Winter white trees...

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An excerpt:

Have you seen snow trees?
Winter, bright, white trees?
Turned-to-ice-at-night trees,
sparkling-in-the-light trees.
I can hear the SNAP
of the winter white trees!

~ from Have You Seen Trees?,

written by Joanne Oppenheim

I love the images and the rhymes in this excerpt! 

A big snowstorm is predicted to hit much of the midwest this week. But here in the Chicago area the forecast is calling for rain, much to my family's dismay. I'm posting this photo and excerpt in the hopes that those predictions will be wrong and that we'll seeing some winter bright white trees around here soon....

The way of life...

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Have you ever noticed a tree standing 
   naked against the sky, 
How beautiful it is?  
All its branches are outlined, and in its nakedness 
There is a poem, there is a song.  
Every leaf is gone and it is waiting for the spring.  
When the spring comes, it again fills the tree with 
The music of many leaves, 
Which in due season fall and are blown away. 
And this is the way of life.

~  Krishnamurti

I love to see trees lush and green in the summer or ablaze with color in the fall. But I also appreciate the naked trees of winter. There is a poem there, and a stark kind of beauty. Can you hear the song in the bare branches?

Jack Frost

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Jack Frost

Someone painted pictures on my
Windowpane last night --
Willow trees with trailing boughs
And flowers, frosty white,

And lovely crystal butterflies;
But when the morning sun
Touched them with its golden beams,
They vanished one by one.

~ Helen Bayley Davis

I've always loved looking at the pictures that Jack Frost paints on my windows! I like the images in Davis's poem, especially the "willow trees with trailing boughs" and the sun's "golden beams". What do you like (or dislike) about this poem?

The Penguin

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The Penguin

A penguin isn't thin -- it's fat.
It has penguinsulation.
And it toboggans through the snow
On penguinter vacation.
The penguin's a penguinsome bird
Of black-and-white fine feather.
And it will huddle with its friends
In cold, penguindy weather.

~ Douglas Florian

Happy Penguin Awareness Day! :)

I love penguins and I love this poem with Florian's fun play on words. It makes me smile every time I read it!

Algid and Gelid

This week seems like an appropriate time to share two words -- two synonyms -- that I learned recently. The first is algid [al-jid], an adjective that means "cold, chilly". The second is gelid [jel-id], another adjective that means "very cold, icy, or frosty". I've written a few sample sentences using these words:

It has been positively algid 

here this week. (True story!)

Penguins would love this gelid weather.

I love snow, but I don't like 

the algid temperatures that accompany it.

I'd much rather drink a mug of hot cocoa today

 than a gelid glass of water.

Do you like it when it's algid and gelid outside? How would you use these two words?

Under my hood...

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Under my hood I have a hat
And under that
My hair is flat.
Under my coat
My sweater's blue,
My sweater's red.
I'm wearing two.
My muffler muffles to my chin
And round my neck
And then tucks in.
My gloves were knitted
By my aunts.
I've mittens too
And pants
And pants
And boots
And shoes
With socks inside.
The boots are rubber, red and wide.
And when I walk
I must not fall
Because I can't get up at all.

~ Karla Kuskin

Have you ever had days like this? I sure have.... :)

No snow?

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An excerpt:

     "No snow," said radio.

     "No snow," said television.

     But snowflakes don't listen to radio, snowflakes don't watch television. All snowflakes know is snow, snow, and snow.

~ from Snow,

written by Uri Shulevitz

I'm glad that snowflakes don't listen to the radio or the tv. Ours kept saying we wouldn't get any snow, either, but we finally did anyway. :)

Wintertime

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Wintertime

Snowflakes softly falling,
coasting on the hills,
Children building snowmen,
sharing Winter thrills.

Skaters on the ice pond,
dressed in outfits bright,
Lacy fir and pine trees--
such a lovely sight.

Drifts along the roadside,
frosted windowpanes,
Fence posts capped in ermine,
lining country lanes.

Crystal brooks and streamlets,
fairyland delight,
World of glistening beauty
blanketed in white.

Purple shadows lengthening,
moonlight on the snow,
Families snug and cozy
'mid the hearth fires' glow,

Fellowship and laughter,
happiness sublime,
Many joys to cherish
when it's wintertime.

~ Beverly J. Anderson

I love all of these "Winter thrills". Do you?

Snow What Fun!

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I love snow. I love to watch it fall from the sky. I love to go sledding in it, and ice skating, make snow angels and snowmen. And once I'm done playing out in the snow, there's nothing I like better than wrapping up in a warm blanket,  with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book!

