HEST, Amy. Charley’s First Night. illus. by Helen Oxenbury. Candlewick. 2012. ISBN 9780763640552. JLG Level: K : Kindergarten (Grades PreK–K).

Sometimes a character’s voice, is so strong it transcends the page and pulls at a reader’s heartstrings. Henry has that kind of voice. The little boy finds a stray puppy on a cold snowy day. “We were new together and I was very, very careful not to slip in the snow and I thought about his name. Charley. Charley Korn. My name is Henry. Henry Korn.” Later he brings the puppy home to his parents, and we hear that voice again, “I would be in charge of walking Charley, they said, and I couldn’t wait to walk Charley forever.” Henry wants his new friend to sleep in his room, but his folks have another idea―probably a good one, as the illustration shows the boy should have taken his pet for a quick walk. As the family makes a bed for their recent addition in the kitchen, Henry fits the nook with his own beloved bear and a tick-tock clock, which provides “another little heartbeat in the night.” Night falls and Charley howls when he wakes. Henry tries to follow his parent’s rules, but the puppy wants to sleep on the bed. When both friends get sleepy, the reader can predict the outcome. Oxenbury’s gorgeous illustrations are framed by a border, helping to pace the gentle tale that warms your heart, even in the cold of winter.

MARKLE, Sandra. Snow School. illus. by Alan Marks. Charlesbridge. 2013. ISBN 9781580894104. JLG Level: NEK : Nonfiction Early Elementary (Grades K–2).

Markle’s latest informational picture book focuses on weeks-old snow leopard siblings. Mother has left them unattended when the inquisitive male cub is nearly captured by a hawk. Lesson learned: “Outside the den, it’s a dangerous world.” The two cubs follow their mother over the course of a year as they witness survival lessons in their snow school. One day they will catch food for themselves, so they learn to be quick on their feet, guard their prey, and quiet while hunting. Told in simple narrative vignettes, Markles’s text is illustrated by watercolor scenes that vary from rough-housing between the cubs to the mother’s kill.

PRINGLE, Laurence. Ice!: The Amazing History of the Ice Business. Calkins Creek. 2012. ISBN 9781590788011. JLG Level: NE: Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2–6).

Heavily sprinkled with primary sources, Pringle’s latest nonfiction work centers on the history of the ice business. Even in Caesar’s time, ice was brought from cold regions to cool a beverage. In 1805 Frederic Tudor lived on a pond in New York when he decided he could profit from shipping ice to the West Indies. Tudor hired Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth who invented a horse-drawn ice cutter, making ice easier to harvest and transport. Icehouses sprang up along Rockland Lake to store the product for shipping. To lessen the chance of the ice melting, railroads were built to quickly get it to New York City. The ice business soon became an integral part of everyday life. With the invention of the icebox and ice delivery wagons, ice became more affordable for everyone. As an unexpected result, the invention of refrigeration hearkened the end of the ice harvesting industry. It took time to get electrical service across the country, so even until the 1950s, the ice man came. Today, ice festivals celebrate the carving of ice, but the giant icehouses that began it all stand empty or in ruins.

Pringle’s fascinating narrative is as clear as the ice he writes about. Readers will be amazed at the effort it took to bring the frozen commodity to their homes. Photographs, painted postcards, and vintage ice card signs bring a century-old industry to life.

WRIGHT, Johanna. Bunnies on Ice. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. 2013. ISBN 9781596434042. JLG Level: K : Kindergarten (Grades PreK–K).

Time passes slowly when a champion ice-skater waits for winter to arrive. With a Christmas Eve-like feeling, an excited bunny runs with skates-in-hand to wake her parents for the first big circle around the ice. With scores of fans watching, bunny practices figure eights, leaps in the air, and pirouettes. Wright uses simple sentences to slow the pace of a beautifully illustrated family story. Heavily-textured oils on canvas flow across double-page spreads, allowing the reader time to examine the family’s activities. Humor is scattered throughout the story. The family “eats a balanced diet” while they roast marshmallows in the fire. Muscles are kept loose while playing in a bubble bath. A ballerina-skirted scarecrow looms over the family tending the garden. A perfect combination of art, humor, warmth, and text create a Caldecott-worthy read aloud.

