When the Snow Falls - a review

I realized that I never posted this review that I wrote for SLJ last year.  It's rather timely, so I'll post it now.

When the Snow Falls
By Linda Booth Sweeny
Illustrations by Jana Christy
Penguin Random House, 2017

SWEENEY, Linda Booth. When the Snow Falls. illus. by Jana Christy. 32p. Putnam. Oct. 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780399547201. PreS-Gr 1–Three generations of a fun-loving family take advantage of an unexpected snow day to frolic from country to city. When Grandma spends the night at the home of two young siblings, they awake to find that school is canceled due to a snowstorm. While the parents stay home to work the farm, Grandma, a young girl, and her little brother ski to town on a winsome belled sled-chair. They make their way to Grandma and Grandpa's house and encounter natural wonders, city wonders, and friends along the way. Sweeney gives a sense of motion with simple rhyming quatrains punctuated by the recurring phrase, "When the snow falls …. Tracks curve./Skis glide./Fox curls./Rabbits hide." The transition from country to city occurs when they briefly stop on a bridge to wave at the plows below, "Trains toot./Cars slow./Plows push./Mountains grow." Softly colorful, the double-page images have the muted quality associated with a snowy day. Christie's digitally painted pencil sketches and mixed-media illustrations bounce with playful motion—snow falling, scarves flying, rabbits hopping through the forest, city folk shoveling. The family members have joyful faces and burst with enthusiasm. Their exuberant dog follows them throughout, even joining the children in making snow angels. The grandparents join in the fun, too. VERDICT Country and city kids alike will relate to this joyful romp celebrating family, snow, community, and the wonders of nature.

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School Library Journal. Nov2017, Vol. 63 Issue 1, p66. Copyright © 2017 School Library Journal, the property of Media Source, Inc.  Reprinted here with permission.


Click here to look inside When the Snow Falls.

My copy of When the Snow Falls was provided by School Library Journal.

The Very Little Princess

Bauer, Marion Dane. 2010. The Very Little Princess. New York: Random House.

"All books are judged by their covers until they are read."
from The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling, by Maryrose Wood.


I try to read across a broad spectrum of children's literature, to help me in my job as a children's librarian.  I take Reader's Advisory seriously and try hard to match each child with the perfect book. Towards that end, I picked up The Very Little Princess, thinking that I have been neglecting, (for lack of a better term) "girly-girl" books. The delightful pink cover with Elizabeth Sayles' fanciful artwork attracted my attention and sealed the deal.

I could not have been more wrong, however, in classifying this short tale as a lighthearted story for girls. (spoiler alert)

One fine June morning, Zoey is surprised by her mother's off-hand remark that they will be leaving soon for her grandmother's house.

Of course, visiting your grandmother probably is natural for you.  But it wasn't for Zoey.  The truth is she had never met her grandmother.  Until that moment, she hadn't even known she had a grandmother!

Zoey dutifully packs a cardboard suitcase (she is by nature a dutiful girl) and goes off to her grandmother's rural home where she is again surprised to find that her mother and grandmother do not appear to be on good terms.  In fact, they argue heatedly, prompting Zoey to go exploring, and thereupon to find a most beautiful three and one-quarter inch tall doll.  She is further surprised when the tiny doll sits upright and sneezes!

What child has not dreamed of a doll that comes to life?  But this is not the doll of dreams.  Princess Regina, (as she likes to be called), is a self-centered, bossy doll, a doll that treats Zoey as a servant.  But Zoey, being by nature a dutiful girl, is not particularly bothered by Regina's selfish, narcissistic behavior.  In fact, she comes to love the diminutive princess, and in her fashion, the princess loves Zoey, too.  As the book jacket declares in similar terms, this is an expertly crafted story of family, friendship, love and loss.  It is.  It also, however,  the story of a loss so profound that the dust jacket's cheery countenance might leave a young reader bereft, as she reads that Zoey's mother leaves her, with nothing more than a cheerful, "Be good," with a woman that a day ago, she never even knew existed.  Zoey is left with her grandmother because her mother needs to be alone. Does this really happen?  I'm sure that it does.  Should it happen in a short, cheerful, small-sized book that is suggested for ages 6-9?  I'm not sure.  In the final chapter, the reader finds that the grandmother turns out to be a kind, wise, and loving woman, but the loss is still great. Place this book in the hands of a child who is capable of understanding and appreciating the story.

Read it as a well-told story, a unique story, even an enchanting story; but don't judge this book by its cover.

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Nana's Getting Married

Hartt-Sussman, Heather. 2010. Nana's Getting Married. Illustrated by Georgia Graham. Plattsburgh, NY: Tundra.

