Kids

DLTK
Winter coloring pages, crafts, games, puzzles and more.

Kaboose
Winter games, activities, recipes and more.

Kaboose - Online winter games
Online winter-themed video games.

Billy Bear 4 Kids
Winter mazes, bingo games, jigsaw puzzles and more.

Celebrations

Betsy Ross was born on January 1, 1752.
The Betsy Ross Homepage


Paul Revere was born on January 1, 1735.
The official website of the Paul Revere House

J.R.R. Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892.
An online biography of the author of The Hobbit.

Word of the Month

Sleet - precipitation in the form of ice pellets created by the freezing of rain as it falls.
Find out more about sleet and other winter weather conditions here.

Did You Know?

January 18th is Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.
The official website of the King Center

On This Day

Birthday - Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Considered the Elder Statesman of the American Revolution, he displayed talents as a printer, author, publisher, philosopher, scientist, diplomat and philanthropist. He signed both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.


January 1, 1863 - The Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in the states rebelling against the Union.


January 3, 1777 - During the American Revolution, Gen. George Washington defeated the British at Princeton and drove them back toward New Brunswick. Washington then established winter quarters at Morristown, New Jersey. During the long harsh winter, Washington’s army shrank to about a thousand men as enlistments expired and deserters fled.

Just for Fun

Q: Why did the penguin cross the road?
A: To go with the floe.

More penguin jokes here

Great Reads

Winter books for Preschoolers

Snow Day! by Patricia Lakin
(Pre-K–K) Although this exuberant book should probably come with a disclaimer—“Kids, don’t try this at home”—there’s no denying that Sam, Pam, Will and Jill, a quartet of anthropomorphized crocodile children, have hit on an ingenious way to take full advantage of a new snowfall. Posing as principals (they even put on dressy clothes to get in the right frame of mind) they call the local news station and declare a snow day. Lakin’s text is a model of comic economy, using simple vocabulary (“principal” is the only three-syllable word in the entire book) and repetition to create an ebullient, punchy rhythm. A seamless work of storytelling about a classic snow job.
(Review courtesy of Publisher’s Weekly)

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
(Pre-K–K) The title also serves as the book’s refrain: because he’s hibernating, the fluffy, snoring Bear remains oblivious as Mouse, Hare, Badger, Mole, Wren and Raven seek refuge in his cave from the blowing snow and frigid temperatures. The once bedraggled animals perk up considerably, and first-time author Wilson describes the ensuing high spirits with a musical flair: “They tweet and they titter./ They chat and they chitter./ But the bear snores on.” There’s a moment of tension when Bear unexpectedly wakes up and the uninvited guests wonder if they’ll be evicted. But Wilson demonstrates how well she knows her audience: the bear only bemoans the fact that he slept through all the fun; the unwitting host proves that he may be the biggest party animal of all.
(Review courtesy of Publisher’s Weekly)

Hooray for Snow! By Kazuo Iwamura
(Pre-K–K) The action in this Japanese author/artist’s English-language debut is low-key: three diminutive squirrels go sledding with their father, and Papa, initially reluctant, discovers that sledding keeps you warm in the cold. The rewards lie in Iwamura’s exquisitely rendered winter landscapes, inked with whispering lines and colored with the palest of tints. He has a talent for imagining what the world looks like to small creatures. While the squirrels’ pointy ears, fluffy tails and matching sweaters make them embrace-ably cute, the forest they live in is painted in noble proportions, with gigantic mist-covered tree trunks (only the lowest foot or two of which are shown, in accordance with the squirrel’s-eye view), grasses weighed down under coats of snow and delicate branches outlined in white. No detail is overlooked; even the two eyelet screws that hold the rope to the sled are clearly drawn. The single interior scene, with its squirrel-sized Japanese teapot and teacup sitting by the woodstove, repays a long look, too.
(Review courtesy of Publisher’s Weekly)

Winter books for Elementary Schoolers

Winter Door: The Gateway Trilogy Book Two by Isobelle Carmody
(Grades 3–5) The second book in this fantasy trilogy picks up some months after the conclusion of Night Gate (Random, 2005). Rebecca Jane Rage Winnoway’s mother, while no longer comatose, still suffers from the aftereffects of a devastating car crash, and Rage is under the guardianship of her seemingly indifferent uncle. The school bully has made her a target, and her town is suffering from an unnaturally long and violent winter—a phenomenon that may be connected to the similar unusual weather caused by an evil force in the enchanted realm of Valley. In a particularly interesting twist, Rage accesses Valley this time around by literally dreaming herself there when she falls asleep in our world. C. S. Lewis’s Narnia and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (both of which play minor roles in the text) are obvious inspirations here, but Carmody develops some intriguing ideas of her own. The author’s skillfully designed worlds, expressive prose, and theme of hope in the face of despair will appeal to fantasy fans.
(Review courtesy of School Library Journal)

