The First 12 Days of Winter
by Nancy Atkins & Kevin Atkins
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
ISBN: 9780970574732
Print Length: 34 pages
Reviewed by Toni Woodruff
A lively, musical picture book about celebrating the end of a year and starting a magical new one
The Winter Solstice comes every year. On December 21st, you may have your mind wrapped around the upcoming holidays, but that’s not all the end of the year is about. The earth is entering its next phase—the cold one! Winter is here.
Instead of reading books with your children about giving & receiving material presents, turn to The First 12 Days of Winter to show them the ways the earth, the sun, and its residents work together to provide us with some of what we love most about the cold season.
This book is refreshing. I’m so glad children have the option to feel cheery around the holiday season without focusing solely on the holiday itself. Carl the cardinal invites your child to join him by the big fir tree on the 21st of December to see how the natural world takes in the beginning of winter.
In the style of the song of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” this book starts out with a cardinal in a fir tree and takes us all the way to eleven barn owls swooping, with plenty of fun animals and plant life in between. On the 12th day, something magical happens—something to remind your children that it may be the end of a year, but we’re on the verge of magic in the new year.
Not only do you get to sing this book to your children, but it comes with a musical companion too. All you have to do is scan a QR code, and you can pair it with an audio reading equipped with sound effects like hooting owls and blowing wind. This musical companion is a nice addition, and many young readers will appreciate the chance to immerse themselves in the setting.
Another of my favorite aspects of this book is the broad range of natural life taking form on the page. I’m always looking for new things to talk about with my child while reading, so it’s nice to have that opportunity with natural life we don’t see often, like caribou, salmon, and even birch trees. The backdrop on most pages is the same, with a snowy ground, a stream, a tree, and the light orange to dark blue sky you see on the cover. The pages start out bare but fill up with each new element added to the picture. It’s great to see the nature party arrive at the end.
There are new elements to this classic song—primarily changing it from a Christmas themed story to one about the Winter Solstice—but it is a song that will be familiar to you and may not feel particularly new to explore. The art is colorful, but it can occasionally feel pasted on and a bit splotchy.
Want to chat with your child about the Winter Solstice and provide something festive without focusing on the holidays? This is the book for you. The First 12 Days of Winter would be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of those kids who love pairing music with their books and want to feel the crisp wind blowing through their hair from the comfort of their warm beds.
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