The Twelve Days of Giveaway continues! You saw the wonderful snow-themed books we chose for primary readers—now get ready for another slew of picture books that welcome winter, this time for elementary-aged readers! Read on for a synopsis of each book and for ways to use them as springboards for learning.

HOW TO ENTER:

Enter once—or come back daily to boEdit (classic editor)ost your chances!

You can also earn bonus entries by:

• Following us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or YouTube
• Uploading your Blackbird & Company photos or videos (no faces required!)
• Completing quick extra actions inside the contest portal

Read on for a synopsis of each book and for ways to use them as springboards for learning. 

The Mitten by Alvin Tresselt

The Mitten is a Ukrainian folktale that starts off with a little boy collecting firewood in the forest for his grandmother. It’s the coldest day of winter. The little boy drops one of his mittens in the snow and continues on collecting firewood. A tiny mouse finds shelter in the mitten. One by one, a frog, owl, rabbit, fox, wolf, boar, and bear crawl in too. The mitten is strained to its limits when a little old cricket tries to step inside—can the creatures make room for a tiny cricket? 

Folktales are stories that get passed down in a culture. As a folktale, The Mitten connects generations of Ukrainians to each other, creating common ground between old and young. Folktales usually deliver a lesson of some kind; after you read The Mitten with your student, ask: What lessons does it impart? What might be the purpose of telling this story in Ukrainian culture? In my reading, The Mitten illustrates the tragedy of the commons, or the idea that when people have unlimited access to a shared resource, they will ultimately over-use it at the expense of the collective. Each animal who hops in the mitten prioritizes their own comfort over the reality that the mitten can’t fit very many creatures, which eventually means that no one can enjoy the mitten. 

Brave Irene by William Steig

Mrs. Bobbin, a dressmaker, creates the most beautiful dress for the duchess, to be worn at her ball that night. However, Mrs. Bobbin feels too ill to deliver it so her daughter Irene volunteers despite the snow starting outside. After Irene tucks her mother into bed, she sets out with the big dress box to the palace. The wicked wind, however, has other plans—it rips the box from her hands and blows the dress off into the night. As if that’s not bad enough, Irene twists her ankle and realizes she’s lost! Brave Irene will have to live up to her name if she wants to make it out of this disaster. 

If we’re brainstorming character traits for Irene, the author makes our job a little bit easier with the title—Irene is definitely brave! In addition to the fun illustrations and beautiful word choice, we like Brave Irene because it depicts a brave, determined role model for young girls. As Irene faces the danger of freezing to death, she keeps her head and pushes through to complete her task. Heroes can come in all shapes and sizes! As you read this story with your student, discuss what makes a hero and if you would want to emulate any of Irene’s qualities.

The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader

As winter looms, the woodland animals brace for the cold season. Some creatures migrate to warmer places, others hibernate in cozy burrows, and the rest prepare to find food in the snow. The first flakes of snow fall. Then, the night after Christmas, a rainbow shines around the moon—the owls know this means much more snow. Heavy snow falls for two days. After the snow stops and the animals grow hungry, a little old man and woman shovel a path and scatter food on the ground. Though the animals face a long and cold winter, the old couple might be the key to them making it to spring. 

One reason I think The Big Snow earned its place as a Caldecott winner is because of its realistic yet tender animal illustrations. The lines and colors possess a softness that capture the reader’s heart and foster connection with the animals on the page. The Big Snow answers the question, “Where do animals go when it snows?” After reading this book, ask your student, “What would you do if it snowed?” Encourage them to draw a picture or write a description of their favorite activity in the snow. It could be anything from staying inside to read a book to braving the cold to have a snowball fight!

The Mitten Tree by Candace Christiansen

Old Sarah watches the children wait for the bus every morning but they never notice her. One morning she notices a boy without mittens, so she knits him a pair and leaves them on the old blue spruce tree for him to find. From there, she knits new mittens for the children every day and leaves them on the tree. On the last day before winter break, Sarah hangs mittens on every branch so that all the children get new ones. Sarah’s heart feels full even though the children have never acknowledged her—when she gets home, however, she finds a basket filled with beautiful yarn. It seems Sarah’s hand in the children’s lives has not gone unnoticed! 

This sweet story highlights the contentment that generosity brings. Oftentimes, giving enriches the life of the giver just as much as or more than the recipient’s. Although Sarah never directly interacts with the children she knits mittens for, she feels like they have become her new family. Her soft smile speaks to the joy that generosity brings. After reading this story, challenge your student to give a gift (maybe a snack, a homemade craft, a pair of socks, etc.) without telling the recipient who it’s from. The reward of knowing you have given a gift is enough!

We’ll plan to draw 3 winners on December 30 and announce them on December 31—a fun way to close out the year and start the new one with great books in hand. So stay tuned!

And remember, more actions = more chances for you to win! Click through and enter to win today!

 

 

~Claire

As the days shrink to their shortest length and the winter chill seems here to stay, there’s nothing better than finding a cozy corner in which to read a book. That’s why we’re launching our Twelve Days Giveaway, with twelve delightful books, in three sets of four to enjoy. Their unifying theme? Snow!—and, of course, beautifully illustrated picture books!

