It's Snowing

Love Mr. Dunrea's work. Rich vibrant illustrations capture the essence of winter and a child's heart

"It's a dark dark, cold cold night. Mama rocks the cradle. The cradle rocks Baby. Baby softly sleeps. Mama sighs and nods her head. Baby sighs and sucks his thumb..." And then Mama notices the first flakes dancing down from the sky. "It's snowing!" Mama sings. Baby wakes and blinks. "Baby, it's snowing!" She bundles him up, scrunches into her coat, scarf, and mittens, and "trundles" outside to revel in her baby's first snowfall. She wants her son to experience it all, see the snow, hear it, taste it, feel it, and even smell it. They build a snow troll, sled together down the big hill, and ride their big ice bear. But now it's time to go back inside their warm house and back to sleep..... Olivier Dunrea's simple, spare, poetic text is heartwarming and engaging. But it's his evocative and expressive illustrations that really bring this endearing story to life, and children will be mesmerized by his beautiful and playful winter wonderland scenes. Perfect for preschoolers, It's Snowing is a joyful treasure the whole family can share, that captures the wonder and excitement of a first snowfall.

I have found Dunrea's picture books to be among the most artistic as well as satisfying in the literature of the past 20 years. The illustrations in It's Snowing tell equally as much as the text and so joyously, yet subtly. As in Fergus and Bridey (1985), and Deep Down Underground (both OP unfortunately), the style, the care of detail, but most of all the composition and use of space on a page are exquisite. I'd choose these books along with Barbara Cooney's as my all time favorites.