Nana's getting married?


"I, for one, do not approve."

Who will knit a little boy's mittens, who will bake him chewy cookies? Will everything change now that Nana is going to marry Bob? Yes, everything does change. Including Nana's sense of style! The illustrations of the liver-spotted grandma transforming from a cozy, saggy socks and sweatpants look to a high-fashion, platform Grecian sandals and bangle bracelet look are hysterical. The exaggerated heads and eyes of all the characters are expressive and humorous. Bob sports a long, white ponytail, earrings and blue jeans. Mom and Dad are a hoot as well. Done in chalk, pastels, and chalk pastel pencils, the illustrations take center stage in this delightfully funny book. And yes, it all turns out OK. Who knew that Bob could build a treehouse?


After I reviewed this book, a recently married, great-grandmother (and a stylish one at that!) picked it up off my desk and sat down in the children's area to read it.  She loved it!  Turns out she is a retired librarian as well!

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A Year Down Yonder

Peck, Richard. 2000. A Year Down Yonder. New York: Dial.

I admit that I don't "get" America's Heartland.  Other than a few trips to Texas, Colorado, and Louisiana, I usually think of the Midwest as something in between where I am and where I'm going.  So it was with great pleasure that on my recent vacation, I became acquainted with the rural Illinois of the Depression-era, and I fell in love with it!  Mary Alice and Grandma Dowdel are two of the best characters in children's literature, and I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to find them.  If you haven't read A Year Down Yonder, you're missing a very funny and heartwarming (but never sappy) story.  Many reviews are available of this 2001 winner of the Newbery Medal winner.  (The original PW review nailed it.)

Now I can't wait to read its prequel, A Long Way from Chicago (downloading to my mp3 as I type), and Peck's latest, A Season of Gifts.

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My Abuelita

Johnston, Tony. 2009. My Abuelita. Illustrated by Yuyi Morales. Boston: Harcourt.
(winner of a 2010 Pura Belpre Illustrator Honor)

A riot of brightly colored collage and puppet art infused with a Latino flair, accompanies this delightful story of a young child watching his Abuelita prepare for work.

While she cooks, she yodels about bedroom slippers. "Pantuflas - pantuflas - pantuflas!" "Yodeling loosens my voice," she explains, "for work." I know that already. My abuelita says it every day. But I like to hear it anyway.

So, what does Abuelita do for work that requires yodeling, a feathered crown, a plumed snake, a cloud-scarf? You'll have to read this enchanting story to find out!

Check out the cat!  Her name is Frida Kahlo!

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The Hello, Goodbye Window

Juster, Norton. 2005. The Hello, Goodbye Window. Ill. by Chris Raschka. New York: Hyperion Books. ISBN 0786809140

Plot Summary:
The plot in this Caldecott Medal winning book is simple. The story is an account of a child's day spent at her grandparent's home while her parents are working. She relates a typical day, focusing on the "hello goodbye" window, the window in the front of her grandparent's home through which she enjoys the view from both the inside and the outside throughout the day and early evening hours.

Critical Analysis:
This tale is told in the first person in a tone that should be quite believable to small children. The little girl says "I get tired I come in and take my nap and nothing happens until I get up." This is one of my favorite lines in the book because I remember my own daughter being absolutely shocked to find out that Mom and Dad ate ice cream while she was sleeping! Norton Juster clearly understands a child's perspective.

The "hello goodbye window" is an integral part of the setting, both in the text and illustrations. The window represents reality, fantasy, and imagination. She sees her grandparents through the window as her parents prepare to drop her off. She sees the Queen of England coming to visit for tea. Her grandfather amuses her by talking to her nighttime reflection in the window as if she is actually outside the window.

The illustrations are bright and cheery and busy and serve to set the book's mood. They are done in the impressionistic style. The blended colors and somewhat out of focus characters make this apparently mixed-race family relative to readers of any ethnicity. It's culturally inclusive in an understated manner. The lively colors and curly lines set the tone for an upbeat look at a mundane experience.

Review Excerpts:
Writing for School Library Journal, Angela Reynolds praised the artwork in this Caldecott award winning book,noting "The artwork is at once lively and energetic, without crowding the story or the words on the page; the simple lines and squiggles of color suggest a child's own drawings, but this is the art of a masterful hand."

Connections:
This book can be a great jumping-off point to entertain and interact with a child confined inside due to illness, injury, or bad weather. With a sign created in the likeness of the book's artwork, any window can be designated the "hello goodbye window" or the "rainy day window" or even the "chicken-pox window." From that point, with pencil and lined paper or crayons or paints the possibilities are endless - bird watching, people watching, or fantasizing and even creating the perfect view from the window.