Even though it's been many years since any of my kiddos have sat on my lap to listen to me read a story, I still enjoy reading and looking through picture books. Here are a few that I found at our library recently and wanted to share with you:

No Two Alike,

written and illustrated by Keith Baker, 2011

Two little birds explore the winter wonderland all around them and discover that, though many things are similar to each other, each one is unique. I love the gently rhyming text and Baker's creative scenes on every page, like the bird skiing on pine needles in the picture shown above.

***

No,

written and illustrated by Claudia Rueda, 2009

Winter has come. It is time for mother bear and her little one to go to sleep until spring. But little bear wants to stay up and play in the snow. This is a cute story, perfect for reading at bedtime when your own little cub doesn't want to go to bed!

***

Red Sled,

written and illustrated by Lita Judge, 2011

This delightful story about woodland creatures who find a sled is told through Judge's illustrations and a bit of onomatopoeia.

***

When Winter Comes,

written by Nancy Van Laan

and illustrated by Susan Gaber, 2000

This engaging book uses rhyme and repetition to tell about what happens to animals and plants when winter comes.

***

Diamond in the Snow,

written by Jonathan Emmett

and illustrated by Vanessa Cabban, 2006

Mole has never seen snow before. When he finds something smooth and sparkly sticking out of the snow, he thinks it must be a diamond. However, the diamond keeps changing shape in his hands -- maybe it's magic?  This charming story shows just how magical wintertime can be.

***

Anna's Wish,

written by Bruno Hachler

and illustrated by Friederike Rave, 2008

It hasn't snowed in years. In fact, Anna has never even seen snow -- except for in her dreams. But then she spies a little white horse in the bakery window, standing on a cake that looks like snow. Maybe, if she just wishes hard enough...

***

Winter is for Snow,

written and illustrated by Robert Neubecker, 2013

A little girl is not fond of the cold and the snow, but her brother sets out to convince her that there are many wonderful things about winter. I know some people who are like the little girl in this story, who are always trying to wish winter away and skip ahead to summertime. I'd love to send them all copies of this book! :)

***

You Make Me Smile,

written and illustrated by Layn Marlow, 2013

It is a very special day for a little girl and her snowman! This is a sweet, magical story about friendship.

***

This Place in the Snow,

written and illustrated by Rebecca Bond, 2004

The morning after a big snowfall, the plow comes through and makes a mountain of snow. The children work together to make their own splendid place in the snow. I especially liked Bond's poetic text. Plus, this fun book reminds me of my son Ben and the other boys on our cul-de-sac. The plow always piles the snow up at the edge of our yard -- the kids love to build forts there, with sledding paths and more.

***

Snow,

written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz, 1998

The whole city is gray. Then, one snowflake falls to the ground. And another. The grownups say it will just melt away, but one young boy with his dog waits for the snow... and soon the city is white.

***

For even more wintry picture books, check out this previous post of mine:

There's No Books Like Snow Books

Have you read any of the books above? If so, what did you think of them? What are your favorite picture books about winter?

Frozen now in time...

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An excerpt:

     It began to snow heavily, falling in drifts. All Ophelia could see were the outlines of walls and the shapes of what might have been low hedges, now white. She shuffled through the snow. There were stone creatures, she noticed, covered in frost. Eagles with outstretched wings and lions reclining on the walls and a white horse rising up on its hind legs as though startled, only frozen now in time. 

~ From Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, 

written by Karen Foxlee

I read this book last summer, on a very hot day, and day-dreamed about snow. Now I can look out my window and see my very own winter wonderland. No eagles or lions, though. ;)

Silence

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Silence

Quiet,
so quiet
without a sound

Floating,
falling
to the ground

Snowflake feathers
from snow-white birds

Snow is a poem
without any words.

~ Eve Merriam

I love to watch snow falling, don't you? I love it when I'm inside, warm and cozy, gazing out my window and I love it when I'm outside in the cold, snowflakes landing on my face and melting there. I love how beautiful it is... and how quiet. 

Merriam's poem above makes me smile. I especially like that last line. And now whenever I watch the snow fall, I will think of it as poetry without words. :)

Dimmest and Brightest Month Am I

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Dimmest and brightest month am I;
  My short days end, my lengthening days
    begin;
What matters more or less sun in the sky,
  When all is sun within?

~ Christina Rossetti

It's the winter solstice, with the shortest day and the longest night in the year. Around here the days have been gray and gloomy and dim lately, but inside our house, everything is twinkly and bright for Christmas -- it fills my heart with joy! 

As Rossetti says in this poem, now the days (the hours of sunlight) will start getting longer again. The important thing, however, is how you feel inside. Hope the sun inside you is shining brightly this week!

December

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December

First snow! The flakes
  So few, so light, 
Remake the world
  In solid white.

All bundled up,
  We feel as if
We were fat penguins,
  Warm and stiff.

