FICTION

Perfect Snow

by Barbara REID
978-0-80756-492-9.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 3—Scott is trying to build the world's greatest team of snowmen at recess, but the bell rings before he can finish. Jim would like to build his Snow Fortress of Doom before recess is over, but before he can complete it, his fort is raided. The boys don't give up, though. They try again at lunch, but this time they are successful because they decide to work together to build something that everyone will want to contribute to and no one will want to destroy. Reid's colorful Plasticine illustrations are almost photographic in detail. The walls of the school are covered with sprinkles of tiny snowflakes, and many of the children who appear outside have a flush of pink on their cheeks. The panels of black-and-white drawings that appear alongside the colored illustrations allow readers to see sequences of action and the passage of time. By the end of this book, the perfect snow is washed away by the rain, but these two boys don't mind. They retain their playful outlook on life and think of ways to have fun in the slush.—Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada
Two boys celebrate the joys of a big snowfall. Reid's visually inventive illustrations create lively winter scenes. Comic panels alongside help move the action forward, as the smaller boy struggles to build a snowman while the bigger boy tries to build a fort; the two end up combining forces. Reid captures their exuberance, with Plasticine providing a three-dimensional effect.
The retro-looking cover of two boys rolling a giant snowball barely hints at the inventive, modern visual storytell-ing inside. Author-artist Reid uses Plasticine to create lively scenes; some are single- or double-page spreads, but most are placed on pages alongside small, delicately drawn comic panels in ink and watercolor. The story follows the boys as they celebrate the joys of a big snowfall. One especially spectacular scene is a bird's-eye view of the school playground, the children in their brightly colored winter hats and coats making snow angels and leaving tracks in the snow that show where they've been. The comic panels help move the action along, as the smaller boy struggles to build a snowman while the bigger boy tries to build a fort; the two end up combining forces to create "The World's Greatest Totally Massive Snowman Fort!" Reid captures their exuberance, and the Plasticine makes it all look real, complete with dustings of snow on the boys' coats and mittens for a three-dimensional effect. susan dove lempke
Reviewed by Tanya Boudreau , Aug 01, 2011

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