3 out of 4 stars
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A large part of childhood involves learning new skills which can trigger a fear that may hinder kids from venturing into unknown territories. In her book The Scary Snow Day, author Kyle Derby Pratt addresses the subject of overcoming anxiety with bravery in a simplistic story about one boy's reluctance to sled down a hill.
The book is written in rhymes that tell the tale of Timmy who has been granted a day of freedom from school to go out and enjoy the avalanche of snow that has fallen overnight. His excitement turns to pensive thoughts as he considers sledding down the hill near his home. He imagines standing before a steep mountain, and this brings about panicky feelings. He wants to try it, but will his nerves get the best of him?
I liked how Timmy convinces himself to go despite his trepidation. No adults are encouraging him, so this teaches young readers that they can incorporate positive self-talk into their decision making. He experiences not only the mental distress beforehand but the physical reaction when his stomach starts 'twitching' just before he takes off. This introduces the idea that it is normal for our bodies to send out signals to indicate when we aren't comfortable in a situation. This vital detail would help children identify and be aware of what is happening internally during a tense circumstance and deal with it appropriately.
The illustrations and simple color choices are eye-catching. When the author used the word 'grim,' I wondered if kids would understand that, however, one glance at the character's eyes and facial expressions convey the meaning. Timmy looks sad and worried, so the pictures add connection and depth to the storyline.
With all of its great qualities, this book does have a few slight drawbacks. The rhyming loses some of its momenta. For example in this stanza: "He gets to the bottom, swishing to a stop. Smiling great big, he climbs back to the top." I wasn't sure I liked the phrase 'smiling great big' because it felt forced and didn't make good grammatical sense. There also seemed to be a slight misuse of tense. For instance in this sentence: "But he has to be brave. His fears he must face. He's going to do it, today of all days." The word 'has' would sound better as 'had.' As I was reading, I knew he was going to be successful, so to put the words into past tense means that he accomplished his goal. Lastly, I noticed the word 'so' was overused. I say all this with great caution because rhyming verses is not easy while trying to write a story that will have a valuable lesson at the end.
I read the material out loud numerous times as part of my review, and I would suggest that the author does this and listen for natural pauses. Instead of periods at the end of sentences and to keep the sentences flowing, using commas may be better for shorter stops. Because this is a poetic style of writing, there can be leniency and not strict adherence to standard punctuation. In essence, while I did not find any errors in spelling or punctuation, the smoothness of the rhymes needs to be attended to for more enjoyable readability.
With that said, I think this book would be a great addition to a classroom to teach young elementary age students how to cope with their emotions surrounding situations that are unfamiliar. An instructor could have a group discussion about worries, real or imagined, and how to have victory over them. This could open up many opportunities for kids to express how they feel through their own storytelling or picture drawing. In addition to this type of use, it could be easily added to a home library where a child and adult could enjoy the story one on one. This book does not seem to be geared for those who can independently read as the message is meant for a younger audience.
I thought the ending was fantastically creative, but I am not going to give it away. I am rating this a 3 out of 4 stars for the book's applicable moral and wonderful illustrations. With a slight sharpening of the rhymes, it could easily be a perfect score.
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The Scary Snow Day
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