What to read with your child - children's book review

"Magic Winter"

1/2Photo: Olga AlexandrovaPhoto:Olga AleksandrovaAuthor: Daria Gerasimova.Illustrator: Katerina Tsarip.Publisher: Labyrinth.We bought this book as a gift for a baby who is not yet a year old. The book is very small in size, with thick cardboard pages, which makes it convenient for the youngest readers. It fully lives up to its name - a kind, magical fairy tale about winter. The poetic text, despite the age of potential readers, is not at all primitive. The poems are beautiful, graceful - like a fragile, carved snowflake from the fairy tale itself. Winter woke up and gave festive outfits of snow and thin ice to sad fir trees, covered hills and fields with fluffy snow. Soon Santa Claus will rush along them, giving gifts and a holiday to children. And after him, Winter will wave her hand - the blue-eyed fox. The illustrations are very interesting, kind, with patterns, as if painted by frost on glass. They do not have flashy bright colors, but it is so pleasant to look at them. You immerse yourself in winter beauty.

"Gloves"

1/2Photo: Olga AlexandrovaPhoto:Olga AleksandrovaAuthors: Andrey Usachev, Mikhail Yasnov, Zinaida Aleksandrova, Vasily Stepanov, Olga Vysotskaya, Nina Sakonskaya.Illustrator: Mila Kommunar.Publisher: Labyrinth.Another wonderful New Year's gift for little ones. These are two books in the form of small mittens, which are connected with a string. So they don't get lost.All the poems are connected by one common theme. They are about mittens that will warm the baby's hands in a snowstorm and frost. By the way, this is a very close topic for many mothers whose children flatly refuse to wear mittens in winter. My daughter is just one of them. And one woman on the playground, together with me, persuaded her not to freeze her hands, cheerfully reciting a poem. Varya and I liked it, and then we walked in mittens. And now I have found that very magical poem in this wonderful book. Maybe they will help you persuade your children: let them have "little palms hidden in their mittens." The illustrations are wintery, very gentle, in pastel colors, as if sprinkled with fluffy snow. It is very interesting to look at them together with your baby, to talk about them and remember your own winter walks.

"30 days until the New Year"

1/2Photo: ozon.ruPhoto: My-shop.ruAuthor and illustrator: Varvara Razakova. Publisher: Clever. I bought this book for my daughter to prepare her for her first more or less conscious New Year. This is a wonderful example of a picture book - Wimmelbook. What is especially valuable to me in this book is that the author is our compatriot. This means that we will see all the colors of the Russian New Year with Father Frost and Snow Maiden, Christmas tree markets, string bags with tangerines, matinees in kindergarten, queues at stores for gifts and Olivier salad. All the spreads of the book show us the same street, each next spread takes us 5 days ahead. But believe me, it is not boring at all. Before our eyes, houses, stores and the main characters are preparing and dressing up for the main winter holiday. In addition to the pictures themselves, each spread has tasks for older children. You can also make up your own stories about the main characters. The book depicts the smallest details of the pre-New Year's bustle. You can see how a restaurant makes up a holiday menu, how Santa Claus leaves a colorful box under the tree, how a girl receives an engagement ring as a gift on January 1, and how a cat sleeps sweetly in an empty salad bowl. I highly recommend this book to children from 2 years old and up to infinity. I myself am very interested in studying it and getting charged with a festive mood. After all, New Year is only one night, and the happiness of anticipation of the holiday can be stretched out for a long time.

"Snow Maiden"

1/3Photo: Olga AlexandrovaPhoto:Olga AleksandrovaPhoto: Olga AleksandrovaRussian folk tale adapted by Alexander Afanasyev.Illustrations: Helen Müller.Publisher: Karera Press.Everyone probably remembers the story of Snegurochka, this sad winter tale. Despite the sad ending, I like the book. I think it should be read and discussed with children. After all, this is a Russian fairy tale that takes us back to our roots and traditions. The pages of the book contain such beautiful old Russian turns of phrase. Here you can find “green willow”, “rolling pearls”, and “my heartfelt sorrow”. You read and immerse yourself in a world where Snegurochka with a light-brown braid down to her waist appeared unexpectedly in the winter time, decorated the world around her with her beauty and kindness, and then disappeared just as unexpectedly. And this sadness at the end of the tale is so bright and kind. Together with the characters, you understand that “here joy is not eternal and sorrow is not endless…”. The wonderful text of the Russian folk tale is illustrated by Helen Müller. All the pictures are filled with many details of village life. There is a samovar, bast shoes, windows with frames, all the livestock in the village. You want to immerse yourself in this atmosphere, study every little thing with your child. The pictures are in muted tones, without bright colors, but this does not make them less pleasant and colorful. I recommend the book to children from 2.5 years old, after all, I want the baby to already understand the meaning, so that you can discuss the plot with him after reading. Individual words will still need to be explained, but they make the baby's speech richer and more beautiful.

"Chelovetkin"

1/2Photo: Olga AlexandrovaPhoto:Olga AleksandrovaAuthor: Julia Donaldson.Illustrator: Alex Scheffler.Publisher: "Mashiny Tvoreniya"A winter book from one of the most famous duets in the world of children's literature. Many of their fans will enjoy reading the fascinating story of Chelovetkin's journey. While reading, you begin to sincerely empathize with the little hero. No joke, he went for a regular morning jog, but got caught in the teeth of a playful dog Dzhulka, swam downstream, became part of a swan's nest, visited a crowded beach. He lost all hope of returning home to his wife and children, and now with the onset of snowy winter, he almost completely disappeared without a trace, thrown to a bundle of brushwood near the fireplace. And only on Christmas Eve, together with Santa Claus, he finally returned to the family hollow. Perhaps someone will be confused by Santa Claus or individual rhymes in the text, but I will not find fault with the book for this. It is lively, cheerful, with a winter mood and an exciting story. I sincerely worried about the main character and mentally urged him on: "Hey, Chelovetkin, run as fast as you can!" Very bright recognizable illustrations by Alex Scheffler can be assessed differently by adults, but I am sure that no child will remain indifferent. These are bright pictures in full spread, overflowing with events, heroes, landscapes. It will definitely not be boring. Read also: