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.

Picture Book Roundup - January 2015 edition

Some new picture book favorites!  A fairytale, a toddler book, and poetic nonfiction.  Enjoy!

• Jones, Ursula. 2014. The Princess Who Had No Kingdom. New York: Albert Whitman. Ill. by Sarah Gibb.

A beautiful princess, a pony, a red umbrella and red tights.  This is the girls' empowerment fairytale that you've always wanted. Be who you are; love who you are. If the illustrations in this one do not enchant you, you have no magic in your soul.  (So glad that this one made the leap across the pond!)

• Savage, Stephen. 2015. Supertruck. New York: Roaring Brook.

While tow truck and fire truck are out performing rescues, mild-mannered and bespectacled garbage truck "just collects the trash." It takes a snowstorm and an attachable snow plow to turn him into Supertruck! Simply told and simply illustrated for a young audience, this is a story of doing your job simply because it's the job that needs to be done. I like it! 

Note: Despite its snowstorm theme, this one should be popular for the 2015, "Every Hero Tells a Story" summer reading theme.

• Sayre, April Pulley. 2015. Raindrops Roll. New York: Beach Lane.

A beautifully photographed, poetic look at rain - what it does and where it lands and how we see it. Simple, gorgeous science,

It thuds.
Makes mud.
It fills.
It spills.

Have a great week, and don't forget to check out the posts on the Nonfiction Monday blog.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever - a review

Kinney, Jeff. 2011 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever. New York: Abrams.

The wait is over.  Cabin Fever has finally arrived!

I've seen a lot of movies where a kid my age finds out he's got magical powers and then gets invited to go away to some special school.  Well, if I've got an invitation coming, now would be the PERFECT time to get it.

A big snowstorm has Mrs. Heffley and the boys snowed in.  Greg is fearful that the police will be coming for him at any minute (it wasn't really vandalism - it just looks that way), Manny's reprogrammed the parental controls so that no one can watch any programs except his favorites, the basement's flooded and Rodrick moves into Greg's room, Greg has to care for Manny since Mom's glasses are broken (oops!),  Dad's stuck in a hotel (cue the bubble bath, robe, slippers, and cable TV), and the power's out.  Just a typical month in Greg Heffley's diary. Amidst the laughter, Jeff Kinney coaxes out a spirit of community, of giving, of Christmas, and family togetherness - whether Greg Heffley likes it or not.

Another great addition to the Wimpy Kid series!

One of the reasons I find the Wimpy Kid books so funny is that for all intents and purposes, I am Greg Heffley's mom (although my eyesight's better).  I see myself in her character and I laugh and I'm thankful that my children are turning out OK in spite of me. ;)  Hoping you have something to be thankful for, too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

And thanks to Abrams books for my review copy.

Snow Day!

Laminack, Lester L. Snow Day! 2010. Ill. by Adam Gustavson. Atlanta: Peachtree.
(review copy supplied by the publisher)

If you're not from snow country, you can't know the excitement and anticipation that comes with the possibility of a snow day from school (or work!),

Did you hear that?  Did the weatherman just say what I thought he did?  Did he say... SNOW? Oh please, let it snow. Lots and lots of snow.  Look at the sky.  I can feel it in the air.  We're getting snow tonight for sure.  Just imagine...so much snow, even the buses can't go.  No - so much snow that even the teachers can't go.

It's difficult to say what I enjoyed most about this book - the hilarious wide-eyed paintings of a brother, sister and father, hoping for a snow day (keep an eye on the dad - he's got a mischievous look on his face!) or the reading of the story by author, Lester Laminack.  You can just hear the excitement in his voice and the drawl of a southerner praying for a snow day just adds additional amusement to an already funny book. (The jacket note relates that he does remember snow falls in his home state of Alabama)

So what makes this book so funny?  The story's narrator, of course - and it's neither of the kids!

As I write this, I'm looking out the window at freshly fallen snow and I'm hoping for a snow day, too!
Maybe I'll wear my PJs inside out - the local kids swear by it!

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Snow

I'm not much of a snow person, but I have to admit that there's something special about it.  This morning I appreciated the way that it blankets the world in quiet.  Even the dog sleeps late on a snowy morning!  But more importantly, as a big snowstorm rages outside, I enjoy the fact that snow can remind us that we're not quite as important as we think we are, that we are not always the ones who define our role in this great big wonderful world.

If you're lucky enough to be tucked up at home with children on snowy day, here are a few of my snowy favorites - two older classics and a great new non-fiction title:

My favorite snowy day book!

Snow by Uri Shulevitz, a Caldecott Honor book from 1999

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, a Caldecott Medal winner from 1963

 If you don't want to go out and play after reading this one, you don't know how to have fun!

 

and The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder by Mark Cassino

a new non-fiction title

Cassino, Mark. 2009. The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder.

In thirteen simple sentences,

"This is the story of snow.

Snow begins with a speck. ... ,"

The Story of Snow explains the science behind the snowflake. But there is more to this book - smaller print on each page offers a more detailed explanation of the simpler text,

"Clouds are mostly made of air and water, but there are also bits of other things, like tiny particles of dirt, ash and salt...A snow crystal needs one of these "specks" to start growing."

Accompanying this short (32-page) "story," are diagrams, watercolor backdrops, and striking photographs of snowflakes. Directions for catching snow crystals wrap up the book.

The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder follows a trend that I've seen a lot lately in children's non-fiction. The book is almost as multi-faceted as the snowflakes it describes - picture book, science book, story book, activity book. The simpler text may be read as a story to young listeners. Older children will benefit from the more detailed explanation. Everyone will enjoy the stunning photography. Teachers should like this one!

Anna's Wish

Hachler, Bruno. 2008. Anna's wish. New York: NorthSouth.

This book may have been first published in Switzerland, but it's a perfect story for any town that hasn't seen snow in recent years. In the town where Anna lives, snow is becoming just a memory. It hasn't snowed in years,

"At first people thought nothing of it. Each winter, grown-ups got out their snow shovels. Children drew pictures of snowmen and sleds. Surely snow would fall soon.

But when the first crocuses popped out of the ground, people put their shovels away and turned their thoughts to spring."

Passing the bakery shop window daily, Anna becomes entranced by a sparkling white horse in a window display and consumed with her desire to feel snow. In her mind, she entwines the white horse with her wishes for snow - and

"Like tiny stars, her wishes floated up into the sky and froze. Then, slowly, they began to fall back down to the earth. ... Hundreds of them. Thousands of them. Millions of them."

The illustrations are cheerful, but subdued. Bright colors adorn the people, cars and shops, while the sky remains resolutely gray. The town, the bakery, the weather are the focus of the paintings - not Anna. Anna is a small, cheerful girl dwarfed by the hustle and bustle of the world. Humorous details include a leashed dachshund refusing to budge and two moving men carrying a sign which contains the text of the story.

This is a simple, quiet and joyful story of a long awaited snowfall. It may be about Switzerland, but it could just as well be New Jersey. A perfect read on the eve of a possible snow day.