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.

Exploring the Seasons - a review

As regularly as the swallows depart from and return to San Juan Capistrano, teachers will soon flock to classrooms and libraries.  Sooner or later, they will seek the books on seasons.  I will be ready.

DeGezelle, Terri. 2012. Exploring Fall. North Mankato, MN: Capstone.

Crisp and attractive photographs, single-page "chapters," minimal text in simple font, a pleasing buttery yellow color, and a generous 11" x 9" size, are the hallmarks of this Exploring the Seasons series.

 

Each book contains eight chapters.  The first is specific to a season ("Season of Change" for fall, "Hot, Hot, Hot" for summer), and the rest follow a predictable pattern ("What Causes Seasons?," "Water in Fall," People in Fall," etc.)  The text is simple and easy to follow,

 

Lakes and ponds get cold in fall.  But oceans have built up warmth over the summer. The warm water makes hurricanes more common in fall.
 

and is accompanied on the facing page by a full, or larger-than-full page photograph or illustration.  With enough scientific data to cover necessary standards, the Exploring the Seasons series is nevertheless, attractive enough to appeal to young readers or listeners. A word count , grade level and Early-Intervention Level are included on the last page.  (255, 1, and 21 respectively)

 

Each title also contains a Glossary, Read More, Internet Sites, and Index.

 

Because Capstone Press' target audience is beginning, struggling and reluctant readers, these books have a target age range of 5-7, but will be equally useful as preschool read-alouds to accompany storybooks on the same topic.

 

Note:

See more posts related to science, technology, engineering and math at STEM Friday. 

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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