SNOW SOUNDS

It’s December 23, and a young boy is sleeping. Next to his bed is a special present. Outside his house, through the hush of an icy, blue morning, something is happening: Snow is falling! As the boy awakens, a snowplow moves by his house, clearing the way for the boy to go to school and making evocative sounds—swooshes and crashes and beeps. There are sounds inside the warm, golden-hued house too—crinkles and flushes, crackles and meows. The boy does some shoveling, making noises similar to that of the plow, and then with a honk, the bus arrives. It’s time to go to school, but not without his present—a toy snowplow. Beautifully rendered ink-and-watercolor illustrations with an alternating pallet perfectly capture the shimmering snow and the house’s cozy interior. The youngest children will delight in the simplicity and familiarity of the story, while older children will be fascinated by the use of onomatopoeia (a handy definition appears on the back of the book). A wonderful introduction to the world of poetic language. (Picture book. 4-8)