MAMA, WILL IT SNOW TONIGHT?
by Nancy White Carlstrom and illustrated by Paul Tong
Three children—a fox, a rabbit and a human girl—each ask their respective Mamas the title question. Carlstrom’s gently repetitive, more-or-less rhythmic delivery abets a sense of inevitability to the proceedings, appropriately: “The wind is brrrr. / The bushes bare. / The berries picked.” Even though the Mamas’ initial answers are in the negative, they help their children see the signs that indicate the arrival of winter: “Our fur is thick. / Our brown turns white. / Our jam is made.” Tong’s fuzzy-edged oils complement the soft text appropriately, but all together the result is more doughy than cuddly. The text lacks the infectious quality of the author’s Jesse Bear books, and the composition and execution of most of the illustrations are only adequate. Highly additional. (Picture book. 2-5)