The Snow Family [Hardcover]

Daniel Kirk (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

A young boy decides to build a snow family to take care of his snowboy the way his parents take care of him.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With their rotund white bodies, coal eyes and carrot noses, this strange tale's nine "snow children" don't look like classic fairies. Yet they behave like forest imps, making mischief in the winter woods and enticing a human boy named Jacob to play their dangerous games. Unlike the snow-child gang, Jacob has a family; awkward rhymes describe his loving relationship with them ("His mother tightens Jacob's scarf./ She gives his cheek a pat,/ and a kiss upon his little nose,/ just like that!"). So, after the icy delinquents irritate a bear and endanger Jacob's life, the boy builds frosty, friendly parents to keep them in line. Although the powerful sweetness of the poetry is compromised by clumsy syntax, the flawlessly finished paintings have an authority that the writing lacks. Kirk's (Hush, Little Alien) laundry-bright whites and fresh colors dazzle the eye in every spread. Yet the artwork's sheer precision leaves a sliver of ice where this book's heart should be. Ages 3-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-On a beautiful winter day, a group of mischievous snow children watch as a family builds a snow child that comes to life. The human boy observes this magical transformation and joins the snow children in a snowball fight. Trouble begins when they wake up a grouchy bear, but Jacob's parents arrive in the nick of time to save them. Jacob becomes concerned that the snow children don't have families to care for them, and he and his parents build a snow mom and dad for them. The pictures are large, colorful, and often encompass a two-page spread. The faces are expressive, and the close-ups of the father and mother kissing their son are especially captivating. The combination of rhyming verse and pictures of snow-filled landscapes and a cast of characters with coal eyes and carrot noses make this an entertaining read-aloud. Team it up with Uri Shulevitz's Snow (Farrar, 1998), Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day (Viking, 1962), or Jane Yolen's Owl Moon (Philomel, 1987) for a perfect winter-themed storyhour.
Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (September 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786803045
• ISBN-13: 978-0786803040
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging rhymes, rich illustrations unusual for kid's book, January 3, 2001

By 

Reader14 - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Snow Family (Hardcover)

The book opens with Jacob, a small boy, and his dairy farmer parents, making a snow child in a field. The snowman comes to life to join a wandering band of other parent-less snow children. Later Jacob joins the children for a rollicking game of snowball. But Jacob notices that there's no one to take care of the snow children. "Jacob frowns, you lost your glove. You tore your hat it isn't right. You need someone to care for you. Who tucks you in at night?"

When the snow children wake a sleeping bear, there are some tense moments as the bear chases Jacob up a tree. However, Jacob's parents arrive, chase off the bear and rescue him. The next day Jacob returns and builds snow parents for his friends.

My 21-month-old daughter really enjoys this book. The rhymes are engaging, "Whoosh! Blows the winter wind, 'Caw!' laughs the crow. Crunch! go the little boots on fresh-fallen snow." And while she seems to be a bit anxious when Jacob's being chased by the bear, she's very interested when his parents rescue him.

I love Daniel Kirk's illustrations and they are of the same style as other books of his we own, "Hush Little Alien" and "Chugga Chugga Choo Choo". However, my husband doesn't like his style. It's hard to describe, but the illustrations seem to be slightly darker than most of our other children's books. On our first read through, when "the child of snow comes to life to join a wandering band", my husband's reaction was, "Creepy." But I remember he had a similar reaction to a clown in "Chugga Chugga Choo Choo", so I think it's Kirk's illustrations more than the story. As I said, I love them, but to each his own.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Snow Family, October 2, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Snow Family (Paperback)

Snow Family is a colorful rhyming story book. When a boy named Jacob finds a band of little snow kids, he joins them in a few games, but when he ends up in a tree with an angry bear below it, it's time for his parents to come and help him. But the snow kids didn't have any parents to help and care for them, so Jacob's decides to help them out too. The art in the book is colorful and has a very unique style, which made the book just that much better. Children under the age of 4 would enjoy this story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart-melting Story, November 28, 2000

By 

Wawink (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Snow Family (Hardcover)

This children's story is wonderful for a family to read together and is sure to be a favorite for any child. The story focuses on the importance of family and caring in a most endearing way. Everyone needs someone to look out after them is a theme that has been used before but Daniel Kirk has found a new way to express an old sentiment. The illustrations are vibratant and full, though the story could stand on it's own. This is a seasonal book that will be fun to read any time of the year!!!