Little Mole's Wish

August 26, 2019
“I just moved here. I don’t have any friends,” Little Mole tells a snowball he finds as he trudges to the bus stop one winter afternoon. When the bus driver won’t let the snowball aboard—“Snow is just snow. It’ll melt”—Little Mole sculpts it into the shape of a large, cuddly bear. When the next driver refuses to let them on, Little Mole refines his work, giving the bear a knapsack like his own and sharing his hat. As they wait, Little Mole wishes on a shooting star in the glowing sky. Late that evening, a friendly bus driver finally takes them home—but when Little Mole awakes at his stop, his friend is gone, prompting questions about the snowbear’s whereabouts. Making his U.S. debut, Korean creator Kim incorporates delicate, closely worked hatching in his mixed-media artwork, giving the scenes a gentle, furry feel. Little Mole and his friend have stubby legs and sweet, puzzled expressions; inside the bus, dozing passengers—a bear cuddling a lighted tree; a long, snoozy snake—provide quiet companionship. Little Mole’s simple faith in his new friend makes him a beguiling character, and his snow-covered world is a warm and cozy place. Ages 3–7.

September 1, 2019
Befriending someone made of snow holds certain risks. Heading home to his grandmother, Little Mole finds a small snowball. He greets it, pushes it along so it grows far taller than him, and tells it a secret: " 'I just moved here. I don't have any friends.' / The snowball listened quietly." He wants to bring this new friend home with him on the public bus, but these buses are for animals, not snow, and each driver nixes the idea. What if Little Mole shapes the snow into a bear? Gives it a snow-backpack or his own hat? Finally aboard a warm bus with his friend, Little Mole dozes off. When he wakens, the worst has happened. Most readers will understand why the snow-friend's gone, but Little Mole doesn't, and a great sadness ensues. Kim's textual refrains ("Little Mole had a brilliant idea"; "He and his friend waited patiently") are gently reassuring. The illustrations--done in colored pencil, pastel, and pen--are quiet and spare, showing snowy wilderness expanses with only a few trees and bus-stop signs. White snow blends softly into blue skies, with pale yellow used for warmth. Everything seems headed to the saddest possible ending, for how could a melted friend return? But after Little Mole's sleepless night, the friend does return--or its likeness does--sitting across a snowy field, waiting. Did it come from magic or Grandma? Is there a difference? Stillness, tenderness, and hope are the essence of this quiet gem. (Picture book. 4-7)

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November 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 1-Lonely, Little Mole befriends a snowball on the way home one day. As he pushes it toward the bus stop he confides, "I just moved here. I don't have any friends." The bus driver tells Mole that he can't bring a snowball on the bus. Undeterred, Little Mole shapes his new friend into a bear. When they are turned away by the second bus, Little Mole adds a backpack and his own hat. It is quite late by the time Little Mole and his friend board the third bus, and Mole falls asleep. When he wakes up, his friend is gone. Savvy readers will understand what has happened, but Little Mole's sadness as he trudges home from the bus stop and into his grandmother's waiting arms is very real. Mole falls asleep still thinking about his friend, and in the morning, he scrambles out of his burrow to find a snow bear waiting in the clearing. The colored pencil, pen, and pastel artwork is soft with large white expanses of snow. Little Mole should appeal to readers who like Frank Asch's "Bear" stories-the characters share the same innocence and sense of wonder. VERDICT A general purchase for all picture book collections needing more winter or friendship-themed titles.-Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

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