Snow Day

Rating:
Summary: Snow Job
Review: From the opening of the book /A cozy, curled lump in the quilt./ to the end /The quilt closes and quiets. Child nestles with Mama. Snow day melts to dreams./, I've tried to capture the pure joy and magic of a snow day--the magic I remember growing up in Maine with snow days. The family in this book shares breakfast /Steamy oatmeal in a brown sugar 'n' cream bath./, the power going out /Wooooo-ooooo! Wild, whirling wind crashes limbs to lines./, getting dressed to go outside /Nubby mittens. Pom-pommed, pulled-down cap./, sledding / Kwoosh! Thud! Trudge!/, and a warm bath /Soapy soak. Boat-filled bath. Towel wrap. Flannels with footies./ until they fall asleep with sweet-dreams of their snow day.

To me, a snow day is a special gift from Mother Nature--a chance to stay home as a family and share books, games, and laughter. The snow slows the busy-ness of the world, and the simple pleasures of hot chocolate, playing pretend, wearing long johns, and home-made stew can be savored. Illustrator Hideko Takahashi did a wonderful job of capturing the details and wonder of a snow day--even though she grew up in an area of Japan with NO snow! Hideko's images have fun, unexpected details like a house appearing to blow in the storm, a braided rug you can almost feel, and a card castle so detailed you want to blow it down.

I hope this book will encourage children and classes to create their own special "day" books--picnic day, camping trip, city visit, etc. Simply start with a web and create scenes for that special day and then write a little "poem" describing each part of that day. It's fun--try it!

I wish everyone the magic of snow days--all year long!

Rating:
Summary: The Magic of a Snow Day
Review: From the opening of the book /A cozy, curled lump in the quilt./ to the end /The quilt closes and quiets. Child nestles with Mama. Snow day melts to dreams./, I've tried to capture the pure joy and magic of a snow day--the magic I remember growing up in Maine with snow days. The family in this book shares breakfast /Steamy oatmeal in a brown sugar 'n' cream bath./, the power going out /Wooooo-ooooo! Wild, whirling wind crashes limbs to lines./, getting dressed to go outside /Nubby mittens. Pom-pommed, pulled-down cap./, sledding / Kwoosh! Thud! Trudge!/, and a warm bath /Soapy soak. Boat-filled bath. Towel wrap. Flannels with footies./ until they fall asleep with sweet-dreams of their snow day.

To me, a snow day is a special gift from Mother Nature--a chance to stay home as a family and share books, games, and laughter. The snow slows the busy-ness of the world, and the simple pleasures of hot chocolate, playing pretend, wearing long johns, and home-made stew can be savored. Illustrator Hideko Takahashi did a wonderful job of capturing the details and wonder of a snow day--even though she grew up in an area of Japan with NO snow! Hideko's images have fun, unexpected details like a house appearing to blow in the storm, a braided rug you can almost feel, and a card castle so detailed you want to blow it down.

I hope this book will encourage children and classes to create their own special "day" books--picnic day, camping trip, city visit, etc. Simply start with a web and create scenes for that special day and then write a little "poem" describing each part of that day. It's fun--try it!

I wish everyone the magic of snow days--all year long!

Rating:
Summary: Snow Job
Review: This book consists of page after page of descriptive phrases with no full sentences or actions. After I read this book to my 3 and 5 year old sons, I really wondered how it got published. It's pretty boring and employs words that are much too lofty for the preschool set. The pictures, however, are lovely.