We cuddle inside with the cold surrounding us and tease ourselves with books by children's book authors and illustrators who describe the season vividly. Rogasky's warmth is matched by Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations of the farm on which she and Rogasky live and the people who are important to them. The twenty-five poems represent an amazing range. Like facets of an icicle shine different moods, different places, different times of day, different periods of history.
Individual voices add to the whole, each glistening like a fresh snow, waiting to be read aloud.
With his characteristic depth and breadth, Simon shows snow-covered mountains, glittering ice storms and migrating gray whales. In this remarkable book, the author fuses a poetic voice with the story of a child who indulges himself in fun, misplacing his dog in his zeal. Chapman knows much about balance, not only in plotting elements, but stylistically when to use repetition for best refrain results and when to draw back and let the story tell itself. Synthia Saint James, a newcomer to children's book illustration, has similar natural knack. Her use of bright winter clothes against the stark setting accents all that is wonderful to a child in winter.