The Most Beautiful Winter by Cristina Sitja Rubio

The Most Beautiful Winter celebrates new friends, creativity, and seasonal delights.

The Most Beautiful Winter by Cristina Sitja Rubio, translated by Vineet Lal. Eerdmans, 2024 (United States edition; first published in 2018). 52 pages.

• Reading Level: Picture books, ages 4-8
• Recommended For: Ages 4-8

Badger is ready to play! But when he goes to find his friends, they are sleeping…. Bear is curled up. The hedgehogs are curled up. Even the snails are quiet. With his buddies unavailable, Badger goes back to his den and explores more solitary pursuits like reading and knitting. It’s not the same. Surely someone is awake in this cold world.

Badger hears the birds… maybe they would play with him? Badger discovers that an entirely different group of animals are not only awake during the winter, but they are lots of fun. He learns new games, makes new friends, and has a glorious time.

Cheerful, childlike crayon illustrations add so much to this simple story. Funny details crop up in the pictures that the text merely hints at (such as the sheer volume of knitting Badger does!). Children will enjoy learning alongside Badger about which animals are out and about in the cold, and which ones are quietly slumbering. End papers offer more insight into these groups as does excellent back matter (including ways to help animals in winter).

Bottom Line: The Most Beautiful Winter is a great winter story time read, and any library in a snowy climate should be sure to stock it!

Recommended Reading at Redeemed Reader

• Resource: Wintry Picture Books (more wintry stories!)
• Book Review: A Pinecone! by Helen Yoon offers more childlike enjoyment of the natural world
• Book Review: Little Shrew is a sweet chapter book read aloud about another lovable animal.

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