View all Outdoor School Shop
Free Shipping $75 and over | Fast Delivery | Designed for Happy Kids!
Product Description
Why do winter days become so short? And why have people around the world celebrated the darkest days of the year for generations? The Winter Solstice by Ellen Jackson invites curious kids to explore the science, folklore, and traditions surrounding the shortest day of the year.
Illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis, this children’s nonfiction book connects what kids can observe in the natural world with the stories and customs people have created around the changing seasons. It’s a wonderful way to turn an early winter sunset into an opportunity to wonder, learn, and notice what is happening in the world outside.
Why Parents Love It
- Explores the winter solstice: Helps children learn about the shortest day of the year and why it happens.
- Blends science and storytelling: Combines information about the natural phenomenon with folklore and cultural traditions.
- Encourages seasonal curiosity: Gives kids more reasons to notice changing daylight and the rhythms of winter.
- Looks beyond one tradition: Introduces readers to ways people past and present have marked this seasonal turning point.
- Made for curious kids: A natural addition to winter nature study, seasonal learning, and family reading.
Built for Real Outdoor Childhoods
Some of the best learning starts with something a child notices outside: Why is it getting dark so early? Why are the nights longer in winter? When will the days start getting longer again?
The Winter Solstice gives families a way to follow those questions from the backyard to the bookshelf. Pair it with an evening walk, sunset watching, stargazing, or simply keeping track of how daylight changes through December. It’s a reminder that nature gives kids something new to notice in every season—even on the shortest day of the year.
Things to Know
- Nonfiction focus: Explores scientific information, facts, folklore, and traditions connected with the winter solstice.
- Seasonal learning: A useful companion for conversations about winter, changing daylight, and the shortest day of the year.
- Cultural perspective: Looks at ways people in the past and present have celebrated and understood the winter solstice.
- Illustrated throughout: Jan Davey Ellis provides the illustrations accompanying Ellen Jackson’s text.
Product Details
- Title: The Winter Solstice
- Author: Ellen Jackson
- Illustrator: Jan Davey Ellis
- Format: Paperback
- Page count: 32 pages
- ISBN-10: 0761302972
- ISBN-13: 9780761302971
- Publisher: First Avenue Editions
Why ODSS Recommends It
We love The Winter Solstice because it starts with something kids can experience for themselves—the changing light outside—and opens the door to science, history, folklore, and family conversation. It encourages children to pay attention to the season rather than simply letting winter pass by unnoticed.
This is the kind of book that fits naturally into an outdoor childhood: watch the sun set, notice the long winter night, come inside to read together, and head back out with new questions. It’s a meaningful addition to a family bookshelf for raising curious kids who notice nature’s rhythms and understand that even the darkest days are part of a changing season.
Pairs well with
FOUNDED BY WOMEN. BUILT FOR ADVENTURE.
ODSS was started by mothers who saw firsthand how time outside builds resilient, confident kids. What began as helping outdoor schools equip students for all-weather learning grew into a bigger mission: Help families raise resilient, confident kids by making it easier for children to stay outside longer.
Testimonials
For us, the right gear from ODSS supports what we believe most about childhood. When children are able to be outside every day, in all seasons, they become tenacious, confident, and develop an authentic relationship with the land.
— RAIN OR SHINE SCHOOL
Working with Outdoor School Shop has transformed our outdoor school community. Parents love knowing their children are consistently and reliably equipped—and that nothing is forgotten or comes home covered in mud.
— RANDOLPH SCHOOL
Our students get outside in all temperatures and having the right gear makes a world of difference. @outdoorschoolshop has gear appropriate for all seasons, has a directory to search for nature schools, and layering guides to help families know how to dress children for the weather
— HEMLOCK HILL
At The Thistle and Root, I always recommend ODSS gear for anyone who believes that children grow best through nature—so dress for it.
— THISTLE & ROOT
Ordering bulk with Outdoor School Shop was just as easy and seamless as I had hoped! As we open up a new program, preparing our first group of kiddos for any weather was at the top of our priority list, and ODSS came through with insight, expertise, and the coolest, most dependable gear around! Thank you ODSS!
— SIDNEY RIDGE