Picture Book and Play – The Snowflake

Picture Book and Play is a regular (haha! It will be regular again!) feature where I share a picture book (or books) and a fun activity or craft related to them. Usually, these will be something Peapod and I have done at home but sometimes I’ll share those I’ve used at the storytime sessions I run in work too.

It’s another wintery choice this week. Maybe it’ll bring us some snow to play in…

The Snowflake by Benji Davies, published by Harper Collins

Benji Davies’ books are always beautiful, both visually and in the gentle warmth of the story and characters and The Snowflake epitomises that.

The Snowflake simultaneously tells the tale of a brand new snowflake unwillingly and uncertainly falling and a child preparing for Christmas day, the sky filled with the promise of snow.

As the Snowflake joins others falling to earth and sees the star on top of a tree, she longs for a place to belong too. The little girl also sees the tree and dreams of having one of their own, but settles for a little home made tree made of a branch she finds, but something is missing from it…

The way the stories run alongside each other is perfect – the vast, wintery skies and uncertainty juxtaposed with the warmth and comfort of family, security and belonging – and the way they then come together is the perfect happy ending for this time of year!

Mostly I just love the illustrations; there’s something so calm and inviting about them, which amongst the chaos of Christmas shopping, covid uncertainty and never-ending to-do lists of this time of year feels so welcome. It’s a treat to just stop and slow down with Noelle and the snowflake for a short while.

Overall, it’s a perfect book for cuddling up by the fire with (even better if you have some snow to play in first) – truly full of Christmas magic.

There was only one thing we could make after reading this, wasn’t there?! Paper snowflakes of course!

I folded the snowflakes (use a square of paper, fold diagonally, then again, then into thirds) and cut patterns into them with Peapod’s help. He wanted to cut them himself but it was a bit too stiff to cut through all the layers so he directed and I snipped.

Then he went all out decorating them with sparkles and I hung them from a foil-wrapped chopstick (oh the glamour) in the window!

Have you read this? Do you have any favourite wintery picture books? Are you hoping for a white Christmas?

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