Welcome to Perfect Picture Book Friday!
Yes, I realize it is technically Saturday, but you know how life is… sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done when you want to! So we can just pretend it’s still Friday. We’re writers and readers – we’re all good at pretending 😊
Really all that matters is that I get to share this gorgeous book with you, just in time for the Holiday Season!
This is going to be the last Perfect Picture Book Friday of the year for me, because the Holiday Contest opens on Wednesday (yes! go check HERE immediately for the guidelines if you haven’t seen them yet and want to write an entry!) and that will consume all the rest of the blog time before my little winter break.
But before we jump into all the Holiday Contest fun, I get to show you this book, the original draft of which was inspired by the Holiday Contest in 2020 and placed 6th! Kelsey is also kindly offering a Picture Book Manuscript Critique OR a signed copy of this book as a prize for the Holiday Contest!
Title: Winter: A Solstice Story
Written By: Kelsey E. Gross
Illustrated By: Renata Liwska
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, October 10, 2023, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: Winter solstice, friendship, kindness, hope
text copyright Kelsey E. Gross 2023, illustration copyright Renata Liwska 2023, S&S/Paula Wiseman Books
Opening:
“Owl watches as
sunlight dims to a shimmer
and starlight scatters across snow dust.
Tonight is the longest night of the year.
Solstice is here.”
text copyright Kelsey E. Gross 2023, illustration copyright Renata Liwska 2023, S&S/Paula Wiseman Books
Brief Synopsis: [from the publisher] “Tonight is the longest night of the year—solstice is here! Deep in the forest, the dark, cold, and quiet of winter is all around. Owl, Mouse, and Deer all watch the light fades and dark surrounds them, but they have a gift of hope to share with their neighbors. The moon and stars shine down on a lone tree in the forest, and the animals gather around to bask in its light. Winter Solstice arrives as the winter sky brings magic for all to share.”
text copyright Kelsey E. Gross 2023, illustration copyright Renata Liwska 2023, S&S/Paula Wiseman Books
Links To Resources: Celebrate Winter Solstice with Kids (activities from Backwoods Mama)
text copyright Kelsey E. Gross 2023, illustration copyright Renata Liwska 2023, S&S/Paula Wiseman Books
Why I Like This Book: What is there not to love about this book?! The text is gentle, lyrical, and lulling, filled with messages of kindness, friendship, and cooperation – all the animals working together to share what they have to bring light, hope, warmth, shelter, sustenance, and love to all. The story is simple and accessible, and brought to life so beautifully by Renata Liwska’s sweet, soft, digitally-rendered art. One of my favorite parts is the foldout spread that shows the whole tree at its full height with all the animals around it. I also love that it is a holiday story that is not about Christmas or Hanukkah, but gives kids the chance to learn about something else that is celebrated by many. This book feels like everything good about the holiday season. A great title for any bookshelf!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊
Susanna Leonard Hill 
This is a beautiful book. I really enjoyed reading it.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful book!
What an absolutely precious book.
This book was reviewed last week in my critique group. I love the center fold out spread. Absolutely beautiful. Thank you for sharing it. ♥️
It’s amazing, isn’t it, Robin? And I was hurrying so much when I wrote this post that your comment made me realize I forgot to mention it! I will fix that at once! 😊
Thank you Susanna for sharing WINTER! I appreciate your kind words and support.
What a beautiful lyrical book! Congratulations!
This is a lovely, lyrical book! Congratulations!
This book is beautiful! I love how lyrical it is and all the alliteration. And now is the perfect time of year to read it. Congrats!
I haven’t read this book yet, but as an animal lover that leaves stale bread and nuts outdoors for hungry animals- boars, fox or other nocturnal animals this book will surely find a spot on my shelf. Congratualtions to both author and illustrator.
This book looks gorgeous!! Can’t wait to read this lyrical story!
This book is so pretty. I can’t wait to read the whole thing. Thanks for sharing it here.
First of all, I don’t know how you do it, dear Susanna, but I and everyone else in kid lit land is thankful that you do! And I totally love Fridays and would be happy to call every day by that name! The book is beautiful – and I love that it started as a contest winner!! Participating in contests and challenges gets us doing three important things…write, revise, submit!
I love this book! It makes me feel all warm and loved. And the illustrations are so beautiful! Great pic, Susanna!
This is beautiful! The joy and joining in of each animal. Wonderful!
I love winter stories and the illustrations are truly darling! I always love finding stories that have a strong theme of friendship and kindness.
The winter solstice always feels magical. And this book definitely looks magical! Beautiful illustrations. Congrats, Kelsey and Renata!