A Bright, Cold Sunny Day

Most adults, as well as many children, have a natural aversion to remaining outside during the cold winter months, especially in the northern temperate zones above the 43rd parallel. However, there is so much life that still goes on in the natural world far away from fireplaces, furnaces, car heaters, and radiators. Real life in the winter usually takes a backseat to invented life on TV and computer screens, but it doesn’t have to.

A Bright, Cold Sunny Day tells the story of that real life in poetry and illustrations from the perspective of very young children who still yearn for real-life experiences even during the bleakest of cold winter days. It encourages everyone to get outside and experience the physical joy of skiing, tobogganing, skating, sledding, or just going for a walk in the woods. But what a myriad world of life awaits the brave sojourner if one is patient and inquisitive. The picture book, A Bright, Cold Sunny Day, introduces the reader to many of the animals who stay awake and inhabit the winter forests up north. The lovable characters of a woodland vole, a raccoon, a ruffed grouse, a beautiful cardinal, a singing robin, and a wise old owl come to life through the magic of J. G. Lightborne’s musical poetry and Pat Lane Diaz’s gorgeous illustrations.

A Bright, Cold Sunny Day will surely become a source of winter enjoyment for many years to come.