Perfectly timed for the frigid temperatures, today, Hillary of Mass Audubon shares 5 favorite books about winter trees:

I love trees, especially here in the Northeast where we experience such dramatic seasonal changes. Having grown up in Florida, I rarely witnessed the evolution of a tree from season to season: the buds about to burst, the flowers that precede the leaves, the vibrant fall foliage, and, not to be left out, the bare branches of winter.

Sure, winter trees may not look the “prettiest” compared to their spring, summer, and fall counterparts, but they are no less interesting. Now’s the time of year when you can explore a tree’s “skeleton,” so to speak, observing branches that bend in all different directions; holes (or cavities) where birds and little animals take shelter; abandoned nests; and bark that is smooth, rough, or shaggy.

And the best part about trees? You usually don’t have to go too far to get a closer look. Ready to learn more and share the wonders of trees with your kids? Check out these amazing children’s books, new and old. Several of these titles are available at the Audubon Shop at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln.

1. Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson. This lovingly illustrated book published in 2013 allows kids to help a tree transform from season to season with tapping, shaking, and rubbing.

2. A Tree is Nice by Janice Udry, illustrated by Marc Simont. Awarded the prestigious Caldecott Award in 1957, this book has been inspiring kids for generations. Its simple approach gets to the heart of why trees are, well, nice.

3. Winter Tree Finder: A Manual for Identifying Deciduous Trees in Winter by May Watts and Tom Watts. Small enough to fit in your back pocket, this handy guide will help kids and adults learn how to tell a maple from an oak by looking at its bark, branches, buds, and more.

4. Winter Trees by Carole Gerber. A boy and his dog explore a snow-covered forest and, in doing so, learn the differences between seven trees through sight and touch in this illustrated tale.

5. Trees, Leaves, and Bark by Diane Burns. This kid-friendly guide focuses on how to identify 15 trees by the leaves, bark, and seed. Also included: easy instructions on how to make a leaf mobile, a bark rubbing, and a pinecone snackbar plus blank scrapbook pages for your budding naturalist to jot down observations.

Image credit: book jackets via Amazon