When It Starts to Snow [Hardcover]

Phillis Gershator (Author), Martin Matje (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1998 | Age Level: 4 and up

What if it starts
to snow?
What do you do?
Where do you go?

What if it starts to snow. What do you do? Where do you go?" So begins this winter story, as each animal--from a mouse to a bear--tells us what it will do and where it will go when the snow starts to fall. Each takes cover in its own special home, except for one. Can you guess who?

Phillis Gershator's chant-along verse encourages listener participation, and is best enjoyed when read aloud. The inquisitive text and dashing illustrations by Martin Matje make this a delightful picture book for reading under the covers when the weather gets chilly. Poetic and imaginative, When It Starts to Snow celebrates winter in all its cozy glory.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"What if it starts to snow? What do you do? Where do you go?" So lilts the refrain in this delightful ode to winter wonderlands and freshly fallen snow. As the young narrator repeats his curious query, all manner of creatures answer in their own voices. "'I keep watch,' says the shiny black crow. 'Caw Caw Caw' when it starts to snow." "'I sit by the window,' says the cat. Big eyes glow when it starts to snow." Readers even learn the winter habits of otters and stoats in this informative, whimsical tale. Parisian illustrator Martin Matje's charming illustrations let the cool colors of winter evoke shivers and thoughts of warm mittens. A special bonus is the snowy scene where kids can find different animals hidden in a cave, rock pile, log, or hollow. "I can't sleep when the snow wants to play," says the young boy. "Three cheers for snow!" (Ages 4 to 8)

From Publishers Weekly

In this engaging picture book about the chain of events set in motion by a snowfall, a cluster of animals respond in rhyme to a boy's question: "What if it starts to snow? What do you do? Where do you go?" Gershator (Bread Is for Eating) writes with a simple, lilting eloquence, using the book's title as an incantatory closing refrain to each creature's response: " 'The water is chilly,' says the fish./ 'It's best to lie low.'/ Swish, shh, shh/ when it starts to snow." Once every animal has retreated to its proper refuge, a wordless spread of the boy peering out from among a stand of trees at a blanket of white mimics the silence that falls along with the snow. In the final pages, the boy emerges from his comfy bedroom to play ("Hip hip hurray!"). French artist Matje inventively renders the winter sky in the color of hot chocolate tinted with whipped cream, a perfect evocation of both the coziness and chill of a snowy day. This striking visual element provides the backdrop for his boldly graphic characterizations: a crow is formed on a simple S-curve, a rooster and hen have the proportions of giant parade balloons and everyone, even the hulking bear, has tiny, bright eyes that peer out at the audience in comic wonder. With words that roll off the tongue, pictures of charming woodland inhabitants and a dash of science, this one will have readers raring to go on a snow quest of their own. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (October 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805054049
• ISBN-13: 978-0805054040
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,804,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a new favorite, December 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: When It Starts to Snow (Hardcover)

this book was under the tree on christmas morning and it is now our daughter's favorite book. she is almost two years old and is just beginning to enjoy longer picture books. the beautiful animal illustrations and simple, rhythmic verse are very captivating. we recommend it.