The Snowflake Sisters [Hardcover]

J. Patrick Lewis (Author), Lisa Desimini (Illustrator)

Book Description

Join two snowflake sisters -- quick! -- as they spiral down to glimpse St. Nick.

Then roller-coaster on and fall upon New York and the New Year's ball.

Once it's dropped and the old year's out, arc on up to Central Park. There, before you grow much older, lay awhile on a snowboy's shoulder!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Although the Snowflake Sisters hitch a ride on Santa's sleigh early in their journey and observe him delivering presents, this story is more about the cycle of snow and winter than Christmas per se. The setting is New York City, captured through witty collage illustrations that make use of such materials as rice paper, maps, newsprint, and Scrabble letters. Lewis's elegant and fluid rhymed text offers surprises on every page, and the inevitable ending-brought about by "the splendor-ender, Spring"-gives promise of rebirth and renewal. A prime read-aloud choice for storytimes or one-on-one sharing.-S. P.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Lewis' clever poetic text about two snowflake sisters, one wearing fleece, one in lace, could have gone several different ways, depending on the artwork. Happily, it's hard to imagine anything more engaging than Desimini's collage art, which delightfully catches the wordplay. Crystal and Ivory, nonidentical twins, sweep down from a gossamer cloud and tag along on Santa's sleigh, eventually finding themselves in Manhattan, where they celebrate New Year's. But Midtown is a good place to get squished if you're a snowflake, so the sisters ride the wind to Central Park, where they land on a snowman, remaining until the inevitable springtime melt. There are so many terrific artistic touches here, including the Empire State Building created from a transit map, and the sisters themselves, so tiny in some spreads, they will be an entertaining challenge to find. Another delightful pairing of Lewis and Desimini's considerable talents. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers; F edition (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689850298
• ISBN-13: 978-0689850295
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #546,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After nearly three decades as a professor of economics, J. Patrick Lewis turned to poetry. He is the author of more than 75 children's books including A Hippopotamusn't (1990), BoshBlobberBosh (1998), Please Bury Me in the Library (2004), First Dog (2009), Spot the Plot (2009), and The House (2009).

He has recently been named the third U.S. Children's Poet Laureate (2011-2013) by the Poetry Foundation.

His books have been published by Creative Editions, Knopf, Atheneum, Dial, Harcourt, Little, Brown, National Geographic, Chronicle Books, Scholastic, Candlewick, Schwartz & Wade, Holiday House, Sleeping Bear Press, Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press, Dawn Publications, and others. Gulls Hold Up the Sky, his first book of adult poems, was published by Laughing Fire Press (2010).

Pat's children's poems have also appeared in CRICKET (26 times), SPIDER, LADYBUG, CICADA, ODYSSEY, RANGER RICK, HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN, Ms. Magazine, YOUR BIG BACKYARD, CREATIVE CLASSROOM, STORYTIME, STORYWORKS, CHICKADEE, AHOY, LANGUAGE ARTS, JOURNAL OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE, BOOKBIRD, READING TODAY and over 100 anthologies. He wrote the 1992 National Children's Book Week poem, printed on one million bookmarks and distributed nationally.

Lewis has received numerous awards from the American Library Association, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and others. He was the recipient of the 2010-11 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Excellence in Children's Poetry Award, presented every two years.

WHERE I'LL BE NEXT--Schools, Bookstores, Conferences

October 14-16, 2011 Poetry Foundation--TED Lecture Chicago, Illiniois
October 23-25, 2011 NY State Reading Assn. Rye Brook, New York
October 28-31, 2011 Keystone State Reading Assn. Lancaster, Pennsylvania
November 5, 2011 Buckeye Book Fair Wooster, Ohio
November 8, 2011 Ashland University Ashland, Ohio
November 15-16, 2011 St. Joseph's College Rensselaer, Indiana
November 17-20, 2011 NCTE Convention Chicago, Illinois
December 1, 2010 Hillview Elementary Newark, Ohio
December 8, 2011 West Chester University (Dan Darigan) West Chester, PA
January 18, 2012 Richard Avenue Elementary Grove City, Ohio
January 24, 2012 Fouse Elementary Westerville, Ohio
March 1-3, 2012 Charlotte Huck Ch. Lit. Conference Redlands, California
April 3-5, 2012 Holland Hall Primary Tulsa, Oklahoma
April 12, 2012 Washington-Centerville Public Library Centerville, Ohio
April 13, 2012 Stingley Elementary Centerville, Ohio
April 17-25, 2012 Anglo-American School Moscow, Russia
April 29-May 2, 2012 IRA Convention Chicago, Illinois
May 10, 2012 Wynford Elementary Bucyrus, Ohio
March 22, 2013 OCTELA Conference Columbus, Ohio

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Creative illustrations and fun NYC details, December 13, 2011

By 

E. Strickenburg (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Snowflake Sisters (Hardcover)

Full of whimsical rhymes and creative mixed media illustrations, this winter tale will delight readers of all ages. It's the story of two snowflake sisters (named Crystal and Ivory) on their journey through the stratosphere. They blow through the air, hitching a ride on Santa's sleigh, and finally ending up in New York City - in time to see the ball drop on New Year's Eve, and to enjoy a fun time in Central Park.

Written entirely in rhyming verse, this book is a winner as a read-aloud. The story contains some delightful NYC details, and the cut-out mixed media illustrations have an almost Pop Art feel. I particularly loved the sky scrapers made of cut out maps and newspaper clippings and the description of spring as the "splendor-ender."