Book Talk Thursday ~ Good Winter Reads Linky

I went out shopping this morning, returning gifts and other items with the kids!  And it really wasn't too bad!  I waited in super short lines and didn't spend a whole lot of money.  I loved it!  But, I am not done!  My husband is leaving work early, so he can accompany us the rest of the day.  I have mixed feelings on this.

Anyway, the whole point of that story is that I had NO clue what I was going to do for Book Talk Thursday today.

But while my son was looking over the very picked over Legoes in Target, I spotted the perfect book!  When I saw Steven Kellogg's drawings, I was drawn right to it, the book Snowflakes Fall by Patricia MacLachla and illustrated by Steven Kellogg.

I read the book right there to my daughter while waiting in Target, and she wanted to take it home.  BUT, it was way too expensive to take home.  I wanted to see if I could get it cheaper.

Anyway, onto my book review!  What drew me to this book was the picture on the cover.  It reminds me so much of my own children playing in the snow.  Since I grew up in Louisiana, I have no good memories of making snow angels or sledding in the snow.  But living in the mountains of Virginia, that is all we do when it snows ~ for hours!

When I opened it up and began to read the book, I was moved by the beautiful words used to describe the snow and the playful ways of the children.  MacLachlan begins with the end of fall and the beginning of winter snow.   She reminds us that just as  no two snowflakes are identical, so are people.  And though darkness of night comes, the morning light always comes.  She takes us from winter to spring and summer with memories of playing in the snow always there.

When I got home and looked it up, I was surprised to see that it is a tribute to the children of Newton, Connecticut.  What a great way to remember the circle of life and that even through hard times, the beauty of snow helps to heal! 

I created a simple writing paper you can use for students to write about their experiences in the snow.  And for those who don't have snow, your students could write about what they would want to do in the snow.  Click {here} or on the picture below to grab your own copy!

Link up some a blog post with a review of a fun winter book!  The link up is open for a week and will end on New Year's Day!  I can't wait to find some new winter books!