JOLLY SNOW

The appealing stuffed animals introduced in Old Bear (1987) explore the concept of snow: the inaccessible scene in a glass bubble and various kinds of pretend snow—including flour (too hard to get off), soap bubbles, paper snowflakes (merely decorative), the snippets left therefrom (better—really slippery), and, best, the feathers that burst from a cushion that they land in after sledding down a sheet. The one kind of snow these toys don't investigate is, appropriately enough, the real stuff they see through their window. A pleasant, gentle story with an unobtrusive message about the nature of play; Hissey's affectionate portraits of her lovable characters remain her greatest strength. (Picture book. 3-7)