What will 2012 bring? Nobody knows but we do know it can bring us a year of books for children.
Warm winter blankets call upon us in January and Winter is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer is a good book to cozy up with. The story describes all the things that happen to warm up winter: "Hats grow earflaps," "cats sit on laps" and "pyjamas will grow big, warm feet." Reading this makes me feel like curling up in front of the fire with a mug of hot chocolate.
Red Valentines bring warmth to February's chill. Won't You Be My Kissaroo? by Joanne Ryder is the perfect way to say "Happy Valentine's Day" to your special little someone. Its pages are brimming with ways to say "I love you" with kisses: "A hello kiss is soft as rain" and "a bedtime kiss will tuck you tight."
As March dawns after winter's darker days, everything comes alive. Robins sing their morning songs, daffodils start to bloom and bugs begin to crawl. Creepy Crawly Calypso by Debbie Harter is an interactive book to help kids learn about the many insects that appear at springtime.
April is a month for celebrating spring. Spring Things by Bob Raczka is a cheerful picture book packed with rhyming words ending in "ing," just like the word spring. This book will definitely get you and your family in the mood for a new season.
If gardeners haven't already been out digging, the coming of May is sure to inspire. For aspiring little gardeners Up, Down and Around by Katherine Ayres is a good place to start. It teaches children about the variety of vegetables found in a garden and tells which grow in the ground and which ones grow up into the sky.
June brings with it a bounty of growing food. Farming is in full swing and so is the farmer in Driving my Tractor by Jan Dobbins. This farmer is busy picking up his barnyard animals as he chugs along. Kids will enjoy counting and learning about all the different animals that live on a farm.
July - school's out for summer and it's time to spend endless hours out of doors. Froggy Goes to Camp by Jonathan London tells the story of a frog going to camp for the summer. It's a funny, quirky story about the antics that Froggy gets up to.
Nothing says August like hot sunshine and long, lingering days. During summer evenings, much activity takes place. The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle is a story about one particular firefly that searches through the darkening sky, looking for its group.
Children rushing off to school is a sign that September has arrived. Little llama heads to his first day of school in Anna Dewdney's Llama Llama Misses Mama. He is hit with new faces, new toys and too much noise. This is a good book for young ones who are about to embark on their new journey to school.
The wind seems to howl strange noises when October arrives. It's the month to take a trip to the pumpkin patch and pick the perfect orange gourd for carving. The children in Eve Bunting's The Bones of Fred McFee are doing just that when their skeleton disappears from the sycamore tree. This book reminds us that perhaps all the stories about this time of year are not entirely... untrue.
November, with its shorter days and frosty nights, signals that winter is coming. This is the time to sleep longer in the mornings and spend more of our hours indoors. Fireside Stories: Tales for a Winter's Eve by Caitlin Matthews is filled with eight stories for the cold season. Based on folklore from around the world, these tales will express to children the unique meaning of the winter months.
December is a time to gather together for Christmas cheer. Written to the tune of "Ten in the Bed," Ten on the Sled by Kimberly Norman begs to be read aloud or sung. A group of winter animals hops on caribou's sleigh but can't hold on and, one by one, they begin to fall off. This is a great book to share during the holiday season.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published every Wednesday. Anna Chabada is a librarian at Terry Fox Library in Port Coquitlam.
