Sweeney, Linda Booth. When the Snow Falls, Jana Christy, Illus. Picture Book. Putnam/Penguin, 10/2017. pp. $16.99. 978-0-399-54720-1. OUTSTANDING. GRADES PRE-2.
On a winter morning, a brother and sister awake to a window painted with frost and the meadows and trees around their farmhouse blanketed in white. School and piano lessons are cancelled—it’s a snow day! In this delightful follow-up to Sweeney and Christy’s When the Wind Blows (2015), colorful full-page pencil and mixed-media illustrations depict three generations of an affectionate multiracial family enjoying a full day of wintry fun, from skiing across the countryside to building snow people to racing saucers down a hill in a bustling city park. On each spread, four lines composed of rhyming two-word phrases carry readers through the scene, and every fourth spread begins with “when the snow falls…” lending a rhythmic repetition that will engage young readers. A fitting choice for winter storytimes and bedtimes, this simple story flips the well-worn literary script of children journeying to Grandma’s house in the countryside to instead show farm kids visiting their urban-dwelling grandparents and leaves readers with the familiar cozy feeling of snuggling by the fire with mugs of hot cocoa in the company of loved ones.
Arin Hailey Reese, Independent