Snow Day! Werner Zimmerman. Toronto, ON: Scholastic Canada, 1999/2007. 32 pp., pbk., $7.99. ISBN 978-0-439-95710-6. Kindergarten-grade 3 / Ages 5-8. Review by Jonine Bergen. **** /4

excerpt:

Would it be deep enough?

Would school be closed?

We waited and waited.

I was just about to drag myself out the door when we heard the magic words...

SNOW DAY!

Snow to adults often means shoveling, terrible traffic and cold. But to a child, snow is a marvelous wonder that changes the landscape and charges the imagination. Best of all, to a child, it can provide freedom from routine when there is enough snow to cause a SNOW DAY!

     Accomplished author Werner Zimmermann catches the childish delight of the possibilities that a snow day represents through soft watercolours. The colours blend together with the feeling of snow overlaying the scenes on most of the double-page spreads. He also deftly handles the expressions of his characters - animal and child. The reader feels the anticipation and hope of the children waiting for the news; the excitement when the snow day is called; and the pleasure of an active day of play.

     Zimmermann's prose is simple as he describes the various activities the children enjoy on their free day. These simple images remind the adult reader of winter activities enjoyed in the past. The nostalgia evoked by the tale enhances the enjoyment of the readers - adult and child.

     Werner Zimmermann's Snow Day was a definite hit with my readers. The cover illustration and title enticed readers, aged two through 14, into its pages. Snow Day is a great book and an excellent addition to a collection.

Highly Recommended.

Jonine Bergen is the library technician at Westdale School in Winnipeg, MB.

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