Parents' Guide to The Snow Day

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Common Sense Media Review

Patricia Tauzer By Patricia Tauzer , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 4+

Amazing artwork captures snow's wintry magic.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 4+?

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Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

When a snow storm hits the city, the kindergarten bunny spends the day at home waiting it out with his mom as school closes down and his dad's flight is canceled.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

This is a beautiful book with remarkable illustrations and a sensitively told story sure to charm young kids and their parents. That the main characters are rabbits seems a little strange, but it works, and in a strange way adds to the tenderness of the tale. The minimal text says just enough to move the story forward yet still not detract from the magic of the artwork that captures not only the look of a snowy day, but also its sounds and feelings. In fact, much more is said by the pictures of this story than the words themselves.

Dabs of white falling over a beige world that is highlighted here and there by deeper brown, grey, and blue tones makes the world seem silent, and cold. Then, the subtle use of yellow in the bunny's pajamas, his vest, his galoshes, and the curtains of his house gives a definite feeling of excitement to each scene, the kind a kid would feel on a day like this. And, readers also will understand why the snowy silence makes the little rabbit feels "all alone" in the world, even if they have never lived where snow days are a common occurrence. All will appreciate the dreamy wonder that comes with looking out on a day filled with snow fall, and the magical fairy tale kind of world it creates.

The magic of the artwork that captures not only the look of a snowy day, but also its sounds and feelings. In fact, much more is said by the pictures of this story than the words themselves.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the snowy day and the mix of feelings they might feel when they are kept indoors by a storm. Families who haven't had the experience of seeing snow can imagine what it would be like to have a "snow day." How did the little kindergartner feel when he heard he could not go to school that day? What was the first thing he did? What else got canceled? The bunny felt he and his mom were all alone in the world. Why do you think he felt that way?

Book Details

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