Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice (December 21, 2010, M.A. Reilly)

           So the shortest day came, and the year died,
              And everywhere down the centuries of the
                          Snow-white world,
                    Came people singing, dancing,
                       To drive the dark away.

              They lighted candles in the winter trees;
                They hung their homes with evergreen.
             They burned beseeching fires all night long
                       To keep the year alive.

            And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
                       They shouted, reveling.
            Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
                    Echoing, behind us - listen!

              All the long echoes sing the same delight
                          This shortest day
               As promise wakens in the sleeping land.

                   They carol, feast, give thanks,
         And dearly love their friends, and hope for peace.
                      And so do we, here, now,
                     This year, and every year.
                             Welcome, Yule!

      --by Susan Cooper, 1977 written for The Christmas Revels

Winter and Winter Solstice Books for Children

Winter Solstice

Bauer Marion Dane. (2009). The Longest Night. Illustrated by Ted Lewin. New York: Holiday House.

Conrad, Heather. (2001). Lights of Winter: Winter Celebrations Around the World. Illustrated by deForest Walker. Lightport Books.

Edwards, Carolyn McVickar. (2005). The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice. New York: Da Capo Press.

Fordham, Walter. (1995). Iliana, A Winter Solstice Tale. Illustrated by Tatjana Krizmanic. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Wide River Books.  

King, Thomas. (2009). A Coyote Solstice Tale. Illustrated by Gary Clement. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books. 

Jackson, Ellen B.  (1997). The Winter Solstice. Illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press.

Pfeffer, Wendy. (2003). The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice. Illustrated by Jesse Reisch. New York: Dutton.

Shragg, Karen. (2001).  A Solstice Tree for Jenny. Illustrated by Heidi Schwabacher. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books.

Winter Books

Alarcon, Francisco X. (2005). Iguanas in the Snow: And Other Winter Poems/Iguanas en la Nieve: Y Otros Poemas de Invierno. Illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez. San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press.

Anaya, Rudolfo. (1995). The Farolitos of Christmas. Illustrated by Edward Gonzalez.  New York: Hyperion.

Anaya, Rudolfo. (1999). Farolitos for Abuelo. Illustrated by Edward Gonzalez. New York: Hyperion.

Badoe, Adwoa. (2009). Nana’s Cold Days. Illustrated by Bushra Junaid. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books.

Baker, Keith. (2011). No Two Alike. San Diego, CA: Beach Lane Books.

Bancroft, Henrietta. (1996). Animals in Winter. Illustrated by Helen K. Davie. New York: HarperCollins.

Berger Melvin & Gilda Berger. (1995). What Do Animals Do in Winter? Illustrated by Susan J. Harrison. Discovery Readers.

Berner, Rotraut Susanne (Compiler). (2008). The Winter Book. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books.

Bouchard, David (Metis). (2008). An Aboriginal Carol. Illustrated by Moses Beaver (First Nations). Ontario: Red Deer Press.

Brennan-Nelson, Denise. (2010). Willow and the Snow Day Dance. Illustrated by Cyd Moore. Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press.

Briggs, Raymond. (1986). The Snowman. New York: Dragonfly Books.

Brunelle, Nicolas. (2005). Snow Moon. New York: Viking.

Carle, Eric. (2000). Dream Snow. New York: Philomel.

from The Story of Snow

Cassio, Mark.  (2009). The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Da Costa, Deborah. (2007). Hanukkah Moon. Illustrated by Gosia Mosz. New York: Kar-Ben Publishing.

De Paola, Tomie. (2005). Days of the Blackbird. New York: Puffin.

Ehlert, Lois. (1999). Snowballs. New York: Sandpiper.

Fleming, Denise. (2005). First Day of Winter. New York: Henry Holt.

Frost, Robert. (2001). Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Illustrated by Susan Jeffers. New York: Dutton.

from Charro Claus and the Teja Kid.

Garza, Xavier. (2008). Charro Claus and the Tejas Kid.  El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.

George, Jean Craighead. (1995). Dear Rebecca, Winter is Here. Illustrated by Loretta Krupinski. New York: HarperCollins.

George, Lindsay Barrett. (1999). In the Snow: Who’s Been Here? New York: Greenwillow.

Gershator, Phillis, (2010). When It Starts to Snow. Illustrated by Martin Matje. New York: Henry Holt.

Glaser, Linda.  (1997). The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes. Illustrated by Nancy Cote. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman Books.

Graham-Barber, Linda. (2008). The Animals’ Winter Sleep. Illustrated by Nancy Carol Willis. Middletown, DE: Birdsong Books.

Houston, Gloria. (1996). The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story. Illustrated by Barbara Cooney. New York: Puffin.

Kerilis Hélène. (2011). A Bird in Winter: A Children’s Book Inspired by Peter Breugel. Illustrated by Stépanie Girel. Prestel Publishing.

Hines, Anna Grossnickle. (2005). Winter Lights: A Season in Poems & Quilts. New York: HarperCollins.

Hoyt-Goldsmith, Diane. (2004). Three Kings Day. Illustrated by Laurence Migdale. New York: Holiday House.

Hudson, Cheryl Willis. (2002). Hold Christmas in Your Heart: African American Songs, Poems, and Stories for the Holidays. New York: Scholastic

Jiménez, Francisco. (2008). The Christmas Gift: El regalo de Navidad. Illustrated by Claire B. Cotts. New York: Sandpiper.