For ideas about how to use these books and links to supportive sites, check out the Junior Library Guild blog, Shelf Life.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.

ROSE, Caroline Starr. May B.: A Novel. Random/Schwartz & Wade. 2012. ISBN 9781582463933. JLG Level: B+ : Upper Elementary & Junior High (Grades 5-7)

Life on the prairie is never easy, but hiring May as a servant for his newlywed bride is not enough to keep a pioneer’s wife from running away. In tense verse, May’s story unfolds as she attempts to survive alone on a neighbor’s homestead while the husband goes off in search of his love. May’s struggles with reading strengthen her characterization, as readers begin to understand her crippling inner fears. Told she was incapable and stupid, May learns how strong she really is after learning to live on her own over a period of months. As memorable as a tale from the “Little House” series, May B. just may be a new long-standing favorite.

OLDER, Jules. Snowmobile: Bombardier’s Dream Machine. illus. by. Michael Lauritano. Charlesbridge. 2012. ISBN 9781580893343. JLG Level: NE : Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2-6)

Imagine a world that stops when it snows. Imagine having a sick child in the dead of winter and no way to get across the snow to take him to the doctor. Imagine that your father wants you to be a priest when you grow up, but all you can think about is building and inventing things—and motors. Such is the world of Joseph-Armand Bombadier who grew up in a little Quebec village in the early 1900s. Joseph’s dream is to become a mechanic, so at age 17 he leaves home for Montreal. His genius, coupled with hard work and determination, make him an excellent student and mechanic. He returns home to face his family. His father has a change of heart and builds him a garage where he goes on to invent a vehicle that will travel across snow.

Older writes a hi-interest story about an inventor that will capture reluctant readers. Short chapters and realistic dialogue add to the facts of this biographical retelling of the origins of the snowmobile and of a man who lived his dream.

OBED, Ellen Bryan. Twelve Kinds of Ice. illus. by Barbara McClintock. Houghton Harcourt. 2012. ISBN 9780618891290. JLG Level: I : Independent Readers (Grades 2-4)

One family lives through a season of twelve kinds of ice, giving readers an opportunity to experience the passing of time with the beauty of winter. The first ice forms a thin skin over the water in a bucket that leads to the last ice―the melting ice that reveals the lost puck or skate guard. Ice in all its forms and the activities that bring everyone together make Twelve Kinds of Ice a new seasonal classic. Seamlessly complemented by McClintock’s gorgeous pen-and ink-illustrations, Obed’s text describes a family that plays and celebrates together. It’s a tale of winter, a tale of families, and a tale not to be missed.

MATTESON, George and Adele Ursone. The Christmas Tugboat: How the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Came to New York City. illus. by James E. Ransome. Clarion. 2012. ISBN 9780618992157. JLG Level:  P : Primary (Grades K-1)

George Matteson was a tugboat captain who was chosen to transport the Christmas tree to Rockefeller Center. Ransome’s paintings bring his family’s story to life, based on the night he took his wife and daughter to tow the barge laden with the gigantic tree. Even in the dark of night, the family seems warm and cozy. The joy of the event is punctuated by the bright colors of tour boat’s balloons and the giant Christmas tree balls on the barge. Husband and wife team share a wonderful moment in their family history that also belongs to all who love the Rockefeller tree.

FRIEDMAN, Lise and Mary Dowdle. Becoming a Ballerina: A Nutcracker Story.  Viking. 2012. ISBN 9780670013920. JLG Level: CE : City Elementary (Grades 2-6)

Fiona’s life is full of ballet. This year she will dance the role of Clara in the Boston Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. Her sisters will also dance in the ballet. Becoming a Ballerina tells the story from audition to opening night of Fiona’s family’s participation in this dream of all ballerinas. From the stress of callbacks to the surprises of things that don’t go quite right during the performance, readers get an inside look at the hard work and dedication that goes into the creation of a production. Documented by many behind-the-scenes photographs, Fiona and her family also make a great introduction for newcomers to the classic ballet.

For ideas about how to use these books and links to supportive sites, check out the Junior Library Guild blog, Shelf Life.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.