Several years ago I landed on fairy tales as my preferred winter reading genre. Though I can relish a string of rainy Pacific Northwest days, they don’t combine well with heavy doses of hard reality. Not that fairy tales don’t harbor their share of darkness; traditional ones can be downright grim (no pun intended). But their penchant for mystery and magic imparts a certain mystique to early evenings and misty mornings.
More than a century ago, Beatrix Potter popularized children’s books with anthropomorphized animal protagonists. Peter Rabbit manifested human motives and emotions but offered a rabbit’s-eye view on things like lettuce and Mr. MacGregor’s garden. Defamiliarizing common items and experiences can prompt us to think about them in different ways.
With the exception of the Winter Tales anthology, the titles below present the world from non-human angles—badger, bear, polar bear, ink drop, and snowflake. While these characters serve as a vehicle for human experiences, they also encourage readers to think in new ways about ideas such as friendship, creativity, and acceptance of differences.
Reading across cultures likewise enriches our perspective. Somewhat (but not entirely) by coincidence, the picture books highlighted here originated in Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands and have been translated from French, Italian, and Dutch. As noted below, Dawn Casey’s Winter Tales hail from a variety of folk and literary traditions.
Whether fairy tale or merely fanciful, I hope the books below will, in one way or another, lift you out of the everyday and provide a fresh perspective for the new year.
Winter Tales, by Dawn Casey, ill. Zannna Goldhawk
(Templar, 2020, 96pp, ages 6 and up)
These eighteen stories, originating from around the world, come clothed in Casey’s artful prose and Goldhawk’s exquisite illustrations. The icy winters of Northern Europe give rise to most of the tales, but seasonal traditions from Mexico, China, Greece, and the Kalahari are represented as well. Aside from “The Nutcracker” and “The Snow Queen,” all the stories were new to me, though many elements were familiar—rewards for compassion and generosity, the cycle of seasons, personification of the elements. Casey’s selections highlight regional traditions while representing near-universal values and motifs. Notes in the back cite the origins of each story and acknowledge any notable alterations.
Little Polar Bear Finds a Friend, by Hans de Beer
(NorthSouth, 2021, 32pp, ages 4–8)
Dutch author de Beer debuted Little Polar Bear in 1987, following it up with numerous sequels and editions in multiple languages. Here, as in several titles in the series, the eponymous cub, Lars, is inadvertently carried far from home. In the process of finding his way back, he invariably encounters new sights and makes new friends. This time Lars brings home Bea, a little brown bear similarly adrift. When Lars tells his mother Bea is afraid they won’t accept her because she’s different, Lars’s mother replies, “That’s silly. Bears are bears.” Also available are multiple bilingual editions and a 30th-anniversary collection of ten stories starring the lovable Lars (NorthSouth).
The Most Beautiful Winter, by Cristina Sitja Rubio, trans. Vineet Lal
(Eerdmans, 2018, 52pp, ages 4–8)
Unlike many of his friends, badger does not hibernate in the winter. The lonely extravert is forced to find solitary ways to entertain himself—drawing, knitting, reading. But at last he discovers—and joins—the overwintering birds, frolicking with rabbits and foxes. Back matter explains the concepts of hibernation and torpor and suggests ways to help animals get through the winter, when food is scarce. In a recent interview with “Let’s Talk Picture Books,” Rubio describes her process for creating text and artwork (click here to read).
Hiro: Winter and Marshmallows, by Marine Schneider, trans. Vineet Lal
(Eerdmans, 2024, 40pp, ages 4–8)
Unlike badger, Hiro the bear is of a hibernating species. Nevertheless, a fit of insomnia sets in midwinter, and she launches out on her own to experience winter out of doors. When she happens upon a crowd of festive marshmallow roasters, they understandably scatter at the sight of their lumbering visitor. But Émile stays, and the two new friends compare notes on what it’s like to be a bear and what it’s like to be an Émile. Author-illustrator Schneider blends the conceptual with the realistic in her multimedia designs.
The Story of Snowflake and Inkdrop, by Alessandro Gatti and Pierdomenico Baccalario, trans. Brenda Porster, ill. Simona Mulazzani
(Enchanted Lion, 2015, 32pp, ages 4–8)
This oversized volume employs innovative design for a dual-perspective story. Read from one direction, it’s The Story of Snowflake and Inkdrop, but flipped over and read from the other direction, it’s The Story of Inkdrop and Snowflake. Cut-out overlays suggest the creative dreams of a snowflake—or a drop of ink. A center foldout features lushly layered designs that leave the reader to imagine the explosion of possibilities when the snowflake and the inkdrop meet. Young (and older) readers might be inspired to experiment with their own out-of-the-ordinary book structure and layouts.
- Winter Around the World - January 1, 2025
- Saints Alive in Books and Memory - December 9, 2024
- November: Native American Heritage Month - November 27, 2024
Leave a Reply