Joose, Barbara. (2006). Wind-Wild Dog. Illustrated by Kate Kiesler. New York: Henry Holt.

Joseph, Lynn. (1996). An Island Christmas. Illustrated by Catherine Stock. New York: Sandpiper.

Judge, Lita. (2011). Red Sled. New York: Atheneum.

Keats, Ezra Jack. (1963). The Snowy Day. New York: Penguin.

Laminack, Lester. (2010). Snow Day! Illustrated by Adam Gustavson. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.

Lenski, Lois.(2000).  I Like Winter. New York: Random House.

Lin, Grace & Robert Mercer. (2005). Robert’s Snowflake: Artists’ Snowflakes for Cancer’s Cure. New York: Viking.

Lindgren, Astrid. (1997). The Tomten. New York: Puffin.

Luenn, Nancy. (1998). Celebrations of Light: A Year of Holidays Around the World. Illustrated by Mark Bender. New York: Atheneum.

Luján, Jorge. (2006). Tarde de invierno/Winter Afternoons. Illustrated by Mandana Sadat. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books.

Mathur, Bhakti. (2011). Amma, Tell Me About DIWALI! Illustrated by Maulshree Somani. Anjana Publishing.

McGhee, Alison. (2011). Making a Friend. Illustrated by Marc Rosenthal. New York: Atheneum.

Medearis, Angela Shelf. (2000). Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story. Illustrated by Daniel Minter. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Company.

from Waiting for Winter

Medina, Tony. (2008). Christmas Makes Me Think. Illustrated by Chandra Cox. New York:  Lee & Low Books.

Meschenmoser, Sebastian. (2009). Waiting for Winter. La Jolla, CA: Kane Miller.

Mesner, Kate. (2011). Over and Under the Snow. Illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

Miller, Debbie S. (2007). Arctic Lights, Arctic Nights. Illustrated by John Van Zyle. New York: Walker’s Children’s Books.

Momaday, N. Scott (Kiowa). (1999). Circle of Wonder: A Native American Christmas Story. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press.

Nelson, S.D. (Lakota) (2007). Coyote Christmas: A Lakota Story. New York: Henry N. Abrams.

Perkins, Lynne Rae. (2003). Snow Music. New York:  Greenwillow Books.

Pinkney, Andrea Davis. (2001). Mim’s Christmas Jam.  Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. New York:  Harcourt.

Rand, Gloria. (1994). The Cabin. Illustrated by Ted Rand. Boston, MA: Harcourt.

Rogasky, Barbara. (1999). Winter Poems. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. New York: Scholastic.

Rossiter, Nan Parson. (2011). Sugar on Snow. New York: Dutton.

Sakai, Komako. (2005). The Snow Day. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.

Sams, Carl & Stoick, Jean. (2003). Winter Friends. New York: Carl R Sams II Photography.

Say, Allen. (2009). Tree of Cranes. New York: Sandpiper.

Schertle, Alice. (2007). All You Need is a Snowman. Illustrated by Barbara Lavallee. New York: Sandpiper.

Selsam, Millicent, E. (1998). Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Following Animal Prints. Illustrated by Marlene Hill Donnelly. New York: Harper Collins.

Shulevitz, Uri. (2004). Snow. New York: Farrar, Strauss  & Giroux.

Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk (Sioux). (2011). The Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood. Illustrated Elllen Beier. New York: Holiday House.

Soto, Gary. (1996). Too Many Tamales. Illustrated by Ed Martinez. New York: Puffin.

Soto, Gary. (1996). Que Monton de Tamales. Illustrated by Ed Martinez. New York: Puffin.

Steig, William.(1988). Brave Irene. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

Stewart, Melissa. (2009). Under the Snow. Illustrated by Constance R. Bergum. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.

Spirin, Gennady. (2009). The Twelve Days of Christmas. Tarrytown, New York: Marshal Cavendisg.

Spirin, Gennady. (2005). Martha.  New York: Philomel.

Stojis, Manya. (2002). Snow. New York: Crown Books.

Van Laan, Nancy. (2000). When Winter Comes. Illustrated by Susan Gaber. New York: Atheneum.

Velasquez, Eric. (2010). Grandma’s Gift. New York: Walker Children’s Books.

Verma, Jatinder. (2007). Story of Divaali. Illustrated by Nilesh Mistry. Cambridge, MA: Barefoot Books.

Von Olfers, Sibylle. (2005). The Story of the Snow Children. Floris Books.

Watkins, Dawn L. (1999). Chickadee Winter. Illustrated by Gabriela Dellosso. BJU Press.

Whipple, Laura (Ed.). (2003). A Snowflake Fell. Illustrated by Hatsuki Hori. Cambridge, MA: Barefoot Books.

Willard, Nancy. (2011). A Starlit Snowfall. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Little Brown Books.

Yerxa, Leo. (2012). Last Leaf First Snowflake to Fall. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books.

Yee, Wong Herbert. (2007). Tracks in the Snow. New York: Square Fish.

Yee, Wong Herbert. (2000). In the Snow. New York: Square Fish.

Yolen, Jane. (2005). Snow, Snow: Winter Poems for Children. Illustrated by Jason Stemple. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.

Yolen, Jane. (1987). Owl Moon. Illustrated by John Schoenherr. New York: Philomel.

from Owl Moon