The Caldecott Medal winner, The Snow Day tells of a young boy's solo adventure day in the snow. The story gently unfolds over the pages through clear language, although no rhyming or set cadence. The painted pictures are slightly abstract, but full of contrasting colors, shapes, and some fun patterns. The pictures clearly demonstrate the text, such as when the tracks Peter makes in the snow are described, and the picture shows the tracks directly below. There is even a dose of humor, sure to get a giggle, when a large dollop of snow plops right on Peter's head.
Any child familiar with snow will be able to relate to the fun Peter has walking through it, wanting to join in a snowball fight, making snow angels and a snowman, pretending to be a mountain climber, and even trying to save a snowball in his pocket overnight. Peter's ability to find fun on his own and not get discouraged just because he wasn't big enough for the snowball fight yet is a great lesson to stress. If your child is unfamiliar with snow, they may have more questions about what snow feels like, where to find it, and when it comes and leaves.
I read this book to my three-year-old friend, Sam. He studied the pictures and seemed to not know quite what to think. We do get snow where we live, but not a lot, and Sam had not seen it yet that he could remember. I pointed to the snowman and compared him to Frosty - someone I knew Sam was more familiar with. We even laid down and made 'snow angels' on the living room floor. Sam thought that was a fun game, and I promised to do that in the snow with him next time it snowed.
--Audra
