Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, falls on December 21 this year. Whether or not you celebrate Yule or Solstice, this is a great day of the year to connect with nature, observe the sunrise and/or sunset, reflect on the ending year, and set intentions for the year ahead. The days will soon start getting longer as the Earth moves in its orbit around the sun. Here are resources for talking about or celebrating winter solstice with your family.
Books about winter solstice and seasons
Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak. Winter solstice signifies the season changing from autumn to winter, with solstice considered the first official day of winter. In this picture book, siblings observe the changes in nature as the season moves from autumn to winter.
The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper. This beautifully illustrated picture book contains a poem that reflects on the changing of the seasons and traditions that connect us to generations that came before.
The Shortest Day: Celebrating Winter Solstice by Wendy Pfeffer. This picture book explains what the winter solstice is and how some modern religious holiday traditions were borrowed from ancient customs of celebrating solstice.
The Winter Solstice by Ellen Jackson. This nonfiction picture book explains beliefs systems that center and celebrate the winter solstice and the science behind the changing of the seasons.
Books about the sun
Winter solstice is a celebration of the returning of light as the days begin to grow longer. Read books about the sun and changing seasons to learn why the solstices happen and how the sun brings life to us all. If you’re observing a sunrise or sunset as a family, these books will help you understand the science behind what is happening.
The Sun is Kind of a Big Deal by Nick Seluk. This hilarious picture book explains the many things the sun does, from giving us light and warmth to why we have night and day and how the sun keeps the solar system together.
The Sun and the Moon by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano. This entry in the Let’s Read and Find Out series explains basic facts about the sun and the moon.
What Sound is Morning? by Grant Snider. Mornings are quiet, aren’t they? In this beautiful picture book, readers find out that there are all kinds of morning sounds as the world wakes up and greets the day. Although this book doesn’t deal with solstice or winter, I love it for its beautiful illustrations of the changing light as the morning progresses. It may be a perfect book to read before you watch a sunrise or sunset.
Cozy books about winter light
These cozy picture books don’t specifically have to do with solstice, but they might make cozy reads together as you talk about and observe winter light.
Dusk by Uri Shulevitz. A boy and his grandfather take a winter walk to watch the sun set over the river and observe all kinds of winter light, including bright city displays celebrating religious and cultural holidays.
Snow Falls by Kate Gardner. While not about light per se, this gorgeous picture book showcases the many different colors of light that you might see in winter in the illustrations. Simple text celebrates the wonder of snow. If you’re looking for a cozy winter read, this is a nice one to choose.
Winter Lights: A Season in Poems and Quilts by Anna Grossnickle Hines. This book includes poems about natural light such as the aurora borealis and the moon, as well as lights that are used in religious holiday traditions like lights on Christmas trees and Hanukkah menorahs.
Books about nature
Although it’s cold here on the winter solstice, this is a wonderful time of year to get outdoors and observe what is happening in nature. Pair any of these books with your own nature walk in your neighborhood or a local park and talk about the changes in the seasons you observe.
Once Upon a Winter Day by Liza Woodruff. When Milo explores outside, he soon finds some animal tracks in the snow and investigates to imagine what is happening in the winter woods around his house.
Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner. Get curious and find out what animals do in winter with this nonfiction picture book about animal activities on top of and underneath the snow.
Ten Ways to Hear Snow by Cathy Camper. When Lina walks to her grandmother’s house to help make the family recipe for warak enab, she thinks it’s going to be a quiet winter walk. But on the way there she realizes that there are many different ways that snow makes sound. Whether or not it’s snowing, get outside and observe what sounds you hear in winter.