Downtown, the stores
  Half split their sides,
And Mother brings home
  Things she hides.

Old carols peal.
  The dusk is dense.
There is a mood
  Of sweet suspense.

The shepherds wait,
  The kings, the tree--
All wait for something
  Yet to be,

Some miracle.
  And then it's here,
Wrapped up in hope--
  Another year!

~ John Updike

There are so many things I love about the month of December -- and Updike includes many of them in this poem. What are your favorite things about December?

I Heard a Bird Sing

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I Heard a Bird Sing

I heard a bird sing

  In the dark of December

A magical thing

  And sweet to remember.

“We are nearer to Spring

  Than we were in September,”

I heard a bird sing

  In the dark of December.

~ Oliver Herford

This is a hopeful little poem, especially when it's been cold and snowy for weeks -- which is not the case here this year. Here it already feels like spring, LOL. Do you dream of spring in December?

Snow

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Snow

Snow has magic
in its touch.
It makes the world
change very much;
it bends the hands
of spruces low
with fluffy mittens
full of snow;
it turns the road
and house and yard
into a great big
Christmas card.

~ Aileen Fisher

It has been unseasonably warm here lately and we don't have any snow at the moment. I hope we will get some soon because I love how it magically changes the world around us, as Fisher says in her poem. I'm ready for my house and yard to look like a Christmas card! How about you? Do you like the way snow looks?

How long will we feed them?

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An excerpt:

     The snowman stood alone... but only for a short time.

     "They have eaten everything... even the carrot nose," whispered the little sister peeking out from behind the evergreens.

     "Let's put out more seeds and corn before they come back," encouraged the brother. "The animals will never know we were here."

     "How long will we feed them?" she asked.

     "For a long, long time," he replied. "After the snow has gone and the snowman has melted away, until the frogs start to sing and the trees grow new leaves."

~ from Stranger in the Woods, 

written by Carl R. Sams II & Jean Stoick

We don't have any snow on the ground at the moment, but I am wishing for a winter wonderland. I love snow and making snowmen... and would love it even more if a snowman of mine attracted the attention of some wildlife like the one in this story! How about you?

Snow-Flakes

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Snow-Flakes

Out of the bosom of the Air,
  Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,
Over the woodlands brown and bare
  Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
    Silent, and soft, and slow
    Descends the snow.

Even as our cloudy fancies take
  Suddenly shape in some divine expression,
Even as the troubled heart doth make
  In the white countenance confession,
    The troubled sky reveals
    The grief it feels.

This is the poem of the air,
  Slowly in silent syllables recorded;
This is the secret of despair,
  Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,
    Now whispered and revealed
    To wood and field.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

For me, snow usually brings happy thoughts to mind, but in this poem snow takes on a sad, melancholy feeling.  I love the imagery in Longfellow's words and also the sounds, especially the last two lines of each stanza. My favorite line, though, is "This is the poem of the air,/Slowly in silent syllables recorded" -- to me, that is simply beautiful. What do you like (or dislike) about this poem?

Winter Moon

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Winter Moon

How thin and sharp is the moon tonight!
How thin and sharp and ghostly white
Is the slim curved crook of the moon tonight!

~ Langston Hughes

I don't know about you, but I can't believe that it's December already! Where did the year go?? 

I know that winter doesn't officially start for a few more weeks, but I always consider the 1st of December to be the beginning of the winter season. (Especially when we've already had snow, like this year!) I love to step outside at night during the winter, enjoying the soft white ground all around, glowing in the moonlight. Do you? I also like the different ways that Hughes describes the moon in this short poem.

Winter warm...

Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons

An excerpt:

Sun sets early
Sky's a-swirly
Clouds collect--
Another storm?

Bundle blankets
Crackle, kindle
Cup of cocoa--
Winter warm.

~ from Frozen Noses,

written by Jan Carr

Brr... it's cold out there today, with a wind chill below zero. On days like this, I love to bundle up in my warmest winter clothes, snuggle under a fuzzy blanket, and sip hot cocoa while reading a good book. Winter warm, indeed. :)

Winter Morning Poem

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Winter Morning Poem

Winter is the king of showmen,
Turning tree stumps into snow men
And houses into birthday cakes
And spreading sugar over lakes.
Smooth and clean and frosty white,
The world looks good enough to bite.
That's the season to be young,
Catching snowflakes on your tongue.
Snow is snowy when it's snowing,
I'm sorry it's slushy when it's going.

~ Ogden Nash

We finally got some real snow this month (as opposed to the dustings we had earlier in the winter).  Unfortunately, it is now at that slushy stage.  I'm hoping we'll get one more good snow, making the world look "good enough to bite", before spring....