This book is adorable and whimsical. It brings a sense of wonder and fun to an otherwise cold and dark season. I love the variety of activities: from winter gardening to handicrafts for kids to do inside and ways to explore even when their world is covered in snow. We will definitely be implementing these ideas. I also appreciate how short the book is. Many books boast 100+ ideas etc, but this book is short and simple with activities that can be shared by everyone! You don’t have to flip through pages and pages to find the perfect activity. The list is well curated with a great mix of fun!

Wholesome! Beautiful! Sustainable! Anyone with little kids in their home NEEDS this book (in fact all the books in this series). Grandparents? Ta-da! You’ve got plenty of memory-making activities that are easy and fun! Parent with lots of different age? Activities that bridge the age gaps for some family togetherness. If you homeschool by the seasons, this is an absolutely treasure trove of easy, inviting, captivating little activities. It is an absolute feast for the eyes!! I will be adding all of her books to my library.

Thank you, NetGalley!

The illustrations are adorably done and it’s packed with fun thing for the littles to do in the winter.
Having done many of these activities myself there’s a bit of concern on the content:
‘ask for adults help’ for the candy making. For process shown the child should not be helping at all, hot sugar burns are no joke. Since the child won’t be much help here I don’t think it should have been included. It’ll be more frustrating than fun for them.

The compost bottle is a cute idea that lets your kid watch as the kitchen scraps break down, but soft plastics can make the worms sick and there’s no mention of making sure it doesn’t become acidic, which is especially important if they’re getting citrus scraps from the recipes in this book. While it should be cute and educational it’s just a torture chamber for the poor worms.

This adorably illustrated and clearly explained book shows many of the fun and sustainable activities children can do during the winter time. It's easy to see that the publishers of this book take sustainability very seriously and their love and respect of nature and how we interact with it is clear throughout the entirety of the book. Definitely recommend to anyone with children or some free time during the cold months!

What a beautiful book! Not only are the illustrations just gorgeous, but the ideas included have been well thought out and the instructions made simple enough for even a young child to understand.

My favourite inclusions were the information on tree sap and how to tap trees, how to create a wreath, ideas for Christmas tree ornaments and citrus garlands.

My kids will love these ideas and I can't wait to share with them!

This is an absolute treasure! My daughter and I have tried some of the recipes and crafts from this book and can't wait to do the rest all winter long. If you're a parent to younger children, this is the perfect book to help you enjoy the long winter with them.

Winter magic ❄️ Just as delightful and delicious as all the other seasons. Animals, dried orange slice garland, wreaths, evergreen paint brushes! 🌲 I need to get all four hardcovers because these books deserve to be displayed on a real-life shelf! Absolutely gorgeous 💖

Little Homesteader: A Winter Treasurey of Recipes, Craft, and Wisdom by Angela Ferraro-Fanning is the best book for introducing to younger readers the winter-time. Sometimes considered bored, this time of the year is plenty of great activities outdoor and indoor. Passing through delicious recipes, to the outdoor activity of tapping a tree for making syrup, the book analyzes also the wildlife during the winter-time and how you can help to feed birds during this difficult season. Plenty of great activities for Christmas's Time, I simply know that this book will conquer all the family!
This book is also helping nature becase as remarked, it is printed on recycled paper made from 100% post consumer waste.

Highly recommended.

I thank Netgalley for the ebook.

Anna Maria Polidori

Very cozy children's book about winter food, crafts, and ideas for engaging and educational activities throughout the older months. This book teaches while allowing kids to explore and imagine. Perfect for younger children and older children in scope and activities.

This is the cutest little cookbook/activity book there is. The art is bright, simple, and intriguing. The instructions are easy to follow, and now I have a new recipe for spicy hot chocolate that I'm excited to try. There's a section about tapping trees for sap, and even as a 30-year-old I am now excited to go out during winter and find some trees. This will definitely help children feel like they're all grown up helping their parents in the kitchen / decorate for Christmas.

This book had a lot of fun activities to do in the winter time with some fairly complete directions. I thought one of the activities was a bit misleading though-the one about planting a citrus seed. Maybe it doesn't make a difference in a place where it's cold in the winter time, but here in sub-tropical South Florida (where they used to grow citrus), we know that most of the commercial citrus is grown on grafted root stock, so the seeds produced will be sour orange, not an actually edible orange. The image showed lemons (probably, they were yellow) but it just seemed like it was a misrepresentation of what would actually happen, particularly given how long it would take to get a citrus plant big enough to produce fruit.

I absolutely adore these treasuries! Angela Ferraro-Fanning is so thoughtful and creative in building such a cozy collection so many fun and accessible crafts and activities to welcome in and celebrate the season!

