Snow Day

I feel as calm as a first snow in an open field when I look at this book.A whole story with no text, narrated visually with beautiful simple paintings of a boy making a snowman from light till dusk, then going home leaving the snowman only to melt the next day. My 3 year old son loves looking at the pictures & telling the story to me.

This is one of the most wonderful books I've come across in a while. By narrating this story visually, the wordless story opens itself up to a wide array of interpretations, from the literal to the philosophical, reminiscent of classics such as The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery, which was clearly a visual influence. The story revolves around a snowman, built with exuberance by a young boy. The snowman stands triumphant in his prime during the crisp snowy night like an olympic gold medalist, only to experience his inevitable downfall with the coming of the bright sunny morning, like some tragic hero or the common man. Lovingly painted in watercolor with a nod to Japanese influences, Daniel Peddle fully understands how to play with his visuals, in his illustrations and the negative space. He utilizes the whole page, with the negative space representing the glorious snow, which takes up almost the entirety of nearly every page. It's just brilliant. This book is an instant classic that can be enjoyed by a child as well as an adult and especially together. This book will make a delightful gift to any child and I plan to get several copies to give away for the holidays.