Ski books for little people

As well as loving skiing I have a few other life loves. One of these is reading. The Kraken is coming to an age where we are reading to him more and more everyday. With that I wondered if there were kids books available that had skiing as a focus, kind of as a way to introduce and build an interest in skiing. With these thoughts in mind, I started my search for ski focused kids books. It's with pleasure that I can say I found one or two, but not very many. Check out the titles I found and my thoughts in these books.

Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee, by Chris Van Dusen

I really liked this book. Perfect for preschoolers and early readers. While each page has quite a few words, they are pretty basic. And better yet, they rhyme well. This makes it have a great flow as you read it aloud. The general plot of the story is of Mr. Magee heading out to learn to ski on a hill in his back yard. But having never skied before, trouble ensues, with the help of his dog Dee and a moose he meets along the way.  All ends well with Mr. Magee realizing the importance of taking a few lessons. Another highlight of this book is the pictures. Great details and colours. Enough to capture a kids attention and imagination, but also not overwhelming. I would definitely give this book a buy, I will for sure be adding it to our library.

Leo's Skiing Surprise, by Louise Leblanc, Illustrated by Jules Prud'homme

This is a book for a slightly older reader. More for kids that are reading independently and starting to get into longer chapter books. This books focuses around Leo and his friend Julio, a vampire. Leo wants to give Julio a Christmas surprise of a ski trip, so he can feel like a real boy. There are other characters that we meet along they way that play an important roll in making Julio's treat come true. I tried to read this with my 10 year old brain engaged.  I have to say that even with my adult brain off and trying to read it for the audience it was written for, I had a hard time with this book. The general concept of it was there. But I felt like it tried to cover a too many ideas in too few pages. I had to reread paragraphs as the story jumped from one theme to another with no warning and little transition. This made it hard to follow at times. And as a skiing book... not so much. Skiing was a part of the story, but I would not call it the main focus of the book.

I'm not sure that I would make this a first buy for someone, but I can see that for the right kid this could be a good introduction to chapter books. If you’ve read this book and have a different perspective I would love to hear it.

Pee Wee's On Skis, by Judy Delton

This is a beginner reader chapter book and part of the Pee Wee Scout series. I quiet enjoyed this book. There was a good story line with enough background details to get the characters since the book is part of a series. The general idea of the book is that the scouts are off for a trip to the local ski hill in the hopes of obtaining a ski badge. There is a good give a take between the characters, including some good natured teasing and peer support. They even have a bit of skiing details in the book. Although you can tell the book is a little older as they talk about making the skis into a “V”, no mention of “pizza". One complaint I would have is that the instructor shows up in a hat and all the drawings show the kids in just hats. No helmets... A bit disappointing when you consider the audience reading the book and trying to encourage safe skiing and helmet wearing.  Outside of this concern, I really enjoyed reading the book, so I can only imagine how it will appeal to the audience it was written for. And then there is a whole series if your young reader gets into the book. I would give this book a buy for sure.   

Squirrels on Skis, by J. Hamilton Ray
I've yet to get my hands on this book, but I'm super excited to do so.  I'll update this posting as soon as I get the book and have given it a read.  If you have this book, send me an email with your thoughts on it.  

Let's try skiing, by Susa Hammerle
I got my hands on this book today.  And it's a great little book. Perfect for putting a young mind at ease as you introduce them to skiing.  Simon is heading on a ski trip with his family and learning to ski.  He spends a few days in lessons, with some ups and downs, but does better every day and by the end of the trip is having a great time and can ski the big hill.  A great added feature of this book is the ski elf.  He pops up on many pages, offering encouragement or helpful tips.  And the last page is little tips to help your new skier.  A perfect book for getting a little one excited to try skiing.  Oh, and the illustrations are great.  Plus you can have your child spot the ski elf as you read it to them.  I will be adding this book to out library for sure.  

So while there are limited kids books out there focused on skiing, there are a few that are quiet good and well worth adding to your home library when your kids hit the appropriate age.  Enjoy and let me know of any books you have for kids with a ski theme.