Published by Templar, 2013.

This is the story of Tom, a young boy who lives in a remote house in the mountains with his mother and grandmother. It has been a very long winter – much to Tom’s delight. He skates and skis, playing outside in the snow every day. He tells his mother that he wishes winter could go on forever. However, it is too cold for his ageing, frail grandmother who longs for the warmth of spring.

One day, Tom meets a pale boy with ice-blue eyes. They quickly become friends and run off to explore the snow-covered valleys and meadows together. Over the next few days, they build magnificent snow and ice sculptures; make winter music using icicles as chimes and gallop across the frozen landscape on the back of a reindeer. All the while, his grandmother is getting weaker.

This is a tale of family and friendship, of sacrifices and the changing of the seasons. Angela McAllister’s descriptive prose is  beautiful – often poetic – and, at times, full of drama.

This is, quite simply, a stunning book. From the delicately silver-foiled cover to the double page illustrations, Winter’s Child is a visual delight. Grahame Baker-Smith’s magical pictures are exquisitely detailed and perfectly convey the frozen world of the story.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 5+

We borrowed this book from Solihull Libraries.