The Winter Book was compiled and illustrated by Rotraut Susanne Berner, an internationally known German author and illustrator. The anthology was originally published in Germany as
Das Hausbuch der Weihachtszeit.
The Winter Book is a translation with some additions and adaptations. It is a wonderful collection of stories, songs, poems, recipes, and essays related to winter and winter holidays, including Diwali, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year and St Valentine's Day, among others.
The Winter Book: Selections and Authors
Selections include holiday stories, fantasy, and humorous stories, factual descriptions of holidays, recipes for holiday treats, Christmas carols, and poems about the weather, holidays, and the seasons. The authors include Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Allen Poe, Henry Thoreau, Italo Calvino, Alberto Moravia, Dino Buzzati, and Adwoa Badoe, among others. One of the nice thing about this collection is that many of the authors and stories will be new to you and your children.
The Winter Book: The Illustrations
However, the best thing about
The Winter Book is the vibrant and appealing artwork by Rotraut Susanne Berner. In addition to the pen and watercolor illustrations that accompany the various authors' works, Berner has also created two-page wordless tales in comic book format to introduce each of the four sections of the book. These wordless tales all feature the entertaining adventures of a child in a blue snowsuit.
The Winter Book: My Recommendation
Younger children will enjoy "reading" the pictures. Children nine and older will enjoy reading the book on their own. However, the whole family will enjoy it as a read-aloud. When it's cold and snowy outside, snuggle up inside and enjoy
The Winter Book with your children.
Compare prices. (Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press, 2008. ISBN: 9780888999009)
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