The Snowy Day

The Snowy Day

by Ezra Jack Keats

1963, Caldecott Medal

Summary:  Waking up to a snowy day, a young boy enjoys playing in the snow. 

Lesson:  2010 Read for the Record title. When I decided our campus would contribute in the Read for the Record event, my students were elated to be part of something that was worldwide.  Instead of reading the book to them, I decided to make it feel more global by showing the online book version.  The images were bigger and easier to see, so afterwards, I talked about the Caldecott Medal for artwork in a book.   

Level:  PreK - 2nd

McDuff's Christmas

McDuff's Christmas 

by Rosemary Wells , Susan Jeffers (Illustrator) 

Hyperion, 2005

Summary:  McDuff and his family are waiting for Christmas to come, despite the tremendous snowfall outside.  When McDuff hears something outside, he wakes up his owners to go out into the cold.

Lesson:  This was a great book to talk about snow.  The types of clothing, the necessity of shoveling, the problems with holes in your shoes.  Being in the South, our children rarely see more than an inch once every few years.  They were very amazed at all the trouble it caused for McDuff and his family.  After I read this book, I couldn't keep McDuff books on the shelf. 

Level:  1st-3rd