In a Victorian family's parlor sits a snow globe. And within the snow globe is another Victorian family-albeit a tiny one. Unbeknownst to the bigger clan, the snow globe family yearns to go sledding. And who better to stir up a snowstorm than the huge, curious baby peering in? This fanciful tale is sure to stir your child's imagination too! (ages 4 and up)
The November 2006 issue of Child magazine
In this enticing, snappily written tale-within-a-tale, O'Connor (Fancy Nancy) introduces two Victorian families, each consisting of a mama, papa, boy, girl and baby. The first family lives in a sprawling, turreted house on whose parlor mantel sits a snow globe, which is home to the second family. The snow globe "has been there such a long time, nobody notices it anymore-nobody except Baby." It is winter year round in the snow globe, and the little family within builds snowmen "as big as lumps of sugar" and skates on a pond "as shiny as a silver coin." The diminutive children love to hear their father's stories of the "big snowstorms from long ago" and pine for a blizzard instead of the gently flurry that occurs when the parlor maid in the big house does her weekly dusting. One evening, as snow falls outside the big house, Baby endeavours to reach the snow globe. In a priceless spread, Schindler (The Cod's Tale) depicts Baby's big eyes as seen by the snow globe family. When Baby loses her balance, she shakes the snow globe into the blizzard that the tiny family was waiting for. Meanwhile, the big family experiences a blizzard of its own. Rendered in colored inks and gouache, Schindler's art brings this whimsical concept to life with subtle humor and treats readers to lavish Victorian particulars and some entertaining perspectives as the wee and life-sized worlds intersect. Ages 4-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
PreS-Gr 1-Old-fashioned illustrations, the appeal of dolls, and glitter on the cover cannot save this marginal effort that lacks both tension and logic. On the mantle of a Victorian family's home stands a snow globe. Inside it is another Victorian-looking, although doll-like, family. All they want is for someone to shake the globe so they can have a blizzard. But no one notices them, except Baby. One day, during a storm, the live family goes out to play, leaving the baby and her mother behind. The child climbs up to the mantle, takes down the object that captures her attention, and causes a blizzard inside. Then Mama decides that the snow is "too wonderful to miss" and takes Baby outside. Both families enjoy the elements, and the snow globe is returned to the mantle, but now the cat is creeping up on it-. The text is simple and somewhat disconnected, and the art, while attractive, will have limited appeal. The odd premise and lack of real excitement are unlikely to capture a young audience.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
A small and gentle foray into imagination. A mama, a papa, a boy, a girl and a baby live in a big Victorian house. On their mantel sits a lovely old snow globe, and inside it lives a tiny family of the same configuration. The tiny snow globe family wishes for a big storm-someone to shake the globe-but that has not happened for some time. The papa tells of times the dishes were knocked off the shelves and he was thrown out of the tub. In the big world, a blizzard sends the family out with their sled, but mama and baby stay inside. Baby manages via footstool and pillows to reach the top of the mantel, to tumble over with the snow globe, providing just the "storm" the snow globe family had hoped for. They go out sledding on their tiny hill, Baby's mama decides the snow is too wonderful for them to miss outside the big house and off they go, too ("Wheeeeee!"). Schindler's colored inks and gouache in a wry, slightly exaggerated style capture the Victorian setting perfectly, vivacious line and muted color making a fine winter bedtime treat. (Picture book. 4-8)
