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Five Favourite Winter Reads

The evenings are growing darker and the air chillier. Winter is certainly on the way.  Now is the perfect time for an "after school hot chocolate" (yes, that is a thing in our house!) and snuggles under a blanket with, of course, a good book.


We've picked a few of our favourite winter reads to share with you. As always we've tried to include a mix of brand new titles and some better known books. We hope you enjoy our recommendations.



Sleep Tight Farm, published by Chronicle Books (2016). Written by Eugenie Doyle and illustrated by Becca Stadtlander, this is a beautifully illustrated new book which shows a family of farmers working together to put their farm to bed for the winter. Learn how they work hard to prepare for the frost, wind and snow that the winter brings. See how they protect their plants, store food, stack the wood and ensure their animals and machinery are all safe. They say "good night" as they complete each task. Finally the farm is ready and the snow falls. As Dad tucks in his little farmers in for the night he says "Good night, farmers, sleep tight." The book then ends with the words "Sleep tight, farm." This repetition and the calm and gently pace of the story make it a brilliant and fascinating bedtime read.
Sleep Tight Farm by Eugenie Doyle and Becca Stadtlander (Chronicle Books, £10.99)

Bear and Hare: Snow! - Bear and Hare 2 (Hardback)

Bear and Hare SNOW! Published by Macmillan (2014). This fantastic book from the award-winning Emily Gravett celebrates everything that is great about snow! At the start of the book we are told that Hare loves snow, but we see that Bear is not so sure. We then join the lovable duo on an action-packed adventure as they make snowballs, build snow hares and bears, go sledging and even catch snowflakes on their tongues. This is a lovely book for young children and readers cannot help but feel Hare's joy as he shows bear just how much fun the snow can be. Unsurprisingly, by the end of the book, Bear loves snow just as much as Hare!
Bear and Hare SNOW! by Emily Gravett (Macmillan, £11.99)

The Storm Whale in Winter

The Storm Whale in Winter, written and illustrated by Benji Davies and published by Simon and Schuster (2016). This is the new sequel to the award winning The Storm Whale and, in our opinion, it is even more endearing than the original. The Storm Whale in Winter is the story of a brave little boy called Noi, his Dad, their six cats and a very special friend. In the first story Noi rescues a little whale and, with his Dad's help, he returns it to sea. In this sequel, Noi get's into trouble when he goes to find his Dad and this time it is the little whale who helps Noi to safety. The wild and wintery illustrations in this book are truly stunning and as the story is about a long lasting friendship it makes a heartwarming read. As touching as this book is, our favourite bit is spotting Noi's six cats!
The Storm Whale in Winter by Benji Davies (Simon and Schuster, £6.99)

One Snowy Night Paperback New edition by Nick Butterworth, illustrated by Nick Butterworth

One Snowy Night, written and illustrated by Nick Butterworth and published by Harper Collins. Percy the park keeper lives in the middle of the park. He always looks after the animals and shares his lunch with them. But on a cold winter's night when the snow is falling, Percy's friends come to him looking for shelter. Will he be able to squeeze them all inside his little hut? First published in 1989 this has become a classic and well loved picture book. It is one I remember very clearly from my own childhood. With lovely illustrations and full of humour, this is a perfect story to read aloud at this time of year.
One Snowy Night by Nick Butterworth (Harper Collins, £6.99)

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Bunny Slopes is a fantastic new and innovative picture book by Claudia Rueda and published by Chronicle Books (2016). Bunny is on an exciting skiing adventure but will he be able to avoid the obstacles and get home safely? Well only with your help! Mini Reviewer Izzie, compared this book to "Press Here" by Herve Tullet and she is quite right, as it is just as interactive and fun for little ones. First make it snow, then help bunny navigate the slopes by tilting, tapping, turning and shaking the book. This is a simple story but very engaging for young children. Our favourite part was making the bunny jump! 
We will be sharing our top Christmas reads shortly, which will be perfect if you are creating a book advent calendar and in need of some inspiration. You can also find lots of recommendations in the Christmas Section of our Amazon Store. We'd love to hear whether you have any favourite winter and Christmas books. Just drop us a comment below!

Until next time... HAPPY WINTER READING! 
Kate & the Mini Reviewers xx





*Disclaimer: We were sent copies of Sleep Tight Farm and Bunny Slopes for the purpose of review. All opinions are, as always, our own. This post contains Amazon Affiliate links, click here to find out more.


19 comments:

  1. These all look great. We're in the first steps of learning how to read here. Having a good variety of books available certainly makes it easier #KCACOLS

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    1. Certainly Jeremy, there is definitely something for every child out there to enjoy! #KCACOLS

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  2. Nick Butterworth's One Snowy Night is a huge favourite here! We can't wait to read The Storm Whale in Winter :o)

    #ReadWithMe

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  3. These all look like really great books. And me an the kids love having a hot chocolate after school too. #Readwithme

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  4. Ooh I loved One Snowy Night when I was younger! These all look like great books! Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next Sunday!

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  5. What a wonderful selection to get you in the mood for Winter, thanks for sharing with #ReadWithMe

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  6. I remember reading One Snowy Night with my eldest, who is now 15. I think I loved it as much as he did! The other books sound lovely. I'm always on the look-out for ideas for presents for my little niece and nephew, so I will bear these in mind!

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  7. We haven't read any of these but they look great, will have to check them out x #KCACOLS

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  8. Great selection Kate! I can't wait to read Bunny Slopes - it's currently on the door mat but I'm waiting for little miss to wake from her nap so she can open it! #readwithme

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  9. Some great looking books here. I'm really intrigued by Bunny Slopes. Will have to look out for that one.
    #readwithme

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  10. Ahhh I feel cosy just reading this! A delightful list (: #GlobalBlogging

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  11. A lovely selection, perfect for cosy winter afternoons! I love the sound of Sleep Tight Farm, there are so many books about farms busy times of year that we don't often think about what happens there in the winter.
    #KCACOLS
    #readwithme

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  12. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    1. Badge now added Jacqui! Plus I'ma bit late with my commenting so catching up now... #globalblogging

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  13. Aw these books all sound so lovely especially The Snow Wale in Winter, I will have to check these out. My son is just starting to like being read to, although he doesn't sit still for very long I think he would with a couple of these. Thanks so much for sharing with #GlobalBlogging!

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  14. I'm loving the wintery theme - time to get cosied up with a nice book and hot chocolates all round x

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  15. Thank you for sharing these. The only one I am familiar with is One Snowy Night. #KLTR

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  16. These all sound and look great. I've not read any but would like to take a look at The Storm Wale in the winter. Thanks for sharing on #KLTR

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  17. Ooh after school hot chocolate sounds fab. I haven't heard of many of these but we do love One Snowy Night. Thanks for linking up to #KLTR

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