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PRESCHOOL
Prince, April Jones

Snowy Race

40 pp. | Holiday/Ferguson | November, 2019 | Trade ISBN 978-0-8234-4141-9 $18.99
(2) PS Illustrated by Christine Davenier. On a wintry day, a child bursts out of bed anticipating a special person's arrival: "Today's the day! She's on her way." As the snow begins to accumulate, a rhyming text sets the pace for an adventure. On left-hand pages, text in italics mimics the natural world ("Whirl of snow"); text on the right-hand pages respond with the human side of the story ("Off we go"). The child and an adult head off in what appears to be their own snowplow. A double-page-spread reveal of this giant vehicle interrupts the established back-and-forth rhythm with the child's singular joy: "I finally get to help!" The ­composition of the art and the increasing textual energy create urgency and tension as the snowplow battles the elements from page to page. "Frosty crystals chase and spin. / Snowplow shifts and tunnels in." Bright reds, greens, yellows, and blues from the snowplow, lights, and clothing create sharp contrasts with the white, snowy scenes. At last the pair reaches its destination--the train station--with a giant hug for the woman disembarking from the train. The book closes with a scene of the three people back at home, cozying up together on the couch. The text avoids labeling who the characters are to one another, leaving room for many families to find themselves in the story.
Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

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