(1) PS A striking die-cut paper-over-board cover, vertical orientation (with spine at the top of the book), and adventurous use of white space are only some of the characteristics that make this South Korean import so thrilling. The setting is established through a very brief text on the opening spread. "So much snow. It is starting to snow. I've never seen the snow fall like this. There's so much. So much snow!" From here the book is wordless; Park manipulates viewers' perspectives and expectations through the creative placement of two sweater-clad figures across snow-filled double-page spreads. The pair emerges from their snowed-under chalet and, through a combination of extensive digging and plowing, tunnel their way to the top of the deep snow. Comedy ensues in the form of an escalating snowball fight, along with what appear to be scenes of the duo struggling to push an invisible object across the blank white pages. Subsequent page-turns depict the pair taking a selfie in front of seemingly empty space and hauling a large triangular object up a tall ladder. A vertical gatefold reveals their humorous goal: to create a skyscraper-sized snowman. Park's digital illustrations confidently feature only two colors, yellow and blue; however, the use of nondelineated white to represent both positive space (such as a white snowball partially covering a character) and negative space (snowy backgrounds) in the same scenes creates an exciting visual dissonance that necessitates careful examination and rewards rereading. This boldly graphic picture book is as sophisticated as it is fun...and very cool.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(2) PS Illustrated by Gina Maldonado. Isabella is lonely; she sits indoors, looking out the window at the gray sky and bare trees, anxiously awaiting the day in January when school will begin so she can make friends. Newly emigrated with her mother from Colombia, she also misses Papa, who'd remained behind "waiting for permission to travel." When her first day at school is canceled due to snow, Isabella cries in disappointment, but then joins a girl playing outside. Together they build a snowman, which Isabella adorns with her ruana and a sombrero vueltiao, a poncho and hat distinctive to the Andes region, which are reminders of home and her father. (The ruana's texture and pattern also adorn the endpapers.) Spanish is incorporated organically and may encourage those who are unfamiliar with the language to glean meaning through context clues; a glossary provides definitive translations. Friendly looking, digitally colored, textured illustrations track the transformation of Isabella's mood from sad to hopeful while conveying the subtle comforts of a steamy mug of taza de café or an ever-present cat, as well as the distinction between cozy indoor and brisk outdoor spaces. This seemingly simple story expresses sophisticated feelings of grief over parental separation and yearning for social connection, and presents a nuanced view of loneliness, with just a single friendly overture making one feel more at home.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(3) PS Illustrated by Alison Friend. "Beaver was good at making lots of things," but he struggles to make friends. Raccoon has the same problem, and together they build a snowman to keep them company. Through teamwork, discovery, sadness, and relief, the animals realize they can be friends. The dialogue-heavy text is simple and clear. Cozy digital illustrations show the creatures on their journey toward friendship.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Greg Newbold. A cartoony artist hamster imagines what it would look like if famous artists painted a snowman in their signature styles. Greg Newbold then inserts snowmen into (impressive) imitations of famous works while spare, vocabulary-expanding text pops on white backgrounds; a final page encourages readers to create their own snowman pictures. Back matter includes short bios of the referenced artists and "advice for artists."

