Snowballs: A Winter and Holiday Book for Kids

by Lois Ehlert, Lois Ehlert (Illustrator)

Overview

It's time to build a snowman in this fresh and imaginative winter classic by Caldecott Honor–winning author-illustrator Lois Ehlert.

Ehlert creates a wintry world with her signature style by collaging vibrant cut paper and textured found objects, like buttons, fabric, and seeds, to illuminate the most wonderful time of the year. Readers young and old will marvel at the innovation in this dazzling snow-filled tale and just might feel inspired to build their own unique snow creations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780152020958
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/30/1999
Series:	Rise and Shine
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	36
Sales rank:	127,802
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.12(d)
Lexile:	390L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Lois Ehlert was the author-illustrator of many picture books, including Caldecott Honor–winning Color Zoo, Leaf Man, Pie in the Sky, In My World, Growing Vegetable Soup, Planting a Rainbow, and the best-selling Waiting for Wings.

Lois Ehlert was the author-illustrator of many picture books, including Caldecott Honor–winning Color Zoo, Leaf Man, Pie in the Sky, In My World, Growing Vegetable Soup, Planting a Rainbow, and the best-selling Waiting for Wings.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Diverting and beautifully realized.”—The Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Ms. Ehlert is a talented artist whose books are visually distinctive.”—The New York Times Book Review
"Spectacular.”—School Library Journal
"The winning combination of art and text encourage[s] attentive reading and promote[s] observation of detail.”—The Boston Globe

Editorial Reviews

"Diverting and beautifully realized.”—The Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Ms. Ehlert is a talented artist whose books are visually distinctive.”—The New York Times Book Review
"Spectacular.”—School Library Journal
"The winning combination of art and text encourage[s] attentive reading and promote[s] observation of detail.”—The Boston Globe
—

From the Publisher

Only an artist as gifted as Ehlert (Nuts to You!) could take so well-worn a topic as building a snowman and make it as fresh as-well, new-fallen snow. Her faultless sense of design immediately engages the reader: tidy white circles dot the gray backgrounds of her collages; cut-paper birds show off their hand-painted wings; and an offscreen narrator exhibits a sackful of ``good stuff''-birdseed, peanuts, corn kernels, etc.-accumulated in anticipation of the ``perfect snowball day.'' Soon the narrator and invisible colleagues have constructed a whole family of snow people and their pets. Each member of the snow family receives a full spread, to be viewed vertically, and each is decorated with ``good stuff.'' Birds (and squirrels) can feast upon some of the adornments; and bright textiles (a Bolivian hat, a Guatemalan purse) imaginatively intermingle with stones, twigs and such prosaic items as a luggage tag and a claim check. Factual information about snow is included as well as a spread featuring photos of 13 snow creations. Even jacket space is not wasted-the flap has a recipe for popcorn balls, while the back cover features a selection of snowy newspaper forecasts. A joyful and inventive book just brimming with its own ``good stuff.'' Ages 3-8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 2-Ehlert once again displays the innovative collage style that so vividly celebrated spring and summer in Growing Vegetable Soup (1990) and Planting a Rainbow (1988), and autumn in Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf (1991) and Nuts to You! (1993, all Harcourt). Here, she puts a creative twist on one of the favorite traditions of winter-building a snowman, or, in this case, a snow family, including pets. Children who believe snowmen must have charcoal eyes and carrot noses will be inspired by the unique adornments, for each creation here is decorated with the narrator's cache of ``good stuff in a sack.'' Mom's hair is a Guatemalan belt; boy's nose is a toy compass; baby's arms are plastic picnic forks; dog's spots are a collection of buttons. As in the previous books, bold, rhyming text describes the simple pleasures of the season. The contrasting sensations of the crisp iciness and dreary isolation of winter are effectively created by placing the colorfully decorated white figures against a textured gray background on double-page vertical spreads. The background glows bright orange as the sun appears. Ehlert concludes her book with some winter facts, photographs of snowmen, and a recipe for popcorn balls. Another spectacular effort.-Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, MN

School Library Journal