First Snow

July 25, 2016
In her debut, Korean artist Park captures the quiet mystery of snow. A small child with rosy cheeks and straight hair stirs under her quilt as she hears a noise: “Pit, pit, pit against the window. Glistening, floating in the night.” Alone, she dresses in the velvety darkness and ventures outside, her red scarf the only note of color in the black-and-white spreads. White, canvaslike texture peeks through the black paint in places, mimicking the way bright surfaces catch small amounts of light in the darkness. Outside, the girl sets to work making a snowman, rolling a snowball along dense urban streets, through a field, and past an elevated train line. In the forest, she passes through a light-filled opening into a realm of snowy fantasy, arriving at a place where children rise into the sky to fly with the snowmen they’ve made. Then, just as quietly, reality returns. Park’s artwork recalls the child portraits of mid-20th-century artists like Eloise Wilkin, but gives them new dignity with a somber palette. Together with the spare, unobtrusive text, the images evoke an atmosphere of enchantment. Ages 2–4.

A little Korean child celebrates the titular first snow.Bundling up in a white snowsuit, red scarf, and white-and-red mittens, the child tiptoes out of the house in the dark of night to be joined by a young white puppy. "Pat, pat, pat. / Roll, roll, roll." The child makes a snowball and rolls it along, under streetlamps and the moon, next to an elevated train track, and into the woods. Here, spreads that have been dominated by night-sky black dotted with fluffy, textured snowflakes turn dazzlingly white, with snow-covered trees and mountains as background. In wordless spreads, the protagonist, now dwarfed by the giant snowball, is joined by other bundled-up children, in gray and black with red accents, with giant balls of their own. Together, they make huge, smiling snowmen, both filling a vast plain and floating in the sky before the page turns, and, abruptly, all readers see is the lone, first child isolated in the right-hand corner of the spread with tongue out to catch the flakes. Another turn of the page reveals the backyard with a modest, red-mufflered snowman next to the doghouse, leaving readers to wonder how much of the adventure was real. In her debut, Seoul-based author/illustrator Park captures the magic of the first snow, her limited palette and textured canvas creating a soft, welcoming world. Readers will find themselves longing for the season's first snow, too. (Picture book. 3-6) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2016

Toddler-PreS-This story captivates from the start with "Shhhh, listen...do you hear something?" In this celebration of a first snow, a tiny girl awakens in the night and quickly dons her boots, coat, scarf, and hat before quietly slipping outside to form a snowball. She rolls the snowball out of town, into the countryside, and past woodland creatures before reaching her destination-an open area where dozens of children are creating snowmen. By this time the ball has become bigger than the girl. After she joins the others in creating snowpeople, magic happens when the page is turned. The simple narrative holds readers' interest while it moves from the familiar to the ethereal. The concise language and dreamy yet understandable images are perfect for toddlers. The artwork, in shades of black-and-white with accents of red, is reminiscent of the visuals in Akiko Miyakoshi's Tea Party in the Woods, although Park's images, mostly depicting nighttime scenes, are darker. VERDICT This quality picture book debut is a delight and just right to share one-on-one or in toddler storytime.-Gaye Hinchliff, King County Library System, WA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2016
Preschool One night, a little girl wakens to the sound of snow, Pit, pit, pit against the window. Dressed for cold weather, she ventures out into the yard, where a puppy joins her as she makes a snowball. After rolling it down the street, across a field, and through the woods, she joins dozens of children building snowmen on a snowy plain. In one magical scene, many of the kids and their creations float up into the air together. The final picture shows the puppy and snowman together in the girl's yard. Beginning realistically, the story gradually becomes more fantastic: a small child on a solo journey at night; watchful polar bears in the woods; and a sky full of cheerful, airborne kids and snowmen. In her first picture book, Park creates dreamlike scenes, softly drawn in shades of white, black, and brown with red accents. Most double-page spreads include a bit of text, but near the story's end, four spreads are wordless, letting children supply their own versions of events. An imaginative picture book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)