• Age: 4 to 8
• Grade: p to 3

Colours in Winter is a whimsical children's picture book. The child, with her two bird friends, initially wishes that the giant fantastic snowflakes were coloured. Everything is too white. She thinks of green frogs in the spring, enormous red strawberries in the summer, and heaps of yellow and brown leaves in the autumn. But her desire becomes true and the snowflakes are suddenly all different colours. "Too much colour!" she gasps.

When everything turns back to white, she makes a wonderful discovery: there is colour everywhere in the winter — blue sky and green conifers, red rose hips and yellow beech tree leaves. The child and her bird friends reunite in a joyous celebration.

The daughter of an artist, Joy Laking studied art at university and has lived and painted professionally in Nova Scotia for the past forty-seven years. She has had national solo exhibitions of her paintings, including one at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. She has also exhibited internationally. Joy paints in watercolours, oils, and acrylics. She received The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Halifax Woman of Excellence Award.

Joy Snihur Wyatt Laking's profile page