Walking in a Winter Wonderland

PreS-Gr 1—This festive picture book is illustrator Hopgood's second offering incorporating the lyrics of a beloved song (What a Wonderful World, 2014). Based on the holiday classic "as sung by Peggy Lee," this evocative trip through a winter wonderland is beautifully paced and illustrated with great cheer. Large, colorful spreads have a childlike charm and feature a family of five enjoying a walk through a snowy forest, looking at wildlife, building a snowman, and throwing snowballs while a bearded man in a sleigh (is it Santa?) travels by in the background. Musical notes dance across the page, reminding us that this is not just a text but also a tune that begs to be sung. It is worth noting that Lee's upbeat, jazzy interpretation of this holiday standard is a bit more family-friendly than other versions commonly heard during the season, but it still contains the awkward verse, "When it snows,/ain't it thrilling?/Though your nose/gets a chilling./We'll frolic and play/the Eskimo way…."