On the Ice! A Day for Skating by Sarah Sullivan

It's sunny and cold. The ice is dry. And it's time to give ice-skating a try!

A turn with Dad, by her side, and then it's time to for that first glide.

Tap and step,
then slide and turn.
Whoops! Fall down.

That's how we learn.

There are lots of ways to fall down before a novice ice skater gets the hang of it. It happens to everybody who tries out the ice.

But after a break to thaw out in the warming hut with cocoa and cookies, our little would-be skater takes her first solo strokes, while all about her young skating stars practice their moves, couples polish their ice dancing, young hockey skaters push the puck toward the goal, and speedy skaters race under the bridge.

The sun drops in the sky, and when there are mittens to dry, it's good there's a fire pit nearby.

Logs pop! Fire sparks.

Toasty fingers. Glowing hearts.

It's home to a toe-thawing bath and a sleepy bedtime story for our young first-timer, in Sarah Sullivan's idyllic winter's tale, A Day for Skating (Candlewick Press, 2019), illustrated joyfully by artist Madeline Valentine, whose jolly illustrations will inspire young non-skaters to give it a try. Sullivan's and Valentine's rhyming skating story has the additional advantage of showing grownups at play, a notable change from their usual roles in children's books.

And just for the fun of it, author and illustrator provide an unexpected conclusion as deer, rabbits, and raccoons come out to visit the icy pond by moonlight. For a glorious winter outing, ice is nice and will suffice!