The Snow Angel

K-Gr 2—Serving as an accessory to the author's adult novel of the same name, this picture book depicts a childhood memory addressed in the longer work's plot. The story kicks off with two disappointed siblings who are tired of eating macaroni and cheese every night and bored with spending evenings with Grandma as their parents work long hours to make ends meet. The digital illustrations lack movement but emphasize the characters' emotions. Grandma tells the children the story of her own difficult childhood and the meaningful time when her father taught her to make snow angels. The text is heavy-handed and the many issues it raises are glossed over or too simply resolved. Faith in family restored, the children bring their parents breakfast in bed, uncooked macaroni and cheese because they cannot use the stove. (It is unclear who lit the fire for them in the fireplace downstairs.) This publicity piece will appeal strictly to fans of the author's work.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA