About the Holiday

Whenever you and your family visit the bookstore or library, do you look around, and think “if only I had the time for them all . . .. ” Are you always looking for more shelves for your collection? Is your library card the first one on your ring? If so, you’ll love Book Blitz Month! During this month book lovers are given the green light to read, read, read as many books as possible! Or if there’s a tome you’ve always wanted to tackle, crack the cover and let yourself become immersed in someone else’s story. For kids, Book Blitz Month can be particularly exciting. Sit down with your child or students and make a stack of books they’d like to read. Find time every day to read one, two, or a few of the books in the pile. Seeing the stack shrink gives kids a sense of accomplishment, and they might even want to build it up again! Mix reading with fun activities to encourage a new generation of avid readers!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books and Barb Fisch at Blue Slip Media for sharing a copy of Snow Is . . . with me. All opinions on the book are my own.

Snow Is . . .

Written by Laura Gehl | Illustrated by Sonia Sánchez

 

The very fact of snow is a wonder. While rain nourishes, snow transforms. The world looks, feels, sounds, and even smells different with the advent of snow, and a playful giddiness bubbles up in both young and old, pushing off the task of shoveling out. Laura Gehl’s lovely poetry expresses those moment-to-moment changes snow brings both outside the window and in our hearts. 

Gehl’s story begins as so often happens with a child waking to a surprise snow day. Drawn to the window, he gazes out, then suddenly “snow is a thunder of feet and a shout. / Snow is two happy pink tongues sticking out” as he grabs his scarf, boots, hat, mittens, and sled and tears downstairs, rushing outside with his dog. His dad, steaming coffee in hand, comes out to watch.

When the ground becomes blanketed and roofs frosted in white like a cake, for a mischievous child “snow is a hoard that is set for attack. / Snow is Dad’s face . . . when a snowball goes WHACK!” And when Mom brings the baby out, bundled up against the chill, “snow is bright eyes and small cheeks cold and rosy” while for big brother and Dad, who’ve been making snow bricks, “snow is a castle that’s roomy and cozy.”

But as the sun starts to set and it’s—so reluctantly—time to go inside, snow becomes “. . . warm cookies . . .” and “. . . a fire with snuggles and books.” And, at last, warm in pajamas and under “. . . blankets pulled tight,” snow is ‘I love you’ and snow is ‘Good night.'”

Adults will adore sharing Snow Is . . . with their kids, and children will beg to hear the story again and again. In her smooth-as-a-sled-ride rhyming couplets, Laura Gehl captures not only the mercurial nature of snow itself but all the sights, sounds, and tiny details that make snow days so thrilling, cozy, and memory-making for kids and adults alike. Gehl’s descriptions and language are a delight and engage all the emotions with their humor, poignancy, sweetness, and awe.

Sonia Sánchez’s stunning illustrations take readers into the heart of a snowy day with action-filled scenes of swirling flakes, twirling feet, and packing of snow into a snowman, snowballs, and bricks. Readers can almost feel the pre-sliding suspense of the child standing at the edge of a long hill. As night falls and the family goes inside, Sánchez imbues her pages with quiet coziness, sibling and parental love, and that heartwarming tug of home.

Snow Is . . . will quickly become a family favorite read aloud for years to come. Teachers and librarians will find the book an exciting addition to their collections as well as for story times, with many applications for art, writing, and even science connections. 

Ages 4 – 8

Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 2024 | ISBN 978-1665915595

About the Author

Laura Gehl is the author of One Big Pair of Underwear, Cat Has a Plan, Goat Wants to Eat, Pig Makes Art, Dog Can Hide, Cat Sees Snow, Frog Can Hop, Snow Is…, You’re the Sprinkles on My Ice Cream, You’re the Pumpkin in My Pie, and The Elevator on 74th Street. She lives with her husband and their four kids in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Visit her online at LauraGehl.com.

About the Illustrator

Sonia Sánchez’s picture book, Here I Am, written by Patti Kim, received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, who called her illustrations “beautiful, evocative” and raved, “Sánchez has captured a kaleidoscope of emotion and powerful sensations in a way children will grasp completely.” Her illustrations have been nominated for the prestigious Eisner Award in the category of Best Painter. Sonia lives with her husband and a cat in Barcelona, Spain.

National Book Blitz Month Activity

Snow Buddies

This is a fun and easy craft for kids to make on a snowy day inside to share with a friend! 

Supplies

• Child’s white dress ankle socks
• Polyester Fiber Fill
• Tiny buttons for eyes. I added a little heart button to the larger snowman too.
• Fleece or ribbon, enough for a scarf
• Toothpick
• Twigs
• Orange craft paint
• Cardboard
• String or white rubber bands
• Fabric or craft glue

Directions

To Make the Snowman

1. Cut a circle from the cardboard about 2 inches in diameter for the base
2. Place the cardboard circle in the bottom of the sock
3. Fill the sock with fiber fill about ¾ full or to where the ribbed ankle cuff begins. Pack tightly while making a sausage shape. 
4. Stretch out the cuff of the sock and tie it off near the top of the fill with string.
5. Fold the cuff down around the top of the filled sock to make the hat.
6. Wrap a rubber band or string around the middle of the sock to make a two-snowball snowman. For a three-snowball snowman, use two rubber bands. Adjust the rubber bands to make the “snowballs” different sizes.

To Make the Scarf

1. Cut a strip of fleece or ribbon 8 to 10 inches long by ½ inch wide
2. Tie the fleece or ribbon around the neck of the snowman

To Make the Face

1. Dip one end of the toothpick into orange paint, let dry
2. Cut the toothpick in half
3. Stick the toothpick into the head or top portion of the snowman
4. Attach two mini-buttons to the face for eyes with the fabric or craft glue

To Make the Arms

1. Insert small twigs into each side of the body of the snowman
2. You can also use wire or cardboard to make the arms

You can purchase Snow Is . . . at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop (to support your local independent bookstore)

Picture Book Review