Spirit of the Snowpeople

January 1, 2009
K-Gr 2-"Not so long ago, when the world was a gentler place and people were more easily pleased, there lived some plain folk whose small village hugged the shores of a north woods lake." From this rather didactic beginning, the author relates how these simple villagers tended their gardens in the spring, summer, and fall, but sometimes the long, cold winter made them gloomy and restless. One day, the children awaken to find all the adults building snowpeople. Working together, they surround their lake with snow statues in a variety of sizes and poses. Word of the attraction spreads and Snowpeople Lake soon becomes a tourist attraction. The villagers invite the visitors to stay and share their camaraderie, and everyone is happy. But when the weather turns warmer, some visitors are upset to have traveled so far to find that the statues are melting. One grandmother responds with an overly long and earnest speech explaining that the true spirit of the snowpeople is related to the seasons of life. The villagers and those who understand continue on with their chores and return to celebrate the snowpeople the following winter. Although the messages of community cooperation and respecting nature are admirable, this moralistic story sinks under its own weight. The folksy pictures show the snow figures in several impossible poses (a ballerina standing on pointe) and add little to the pedestrian text."Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT"

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