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JUST SNOW ALREADY!

Name: JUST SNOW ALREADY!
Author: Howard McWilliam
ISBN: 9781947277984

by Howard McWilliam ; illustrated by Howard McWilliam ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2023

Just snuggle up and read this one already!

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When Dad announces that it might snow, a child spends the day constantly checking for falling flakes.

Everything reminds the young narrator of snow, even the milk and sugar at breakfast. Though the child’s sister doesn’t really care, the protagonist’s imagination runs wild with plans of sledding, snowball fights, and snowman building, but “absolutely NOTHING” is happening outside. The child doesn’t see what the readers do. It may not be snowing, but the neighborhood is bursting with activity: A parade of bicycles (including a unicycle and an old-fashioned penny-farthing) zips by, a firetruck arrives to rescue a cat in a tree, and a troop of monkeys gets loose from a van full of safari animals. Inside, the child tries to keep busy but worries that it will never snow—imagine having to “build mud men…and go sledding on the grass…and make leaf angels.” Late in the day, Mom suggests the child look outside again. This time, it’s snowing, and “Nothing is as fun as snow!” But reading this story is a close second. While the text captures the restless excitement of waiting for those first snowflakes, the humorously detailed cartoon illustrations are the draw. Each page turn reveals a new action-packed scene that will have kids coming back for repeat reads. Dad is light-skinned, Mom is darker-skinned, and their two children have light tan skin; their community is diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Just snuggle up and read this one already! (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2023

ISBN: 9781947277984

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Flashlight Press

Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
BE A HERO WITH SKIPPER THE SEAL
by William H. McRaven & Kelly Marie McRaven ; illustrated by Howard McWilliam

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT IF YOU HAD AN ANIMAL HOME!?
by Sandra Markle ; illustrated by Howard McWilliam

- BOOK REVIEW
D IS FOR DROOL
by Amanda Noll & Shari Dash Greenspan ; illustrated by Howard McWilliam

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY FROM THE CRAYONS

by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 4, 2025

Another endearing and amusing outing with these winsome characters.

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The Crayons love a holiday, and Mother’s Day is no exception.

Every color is different, and so is every mom. Purple’s mother, seated cross-legged in a yoga pose, “doesn’t color inside the lines.” Red’s works tirelessly to support her family, which sometimes means missing holidays. White Crayon adores his mother, “even though he can’t see her” (the accompanying image shows both crayons fading into the white background), while pale lime green Esteban’s mom supports his “dreams of adventure” by helping him pack. All the Crayons celebrate their families on this day, and not all the parents look like their children or are mothers. Laudably, Daywalt and Jeffers depict a variety of different families, allowing many readers to feel seen: Black can’t contain her love for both her mothers, the hair-covered brownish-beige Barfy Crayon embraces his stepmom, Chunky Toddler (a chubby crayon with a bite taken out of him) pays tribute to his dad on Mother’s Day, Yellow and Orange honor their grandmother, and Maroon, presumably adopted, sings the praises of his mom, a pot of glue who literally holds the family together. As in previous Crayon books, Jeffers’ elegantly quirky and humorous illustrations complement Daywalt’s delightful text, which adeptly balances humor and heart.

Another endearing and amusing outing with these winsome characters. (Picture book. 4-8)