The Ice Dragon by George R. R. Martin
(Grades 3–5) Seven-year-old Adara was born during the coldest chill of the coldest year ever, a chill that killed her mother during the girl’s birth. Ever since then, she has been a remote and chilly child, living for winter when the ice lizards come out and forming a bond with a mysterious ice dragon. When war comes and dragon-riding invaders threaten her home and family, the ice dragon helps her to thwart them, leading to its own demise. Filled with illustrations of swooping dragons and folks in medieval-type garb, this fantasy is a slim but rich introduction to the genre, one that should appeal to both boys and girls.
(Review courtesy of School Library Journal)

Winter Danger by William O. Steele
(Grades 3–5) Eleven-year-old Caje Amos learns to be part of a family and a safe home in Newbery Honor winner William O. Steele’s historical novel (Harcourt, 1954). Caje’s taciturn father has raised him to be a woodsy, always on the move, hunting and trading, trying to stay alive. Jared Amos adamantly believes that neither he nor his son should be beholden to anyone, ever. When they’re forced by the worst Tennessee winter on record to stay with Caje’s aunt and uncle, the boy is excited to have the opportunity of being warm and safe, well-fed, and on a farm. His father can only bear it for a short time before abandoning his son in the middle of one harsh winter night. There are plenty of exciting scenes involving Indians, bears, hungry wolves and a panther, illness and starvation due to the unusual weather. A good historical novel for reluctant readers, especially boys.
(Review courtesy School Library Journal)

Winter books for Middle Schoolers

The Icy Hand: Something Wickedly Weird, vol. 2 by Chris Mould
(Grades 6–8) Stanley is looking forward to a relaxing winter. After all, nothing could have been weirder than the werewolf curse and plotting pirates he had to face the summer before! Or at least that’s what Stanley thinks; but he has a lot to learn about Cramdon Rock, especially after accidentally bringing some dead pirates back to life—ones that make the previous pirates he faced look like cuddly puppy dogs and ones that are trudging across the arctic determined to find a magical medallion in Stanley’s house. The only person who can save him is his dead great-uncle Bartholomew, which is a little tricky considering he’s…well, dead. Oh, and did we mention headless? With the help of a talking stuffed fish and a new friend named Daisy, Stanley sets out to find his great-uncle’s head, stop the pirates, and win over some new readers in this second funny and spooky installment of a thrilling new series.

Wintersmith (Discworld) by Terry Pratchett
(Grades 6–8) Here’s the third Discworld story for younger readers in a series that began with The Wee Free Men (2003) and continued in A Hat Full of Sky (2004). Despite a stern warning from Miss Treason, the eccentric witch from whom 13-year-old Tiffany Aching is learning her craft, the girl has gone and danced with the wrong men. Having inserted herself into a dark reverse Morris dance in which summer and winter achieve their seasonal balance, Tiffany has attracted the amorous attentions of the Wintersmith. To express his ardor, he brings his chilly powers to bear, replete with Tiffany-shaped snowflakes burying the world in the rising drifts of his infatuation. While Granny Weatherwax, Miss Perspicacia Tick, and sundry veteran witches work with Tiffany to restrain the Wintersmith’s zeal, the Wee Free Men set off to fetch a Hero to assist Tiffany, along the way adopting a cantankerous blue cheese. Add an assortment of junior witches-in-training, and yet another rollicking, clever, and quite charming adventure is brought to readers, who will find themselves delighted again—or for the first time—by Pratchett’s exuberant storytelling.
(Review courtesy of Booklist)

Hannah’s Winter by Kierin Meehan
(Grades 6–8) Twelve-year-old Australian Hannah has been sent to spend the winter with Japanese family friends in Kanazawa so she can improve her ability to speak the language. She and 13-year-old Miki find a written message in an old box of papers. It outlines a series of mysterious steps that both girls quickly realize they are inadvertently following, after a nighttime tour of a temple and a strange encounter with a singing monk. As readers raptly follow the deepening fantasy, they will find themselves flipping pages time after time to reread the message. Determined to fit in, Hannah makes a few humorous missteps (bowing self-consciously and smacking her head on a table that’s in the way), all of which keep the tale lighthearted and make her seem endearingly real. Meehan utilizes beautifully crafted similes and metaphors as she creates a loving and detailed portrayal of Japan and its people. Told in the first person, the tale remains so grounded in reality that it never defies belief.
(Review courtesy of Kirkus Reviews)

Adults and Caregivers

Harford County KiDS Magazine Online
The online digital version of the free monthly publication