Silent, and soft, and slow
Descends the snow.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The first snowfall of the year is a perfect time to read the picture book Winter Walk, by the (aptly named) writer and illustrator Virginia Snow. The author lives near a forest reserve in Utah and uses the landscape as inspiration for her stories.

In Winter Walk, a child explores the snowy woods with his siblings and grandmother. As they make snow angels, toss snowballs and build a snowman together, they also enjoy the beauty of their surroundings: the icicles in the trees, a brilliant red cardinal, a snowdrop blossoming in the drifts. The illustrations are a mixture of pencil drawings and brilliantly colored paintings, and serve as a beautiful field guide to the flora and fauna of the forest.

In rhyming text that is fun to read aloud, the book captures the exhilaration of playing and walking in fresh snow and the thrill of spotting a fox or a chickadee. It offers ideas for indoor winter projects, like making six-sided paper snowflakes and building a pinecone bird feeder. Another page describes the natural history behind winter phenomenon: why snow looks white, how animals cope with the cold, and why some trees lose all their leaves. The author has created a picture book for every season, so there are more of her forest walks to enjoy.

In short, Winter Walk is the perfect complement to your family’s winter adventures. After a romp in the snow, there’s nothing better than relaxing with some hot chocolate and a wonderful book like this one.

Maureen