The kids could recite parts of this by the end of the week. And the illustrations are evocative – seeing how much detail can be made with just black and white drawings. Robert Frost is a favorite of mine too – his was one of the first poetry collections I bought myself. I especially meditated quite a bit on his poem, “Mending Wall,” particularly when I was struggling with knowing how and when to set personal boundaries.
Language Arts
Teaching my kids to enjoy poetry is a passionate goal of mine. I want to do it in a way that sparks imagination and not frustration. Kwame’s book is great for that, as is the book “Kiyoshi’s Walk” (not pictured) for learning about haiku. My kids were not readers at this time, so “Joyful Noise” was a little lost on us. If your kids are readers, reading poetry for two voices is great for practicing rhythm, inflection, and timing while reading aloud.
Science
Snow is fascinating and can be just a joy all around for kiddos. These books – learning the mechanics behind it and how animals interact with snow – are great for littles learning how the world around them works. There are some excellent books on animal tracks in snow or mud.
Other books
Soon after we started this curriculum, P.J. Lynch came out with another illustrated version of Frost’s poem. We were excited to get them and compare and contrast the two versions! These poems by Bob Raczka are incredible too, as are the illustrations. We enjoyed reading the words as they twisted around the pages, demonstrating the action of the words. For example, one was about a mouse going through a maze and the words were typed out within the framework of a maze with a piece of cheese as the final prize. Another poem is of hitting a home run and the words crash into the wall of the page and bounce off turning the words backwards as it flies to the top corner. People are so creative and I LOVE it!
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Complete Booklist:
Find the full list on 
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- “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost & Susan Jeffers
- “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost & P.J. Lynch
- “How to Write a Poem” by Kwame Alexander
- “Joyful Noise” by Paul Fleischman
- “Wet Cement” by Bob Raczka
- “Pick a Picture, Write a Poem!” by Kristen McCurry
- “On a Flake-Flying Day” by Buffy SIlverman
- “Winter” by Annabel Griffin
- “The Big Snow” by Berta Hader
- “Mice Skating” by Annie Silvestro
- “The Snow Globe Family” by Jane O’Connor
- “I’m Going to Build a Snowman” by Jashar Awan
Xapa to the World 