As midwinter draws near, King Winter’s Birthday is the perfect book to share. Exploring the passing of the seasons through inticing folklore, it emphasises contrasting weather and the rhythms of the year.
It was King Winter’s birthday and he was planning a party. More than anything, he wanted his brother and sisters to visit: Queen Spring, King Summer and Queen Autumn. Despite warnings from the sun and the winds, he brought them all together for the most gorgeous meal. But soon, the combination of summer sun, winter snow, spring growth and autumn rain caused chaos outside. Crops failed, animals became confused, towns flooded and flowers died. The land could not cope with all four seasons at once. The kings and queens realised what was happening and decided they must disperse. King Winter was left alone with precious memories of their time together. Outside, balance was restored and the world thrived.
There is so much to discuss in this timeless book. The importance of family and how we cope with being far away from loved ones is summed up in this lovely metaphor of the seaons while issues of climate change and seasonal weather are presented in an accessible manner. Emily Sutton’s vibrant illustrations have a magical fairy tale feel that is so appealing.
King Winter’s Birthday was inspired by a story written nearly 85 years ago by Ulirch Alexander Boschwitz, a German Jew. Having fled his homeland in 1930, he ended up in England in 1939. Branded an “enemy alien”, he was interned in a camp in the Isle of Man where he wrote this charming story. Never finding a home, he tragically died at the age of 27 when the ship he was travelling on was hit by a German submarine. The publication of Boschwitz’s writing is an important legacy to this man who was far away from those he loved.
King Winter’s Birthday will be on my gift list this Christmas. It is the type of book children will read again and again then save to share with their own children one day. Thank you to Pushkin Children’s for such a special book!
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