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(4) K-3 Drift is a plain, lonely snowman, ridiculed by the fancier snowmen dressed in "finery." When children give him accessories, Drift is proud of his new look. But when he gives his gifts away to someone who needs them more during a blizzard, Drift becomes "the most perfect snowman of all." The message-y story is lightened by editorial cartoonist Britt's finely detailed yet minimalist art.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) PS Recalling the ultra-minimalist picture books of Jez Alborough and others, Jin uses the words "mine," "ours," and "yours," plus a smattering of punctuation marks, to tell the story of infighting among rabbits competing for possession of a single carrot. Jin's gouache and watercolor-pencil illustrations present expansive snowy mountain scenes in which a noseless snowman inadvertently brings together the feuding bunny factions.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 1-3 This book is reissued in a format well suited to independent readers not quite ready for longer chapter books. In the story, a girl is torn between anticipating warmer weather and wanting to enjoy time with a new snowman friend. Johnson's simple compositions and gentle text are pleasingly child-centered.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) PS A child awakens during a snowy night and ventures out with her puppy, pushing a growing snowball to a clearing. There she and other children assemble snowmen, then take to the sky. A final spread suggests it was all a dream. Working in black and white with red highlights on textured backgrounds, careful compositions and consistent perspective establish a simple visual narrative with few words.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stephanie Graegin. After a "big blustery blizzard," Thomas is excited to build a snowman. He needs some help, but the "bear" (his little sibling) is "hibernating" (napping) and can't be roused until a "scrumptious snack" gets the bear moving. Together they complete a snow bear and play in the snow. This is a positive, child-pleasing sibling story with cozy, wintry illustrations.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) K-3 Andy & Sandy series. In this accessibly written beginning reader, Sandy enthusiastically introduces Andy to the joys of sledding, making snow angels, and building a snowman. Andy is dubious at first: "Snow is very wet and VERY COLD." But in the amusing ending, the roles reverse with Sandy ready to go warm up inside with hot chocolate. DePaola's uncluttered acrylic and colored pencil illustrations showcase the wintertime fun.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) 1-3 Notebook of Doom series. The members of the Super Secret Monster Patrol are at it again when they hear mysterious noises while at summer camp. After a freak snowfall blankets the camp, the trio comes face to face with snombies (snowman zombies), and eventually they discover the real culprit: the ice-crusher. This laugh-out-loud monster story includes black-and-white illustrations that reflect the text's humor.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(3) K-3 In this clever wordless story, a bear, fox, and bird first build a snowman, then hand it a book to read to them before bedtime (i.e., hibernation). A mischievous rabbit snatches the book, and a chase through the wintry landscape ensues. There's drama, humor, and adventure in the tale, illustrated with varied yet easy-to-follow mixed-media illustrations. Pair with Briggs's wordless classic The Snowman.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin. "One lonely snowman has a carrot nose. / Two other snowmen join him when it snows. / 1+2=3." In the ensuing spreads, the number of snowmen climbs ("9+10=19") and then drops until the combined tally is, as the title promises, one hundred ("1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+9+8+7+6+5+4+3+2+1=100"). This painless lesson in simple addition is bolstered by engaging illustrations of snowmen in berets, peacoats, and more.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Briggs's classic wordless picture book (and Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner) is reissued in a small-format board book. The art reproduction is excellent; however, the small trim size means that most of the panels are one-inch squares and take careful scrutiny to interpret.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: February, 1979

(3) PS A little girl hurries outside to build a snowman after a fresh snowfall and discovers why "today is a very special day." The text, narrated by the snowman, is spare and patiently paced; the illustrations' muted, cool colors perfectly capture the quiet of wintertime, while pops of red and yellow draw the reader's eye to the cozily bundled-up kid.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(3) PS Illustrated by Wade Zahares. The familiar winter song is newly illustrated with showily stylized paintings. Zahares, best known for Window Music, adopts a palette of electric blue and brick red for the snowy scenes; long shadows fall across the blue snow, and the double-page spreads are distorted as if viewed through a fisheye lens. The accompanying CD, performed by Kenny Loggins, also includes two other child-friendly tunes.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Translated by Andrew Rushton. Thanks to a magical wish, a lonely toy snowman escapes his snow globe and dances with a beautiful ballerina on her music box. Unfortunately, the magic only lasts an hour, and the snowman can't bear to leave. After a suspenseful buildup, the lovebirds get a sweet, satisfying resolution. Though sloppy at times, the illustrations give the toys plenty of personality.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mark Buehner. When he wakes up to find his sidewalk shoveled, a young boy wonders if his snowman is responsible. He begins to contemplate all the jobs snow-folk might have. The clever rhyming text and cheeky illustrations add to this story's lighthearted appeal. Hidden images in each double-page spread painting are challenging and frustrating; the answers are on the back of the book jacket.

Reviewer: Meredith M. Sittman

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amanda Haley. When Cami Lou and her family build Snowzilla, a colossal snowman, their creation becomes so famous that a judge condemns it for disturbing the peace. At Cami Lou's urging, the townspeople band together to move Snowzilla to a better location, and Cami Lou makes plans for more giant snow people next year. Cheerful illustrations full of smiling people complement the sprightly verse.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) PS Illustrated by Wendy Wahman. "One snowboy all alone. / Two children unaware. / Three ancient apple trees. / Four apples in the air." The counting proceeds to ten and descends until readers are back with the solo snowboy. This is a nice-enough frolic with a built-in counting lesson. The digitally rendered animal-filled art is crisp to a fault: it could use some warmth.

Reviewer: Nell Beram