The start of winter can be exciting. As some animals begin to hibernate, others get to enjoy the snow and and the beauty and excitement that it brings with it. Today’s book follows a sweet little owl as he experiences his first snow, and we paired it with some fun winter and owl crafts for kids.

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Little Owl’s Snow was written and illustrated by Divya Srinivasan. This follow up to Little Owl’s Night and Little Owl’s Day, follows the adorable Little Owl as he experiences his first winter. As some of his forest friends snuggle up for hibernation, Little Owl and Raccoon get to explore the snow and ice that winter brings. He soon begins to miss his friend Hedgehog, but his mother reminds him that Spring will be back soon, and he should celebrate Winter while he has it.

The sweet story uses lots of descriptive text to showcase the changes in nature that occur when winter starts. The illustrations are full of dark fall colors that highlight the bright white of the snow. Kids will love the adorable animals and the fun ways that Little Owl celebrates the season.

Owl Mask

The illustrations of Little Owl are so distinctive because they focus on his large owl eyes. We decided to use the illustrations as inspiration for these easy owl masks. First, I cut a strip of construction paper to create a headband that fits around my daughter’s head and over her eyes. Next, we flattened out cupcake liners and glued them to the headband where her eyes would be. We cut small green circles out of construction paper and glued them into the center of the liners. Lastly, I cut holes in the middle of the cupcake liners and paper so that she could see out of the mask. She then used markers and feathers to decorate the mask before I secured the ends with tape.

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Making Fog

At one point during the book, the illustrations show the characters making fog with their breath in the cold air. This is the perfect opportunity to add some science to your learning! If it is cold enough, take kids outside and have them take big breaths. When they blow the air out, they will see the water vapor in their breath condense and appear as a cloud. If it isn’t cold enough outside, you can have them try this while standing in front of the open refrigerator or freezer. The actual science may be over the heads of little ones, but this a simple activity to lay the foundations for future learning and build their curiosity.

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Snowy Tracks Artwork

When the snow starts to cover the ground, Little Owl sees animal tracks all around and realizes that not everyone is hibernating. We decided to have a little fun making our own snowy tracks. First, we painted white paint across a dark sheet of construction paper and sprinkled some silver glitter on the top. Next, we used corks, sponges, and brushes to create paw prints in the snow. You can create all kinds of animal footprints, or use the illustrations in the book as inspiration.

Owl Cookies

I decided to pair this book with a yummy snack inspired by Owl’s big, beautiful eyes. First, I laid out a bunch of sandwich cookies and split them in half. I took the sides with the filling on them and placed them in one pile, while the empty cookies were placed into another pile. Using a bit of melted chocolate, I attached two frosting sided cookies to one of the unfrosted sides, creating a pair of giant owl eyes. Then I used a bit more chocolate to add a green M&M in the middle of each eye, and an orange M&M to the unfrosted cookie, right betwen the eyes. These were such a simple snack, but we had so much fun eating them!

Little Owl’s Snow really captures the excitement of the first snow of the year. Do you have any favorite first snow activities that you do with your kids? Share in the comments below!

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