The first bundle of four we’ve curated is perfect for primary and early elementary readers. Because the words in these stories are sparse (or for one story, nonexistent), reading the illustrations is key. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words—so take a close look along with your students at the wonderful sketches, collages, watercolors, paintings, and words that collaborate to tell the story, and get reading!

HOW TO ENTER:

Enter once—or come back daily to boost your chances!

You can also earn bonus entries by:

• Following us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or YouTube
• Uploading your Blackbird & Company photos or videos (no faces required!)
• Completing quick extra actions inside the contest portal

Here’s the scoop about the books in the primary bundle:

Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Yee

Tracks in the Snow tells the adorable story of a little girl who sees prints in the snow outside her window. She wonders what kind of creature could have made these tracks and follows them throughout the snowy woods.

We chose this tiny book not only because of the sweet and whimsical storyline, but because of the little girl’s tenacity and inquisitiveness. She poses a question about the world around her—who or what made these tracks?—and doesn’t stop until she solves the mystery.

Character is one of the first literary elements students are equipped to unpack at the Earlybird level. As you read this story with your student, ask: What are the little girl’s character traits? Is she brave or scared? Is she curious or disinterested? How do you know? You might be surprised at your student’s insights!

Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

Wolf in the Snow begins as a little girl walks home from school and loses her way in a snowstorm. In the same wintery landscape, a helpless wolf pup is separated from his pack. The little girl and the wolf pup stumble across one another and search for the way home together in the forest and snowy plains. Is the girl and pup’s friendship enough to save them both?

The illustrations in Wolf in the Snow are so masterful that they don’t require words to tell the story—no wonder this book won the 2018 Caldecott Award! Onomatopoeia (words that represent sounds) are the only scraps of writing in this piece, like when the wolves go “hooooooooowwlll” or the owl says, “screech!” As you read this book with your student, bring up a conversation about mood. Mood is how a story makes you feel, and Matthew Cordell creates  mood almost solely through pictures! How does each scene make you feel? How can you understand the little girl’s feelings from the illustrations?

After reading and discussing, consider challenging your student to draw a picture that conveys a certain mood, using no words except for onomatopoeias.

Snow by Uri Shulevitz

As one snowflake falls, then another, the boy with the dog knows what that means: it’s snowing! No matter how many times the people around him or the radio or the television say it isn’t snowing, the snow won’t listen to them.

We chose Uri Shulevitz’s Snow because of the boy’s faith that it would snow in the face of everyone else disagreeing with him. Despite grandfather with beard and man with hat and woman with umbrella explaining how the snowflakes are too few or how the snow will melt, the boy knows better and trusts himself. His optimism is rewarded when snow blankets the city and whimsical Mother Goose characters join him in celebrating the winter wonderland. As you read, ask: Has there ever been a time when you have known something to be true but other people disagreed with you? How did you handle it? Is it easy to trust yourself?

Snowballs by Lois Ehlert

The narrator knows a big snow is coming; it’s finally time to use the materials they’ve been collecting. They create a whole family of snowmen. When the sun comes out, the snowballs shrink and melt. Ehlert wraps up the book by including collage elements and an explanation of how snow is made.

One of the reasons we love this book is because of its interdisciplinary content. Ehlert combines the art of collage with the science of snow. After reading Snowballs with your student, cut out three circles of white paper and stack them to create a snowman. Looking to Ehlert’s examples for inspiration, collect a myriad of objects you can find around the house—like buttons, cashews, scraps of paper and fabric, string, plants, coins, socks—and arrange them on a piece of blank paper to decorate the snowman.

We’ll plan to draw 3 winners on December 30 and announce them on December 31—a fun way to close out the year and start the new one with great books in hand. So stay tuned!

And remember, more actions = more chances for you to win! Click through and enter to win today!

~Claire

Look

Imagine

Create

“All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions.”

                                                  ~Leonardo da Vinci

Observation begins with a question: What am I seeing? In a world filled to the brim with stimulation, it is easy to take our senses for granted. Though we are usually quick to have thoughts on things that we taste and smell, sight (of all things) can often be overlooked. We see so many things on a daily basis that it’s easy to forget to stop and really look.

You might assume that this is true for things we only see once, but oftentimes this overlooking occurs with things we see on a daily basis. Think about the patience of your front door. It’s waiting every single day for a passerby. Surely you walk by it and through it several times a day. But when was the last time you truly observed your front door? Are there new cracks? Has the paint faded? Has the metal of the hinges or doorknob tarnished? Most of us probably couldn’t answer these questions without going to have another look.

Observation is not just for the artist making masterpieces or the scientist performing meticulous experiments. It is for us to better understand and know the world we live in. It is for us to learn to move past assumptions and fill our minds with sighted knowledge. Our world with is briming with sights to see, so let’s dive into the art of observation.

There is nothing like art-making to engage students in active learning. Leonardo da Vinci, the quintessential Renaissance Man, made over 13,000 journal observations during the course of his lifetime, and as he did, he not only gained an enormous body of knowledge, but also created masterworks and made significant discoveries that he generously shared with the world. His influence is far reaching.

In our brand new interdisciplinary 20-week unit, students will research the life of the extraordinary Leonardo da Vinci, taking notes along the way in preparation for the culminating biographical essay. They will also learn to slow into the art of observation via weekly drawing exercises. All of the exercises will be supported by online videos that can be accessed at the convince of the student.  Watch our social media for our April website drop date.