Another wonderful edition in the Little Homesteader series. The illustrations are beautiful and the projects are perfect for the winter season, both indoor and outdoor. I will definitely use these crafts in my library, and probably keep a copy at home for my own children.

This is a delightful winter activity book for homesteaders and children alike! The illustrations are whimsical and colorful! Perfect for engaging little kids!! There's nature learning to be read about different trees, animals, and winter activities! The crafts are easy to do with simple instructions. The recipes are simple and fun for kids to make! All in all the perfect book to chase away those winter blues!!

This is the 2nd in the Little Homesteader series, aimed at kids from 6-10, with parent support

While there are some great ideas in this book including ways to grow new produce from scraps, parts of it don't ring quite right.

First, the book is very centred in the culture of the northern hemisphere. Winter is definitely pictured as a snowy, cold season, perfect for hot cocoa. The seasonal celebrations are also very specific. There are ideas for decorating for Christmas, and a lovely idea for creating lanterns for solstice, but Hanukkah is not here, and neither are any of the other light-centred holidays for this time of year, such as Diwali or Kwanzaa.

Another niggle for me, as an educator, was the lack of recognition of Indigenous knowledge in some of the activities given. There is a great and fascinating section of different trees that can be tapped, although without a fairly encyclopedic knowledge of the trees in your area, you might be stumped. However, there is no mention that "homesteaders" would not know about this technology without the knowledge shared by the First Peoples in different parts of North America or Turtle Island. In light of the education goals of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Canada, that's a glaring omission.

As someone who does tap maple trees each spring, I also found that if I was only using the book as my guideline, I might have trouble tracking down what I needed to tap. It asks for you to use a spile, but doesn't indicate where you might find such a thing (syrup suppliers on-line might be a great thing to suggest).

Overall, this book had more misses than hits for me, especially in light of the diversity and equity lenses we are using when deciding which books to choose for a classroom or school library.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

"Little Homesteader" is an interesting concept with fun, varied winter activities. However, the formatting and visual look of the children's book leaves something to be desired. The actual illustrations are adorable but in many areas the text looks sloppy.

Turn those cabin fever blahs into smiles with the fun activities in this delightful book.

There are plenty of indoor projects like concocting goodies in the kitchen to keep idle hands busy, and also outdoor activities like spotting animal tracks in the snow.

You and your little ones will learn to make salt dough ornaments, candied orange slices, wreaths, and pinecone birdfeeders.

A fun and informative book. "Treasury" is certainly the perfect word to describe this collection.

Reading Little Homesteader: A Winter Treasury of Recipes, Crafts, and Wisdom by Angela Ferraro-Fanning was such a delight. I loved all the crafts and fun recipes. I especially loved the finger knitting. As a knitter, and someone who is beginning to learn to crochet, it made me so happy, and I plan on trying it on my own! I think this book will be awesome for any parent, but also for any teacher or librarian wanting to add fun to the classroom.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange with an honest review.

Little Homesteader: A Winter Treasury of Recipes, Crafts, and Wisdom
by: Angela Ferraro-Fanning
Quarto Publishing Group -Ivy Kids, Ivy Kids
Children's Nonfiction
Release Date: 9/6/2022

Written by homesteading teacher Angela Ferraro-Fanning, this book is a wonderful blend of indoor and outdoor activities for children during cold winter months. In addition to interactive, hands-on crafts and projects, lessons about winter fruits, vegetables, trees, and wildlife are included.

Children, parents, and teachers will love the variety of things to do while warm and cozy inside, as well as outside in the cold, crisp winter air while learning about nature. The recipes for cocoa, bread, and maple syrup candies offer both skills and deliciousness. Making crafts out of natural materials will give children lifelong memories of time well spent.

As a retired educator, I appreciate the charm, appeal, and quality of the illustrations that accompany each unit. Participating in the wide range of fun activities offered in this book will enhance children's vocabulary, oral language, comprehension, and social skills. Spending time creating, exploring, and appreciating nature is a welcome alternative and break from technology devices. A highlight for me will be making the homemade version of candied orange slices, a treat that I enjoyed as a child in December.

Thank you to Net Galley and Quarto Publishing Group -Ivy Kids, Ivy Kids for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.

Wow, I love this book. The perfect addition for winter activities & learning. Although it may seem that this book is geared towards older children (a lot of words per page/education), my children (2yo, 4yo) thoroughly enjoyed looking through the book and learning about winter wildlife. As far as the activities go, I just adjusted my assistance with each child. This book would be perfect for library story times, classrooms, homeschool, preschool, daycares and even just to complete together as a family. Definitely excited to add this & the others of the series.

Thank you so much NetGalley & Ivy Kids— the Quarto Group for allowing me to read this preview!