SAFARI Montage Winter-Themed Literature Favorites

My kids – like many others across the country – have been wishing for a snow day and today their wish came true! I intend to encourage them to curl up by the fireplace with a good book while Mother Nature does her thing. As a former English Language Arts teacher, this got me thinking about all the noteworthy winter-themed literature titles available on SAFARI Montage. There are truly so many to choose from, but I wanted to highlight some of my favorites for those of you who may also be home from school today (or in the near future!) Happy Reading!!!

NEW! Poetry in America: Those Winter Sundays (PBS) – ''Poetry in America'' gathers distinguished interpreters from all walks of life to explore unforgettable American poems and celebrate the diversity of American poetry. In this episode, join Vice President Joe Biden, poet Elizabeth Alexander, and psychologist Angela Duckworth as they discuss Robert Hayden's poem ''Those Winter Sundays'' and explore the fraught love between fathers and sons. Grades 7-Adult.

NEW! A Loud Winter’s Nap (Dreamscape Media) – Every year, Tortoise sleeps through winter. He assumes he is not missing much, but his friends are determined to prove otherwise! Will Tortoise sleep through another winter, or will his friends convince him to stay awake and experience the frosty fun? This charming story by Katy Hudson shows that winter can be magical if you have friends by your side. Grades PreK-2.

NEW! Snow Day for Mouse (Dreamscape Media) – In this story by Judy Cox featuring illustrations by Jeffrey Ebbeler, Mouse loves snow days. When he is accidentally swept out the door and into the snow, Mouse has a blast skating, sledding, and building snow animals, always just one step ahead of sly Cat. After three cold birds sitting on a wire warn Mouse of Cat's approach, Mouse decides to do something nice for his new friends. Grades PreK-2.

Snowy Day: Stories and Poems (Reading Rainbow) – From the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning PBS children's series, Reading Rainbow, this program presents the book by Caroline Feller Bauer. The feature book contains a collection of stories and poems with snow as a common theme. Also in this episode, Lena Horne reads the poem ''Winter Morning'' by Ogden Nash, and host LeVar Burton travels to the Alaskan wilderness to meet a woman who trains sled dogs to race in the Iditarod.?Grades K-4.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Disney) - Four children open the door of a wardrobe and find themselves transported to the magical kingdom ruled by an evil witch in this live-action feature film, based on the classic book by C.S. Lewis. In the land of Narnia, the children discover talking animals and an evil White Witch who has turned all of her enemies to stone. To defeat the witch, the children join forces with Aslan the Lion-King in a battle of good and evil. The film stars Tilda Swinton and Jim Broadbent, and features the voices of Liam Neeson and Rupert Everett. Grades 4-8.

Snow (Live Oak Media) - In this animated story, a young boy watches and counts snowflakes until the world around him is a wondrous landscape of white. He counts each snowflake one by one as the adults insist that it is not snowing. A triumph for the small child to be right as the snow slowly accumulates around him. Based on the Caldecott Honor book by Uri Shulevitz. Grades K-4.

The Winter of Red Snow (Scholastic) – Based on the book by Kristiana Gregory, this live-action drama is part of Scholastic's award-winning Dear America series. A young girl's diary presents a first-hand perspective of life in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during the Revolutionary War. Tells the story of Abigail Jane Stewart, a young girl who is given an up-close look at the realities of war when General George Washington's troops set up camp right near Abigail's home in Valley Forge. At first Abigail believes war is exciting, but after the long winter takes its toll on the troops, she is faced with the hardships of war. Grades 3-6.

Owl Moon (Weston Woods) - This iconographic program is based on the Caldecott Medal book by Jane Yolen. The author narrates this tale of a young child and her father, who search the moonlit woods for the great horned owl. Bundled up in warm clothes, the pair walk through the snow as a fox, raccoon and a deer watch them pass. Grades K-4.

Japan: Crossing the Snow (Schlessinger Media) - A wonderful lesson is learned in this delightful tale from Japan. ''The more we understand about someone else, the easier it is not to be scared of them.'' Despite the stories they have been told about the mischievous and conniving acts of foxes, find out how two young children learn this valuable lesson when they meet a friendly fox in the forest. Discover some of the culture and traditions of the people of Japan through the captivating animations of this moral story. Available in English/Spanish. Grades 3-6.

Jack London’s To Build a Fire (Phoenix Learning Group) – This screen adaptation of Jack London's famous short story dramatizes the encounter of man and nature at its most dangerous extreme. ''To Build A Fire'' exemplifies London's fascination with men who did not recognize that nature was often deadly because it was so deceptively beautiful. The story has many other dimensions, but the contrast between nature's appearance and reality is captured powerfully. Narrated by Leonard Nimoy. Grades 6-Adult.

Dust of Snow by Robert Frost - This web link from Poets.org presents Robert Frost's poem ''Dust of Snow.'' Grades 2-12.

Winter by William Shakespeare - In this video from SpokenVerse, Tom O'Bedlam reads ''Winter'' by William Shakespeare. Hosted on YouTube. Grades 9-Adult.

The Snow Queen - This web link from Lit2Go presents a full audio reading and complete transcript of Hans Christian Andersen's 1845 fairy tale ''The Snow Queen,'' which folllows the struggle between good and evil as experienced by Gerda and her friend Kay. Grades 3-5.

Snow Bound – A Winter Idyl - This web link from Lit2Go presents a full audio reading and complete transcript of John Greenleaf Whittier's 1893 poem ''Snow Bound - A Winter Idyl,'' in which family members tell stories by the fireside to pass the time during a fierce snowstorm. Grades 7-Adult.

Le Jardin des Tuileries - This web link from Lit2Go presents a full audio reading and complete transcript of Oscar Wilde's 1881 poem ''Le Jardin des Tuileries'' (''This winter air is keen and cold, and keen and cold this winter sun''). Grades 9-Adult.

Is It Cold Outside? by Holly Hartman - This web link from Unite for Literacy presents the interactive eBook ''Is it Cold Outside?'' by Holly Hartman. This early reader uses pictures, repetitive language, and large print to discuss ways of knowing it is cold outside, with words like ''snow,'' ''frost,'' and ''frozen.'' Text available in English/Spanish. Narration available in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, French, Korean, German, Arabic, Russian, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Urdu, Greek, Turkish, Somali, Burmese, Danish, Central Yupik, ASL (American Sign Language), Cup'ik, Inupiaq, Karenni, and SW Ojibwe. Grades PreK-1.

?