books

I’ve been coveting this book for years now so imagine my delight (and the squeal which escaped from me) when I found it in a charity shop for the princely sum of 20p!

I’ve read this to both of my boys a few times now but Snr Son decided he wanted to read it to me today. He’s in year 2 now and his reading is coming along so well and I’m really keen to encourage his (and Jnr Son’s) already firm love of books.
Peter wakes up one morning to find that it has snowed.
He gets his snow gear on and goes out on a little adventure. His feet crunching through the snow as he makes tracks and patterns. 

Peter finds a stick to play with and ends up with snow on his head!
His little adventure continues, he sees some older boys but decides not to join in with their snowball fight and instead makes a snowman and snow angels. 
He pops a snowball in his pocket for tomorrow and then he goes home to his mum who gives him a lovely bath. Of course when he checks his snowball at bedtime it has melted and he’s sad. But all’s not lost because tomorrow is a new day with fresh snow!

This book was written in 1962 and was ‘awarded the Caldecott Medal by the American Library Association for being the most distinguished picture book for children in its year of publication’.  Despite its age I think the endearing illustrations and the story itself have helped it to remain a favourite with so many kids and parents around the world. It taps into that child-like excitement of seeing snow blanketing the world we know, and it does it so well. It’s definitely a firm favourite in our house anyway.

Which books about weather do you and your kids like to read? Do they capture the excitement of the moment or do they conjure up different reactions/emotions? Do you have any favourites from your childhood?

A list of my all time favourite books through the years (it’s way longer than this but I’ll add to it as and when I remember!);
 
YA
The Outsiders – S.E. Hinton
The Tricksters – Margaret Mahy
The Eyes of Karen Connors – Lois Duncan
Tiger Eyes – Judy Blume
 
Adult
Written on the Body – Jeanette Winterson
Anthropology and a Hundred Other Stories – Dan Rhodes
Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel
Eleanor Rigby – Douglas Coupland
The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing – Melissa Bank
The House of Spirits – Isabel Allende
The Life and Death of Charlie St Cloud – Ben Sherwood
After You’d Gone – Maggie O’Farrell
Burial Rites – Hannah Kent

 

February’s book The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer was one of those reads that has you gripped from the start. Sympathetically written, it had pace and angst and I really felt for the main character Matthew, who was battling with schizophrenia and the death of his brother. Filer’s writing was honest and brutal in parts and I felt that at times I could really climb into Matthew’s head and see his thoughts crashing about. But then the last quarter the book kind of lost its hold on me and I was left feeling the teeniest bit disappointed with the way the book ended. I wanted to LOVE this book and instead I liked it. But that’s no bad thing.

March’s book is The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. It’s had some pretty lofty reviews (and I wish I hadn’t read them as the last thing I want is that feeling of anticlimax or disappointment), but I have high hopes for this one.

January’s book, The fault in our stars by John Green, was a beaut to kick start my efforts at joining in with #theyearinbooks I’ve always been a fan of Young Adult fiction and this book didn’t let me down. John Green really tapped into the souls of these characters and let me tell you there were plenty of tears.

For February I’ve chosen The shock of the fall by Nathan Filer. I’ve heard great things about it so I have high hopes that it’ll be a good read.