derailed from the huge amounts of snow that fell in
a short time. Boats and even ships were sunk or crashed into piers
along with other water vehicles because of ice and high waves.
Even the newly built Brooklyn Bridge was closed due to high winds.
People
suffered and people died, but Murphy tells this little known natural
catastrophe in his typical easy and interesting style. He brings
in personal stories about families, people going to work, people
trying to save others — and it all works. The authentic photos
and newspaper drawings depicting the storm are sprinkled throughout
the book, making this an excellent read for ages 10 through adult.
Murphy
completed much research while writing this book, and it paid off.
You learn not only about the Storm of the 19th Century, but life
in the United States in
the late 1800’s.
You may
ask, “How did this storm change America?” Well, many things were changed
for the better. I’ll list a few: trash was no longer allowed to
just be thrown anywhere, streets were regularly cleaned off, cities
had natural disaster plans put in place, subways were built, electrical
lines were placed underground, and forecasting the weather changed
from being the responsibility of the Army to the National Weather
Service. This storm was so well documented and felt so real that
while reading the book, it made me cold!
Click
to Buy
 Now
how about an event that we do know about? Why Are the Ice Caps
Melting? The Dangers of Global Warming, by Anne Rockwell,
and illustrated by Paul Meisel, is a small-sized book that simply
states the problems of our earth’s atmosphere and the consequences
that are happening right now due to the warming problems on both
ends of the earth. Even though this book is a leveled book for
newer readers, the problems are well stated and tell how we can
help, which make this book appropriate for all ages!
Do you
remember waking up to a snow covered world and finding out it’s
a “no school day”? Oliver’s Red Toboggan, by Paul
Kortepeter, and wonderfully illustrated by Susan Wheeler, will take
you back to the “good ol' days.” Oliver Rabbit is so excited to
see the crisp new snow covering the ground and he can hardly wait
to try out his new toboggan. But he doesn’t want to share it with
his little sister. Oliver has some life skills to learn. The heavily
embossed pages make the book not only look special, but feel special
as well.
Snow
is my Favorite and my Best, by award winning Lauren Child,
features the famous siblings, Charlie and Lola. Child has once
again nailed the storyline that makes all of the activities that
go with snow (hot chocolate, snowmen, and so on) fit perfectly with
her adorable illustrations!
Diamond
in the Snow, by Jonathan Emmett, and wonderfully illustrated
by Vanessa Cabban, finds Mole discovering a brilliant object sticking
out of the snow. What could this be? You’ll soon find out as you
read through this adorable celebration of winter. Even the jacket
cover is sparkly.
The
Snowmen Pop-Up Book, by Caralyn and Mark Buehner, has brought
back this darling picture book, but with illustrations that jump
off the page. These snowmen are so real, you’ll almost feel their
frosty figures as they pop out.
Snow
Globe Family, by Jane O’Conor, and illustrated by S. D.
Schindler, is a clever story about a family enjoying the snow outside
as well as their warm cozy house. But they’ve forgotten about the
snow globe on the mantel. Meanwhile, the family that’s inside the
globe remember when there used to be snow storms back in the day
when it seemed the whole house would shake. But now, it’s pretty
boring — until the baby from the real family picks up the globe
and shakes it. What happens next? You’ll just have to read it
and find out.
And lastly,
The Big Snow, by Berta and Elmer Hader, is a picture
book that begins with the birds flying south and ends with people
shoveling snow and feeding winter birds. Here is a good ending
to my list because it’s the 1949 Caldecott winner that’s still perfect
for today’s children. Get ready for this year’s Caldecott announcement
on Monday.
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Meridian Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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