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Cold Snap
It's snowy cold in the town of Toby Mills. The thermometer is sinking toward zero, and the icicle hanging from the nose of General Toby's statue is growing closer to the ground. The newspaper headline reads "COLD SNAP!" The people of the town are losing hope—and the feeling in their toes—until the mayor's wife saves the day with a toasty treat.
Hardcover, 40 pages
Published
October 9th 2012
by Knopf Books for Young Readers
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It's really cold in the town of Toby Mills. At first the kids enjoyed playing in the snow, but the temperature keeps dropping and the townspeople are freezing. The icicle on the statue of the town's founder (General Toby)'s nose keeps growing each day and the temperature keeps dropping! The townsfolk are having problems, Mr. Moffat was stuck on the train for 2 hours because the doors froze shut. People are slipping on the ice. The chilly wind blew kids off the playground swings! As it gets colde...more
If you read my poem to winter last Friday for Poetry Friday, you know that I love winter, so this book pleased me very much. The story is about a town named Toby Mills, after a general Toby, that experiences an extreme cold snap. The town’s statue to General Toby grows an icicle that follows the story throughout, growing longer and longer. There are some repeating characters that add to the spice of this tale, like kids Millie Moffat and Franky Tornetta who sled and make snow angels, etc. There...more
Jan 18, 2013
Candice
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Sophie
Shelves:
picture-books
After reading this, I wonder what people in North Dakota or Minnesota or places where it gets very cold and stays that way think of this. The town of Toby Mills is experiencing a cold snap. The author goes day by day and we can tell how cold it is by how long the icicle on the statue of General Toby's nose is. For a while the cold is fun. Kids go sledding, the Sullivan sisters knit mittens, Mrs. Moffatt sips lemony tea from a thermos. But by the end of a week, everyone is waiting for a break in...more
A cold snap is taking over the peaceful town of Toby Mills, with temperatures dropping toward zero. For each day of the week, we watch how the town goes from cold to downright freezing. We even watch the icicle hanging from the nose of General Toby’s statue grow all the way down to his toes! In the end, the community weathers the cold by gathering together for a big bonfire and celebrating winter.
JENNY SAYS: Cold Snap is a wonderful story to curl up with during these cold winter months. Children...more
JENNY SAYS: Cold Snap is a wonderful story to curl up with during these cold winter months. Children...more
Both text and art are strongly reminiscent of Virginia Lee Burton's classic works, or Barbara Cooney's more recent books which, like Cold Snap, somehow feel like I read it as a child and might even now be able to spot a worn copy wedged between Blueberries for Sal and Goodnight Moon. A simply-told story, it contains elements like the father taking a train and a kid carrying the teacher's books which make Cold Snap feel like a Shirley Jones musical, while a reference to the movie Little Miss Suns...more
Mar 24, 2013
Lisa Vegan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Lisa by:
Abigail A. & Kathryn
I am really fond of this book. I really liked it.
The illustrations are so detailed and it’s fun to look at everything on every page. I love the art style, especially the way animals are depicted. The bright, multiple colors are really eye catching. There is a bit of a Where’s Waldo aspect on many pages. All the paintings are fun and readers/listeners can take a great deal of time viewing each page.
The story is so sweet, and it shows a real sense of community in a small town of people who obvious...more
The illustrations are so detailed and it’s fun to look at everything on every page. I love the art style, especially the way animals are depicted. The bright, multiple colors are really eye catching. There is a bit of a Where’s Waldo aspect on many pages. All the paintings are fun and readers/listeners can take a great deal of time viewing each page.
The story is so sweet, and it shows a real sense of community in a small town of people who obvious...more
8 likes · like · see review
view all 4 comments
Cold Snap by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman, follows the beginning, middle, and end of a chilly winter cold snap, featuring the clever idea that warms people up.
Priceman's colorful illustrations were created using gouache on watercolor paper. My favorite images include cover, endpapers, playing kids, boots crunching, church sermon, Monday, Wednesday, climbing hill, bonfire and candy.
This tale definitely captures the feel of a small town, which I really enjoyed. While some may...more
Priceman's colorful illustrations were created using gouache on watercolor paper. My favorite images include cover, endpapers, playing kids, boots crunching, church sermon, Monday, Wednesday, climbing hill, bonfire and candy.
This tale definitely captures the feel of a small town, which I really enjoyed. While some may...more
Jan 29, 2013
Kathryn
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens-picture-books,
winter
The residents of a charming small town face a cold snap (each day of the week the temperature drops even more, and the icicle on nose of city's founder's statue grows ever nearer the ground!) and try to find ways to battle the chill. From ice and snow and a record-breaking zero-degrees mark to cozy mittens, hot chocolate, and the wonderful city-wide celebration at week's end, I felt both the chill of the outdoors and the warmth of camaraderie and resourcefulness throughout this book. The small-t...more
4 likes · like · see review
A chronicle that follows a town through the beginning, middle and end of a cold snap. I found it to be comfortable...Hmmm. I can't think of any other way to describe it right now. The story is not exciting, its not fantastic, there isn't a lot of action or silliness and there aren't any outstanding characters. Its just a nice book to curl up with and read while sipping a hot cup of cocoa.
This might work with a school-aged class storytime. Maybe combining it with a lesson on weather.
I like the s...more
This might work with a school-aged class storytime. Maybe combining it with a lesson on weather.
I like the s...more
The town of Toby Mills is freezing! A cold spell has the residents of the town double and triple layering their clothing as the icicle that hangs from the nose on the statue of the town's namesake, General Mills, grows longer with each icy day. In the end, the city mayor's wife comes up with a plan to warm everybody up if she can just convince them to brave the cold one last time.
Gouache illustrations on watercolor paper bring the action to life shwoing both the small and large views of the stor...more
Gouache illustrations on watercolor paper bring the action to life shwoing both the small and large views of the stor...more
Priceman's flowing lines and folk americana style gave this book the small town feel Spinelli was going for. The stock group of characters interact through words and pictures that achieve a kind of chaining complementary effect--sometimes pictures lead out ahead of words, and sometimes the other way around. The short term disappointment people feel in extreme weather is captured well here, and the combination of wish and knowledge that it will pass does not diminish the feel of the experience. A...more
Jan 17, 2013
babyhippoface
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kids-picture-books,
science-related
It is cold in the town of Toby Mills. COLD.
COLD.
It's even cold inside, and every day, it's getting even colder. Pretty soon, no one is going to feel like doing anything at all. It's a good thing the mayor's wife is a smart lady, because she comes up with a terrific idea for the whole town to enjoy (which I wasn't really expecting, and made a great ending).
A recipe for "Miss Dove's Sugar-on-Snow Candy" is included at the end of the book, and I'm sure there will be plenty of homes and classroom...more
A recipe for "Miss Dove's Sugar-on-Snow Candy" is included at the end of the book, and I'm sure there will be plenty of homes and classroom...more
Having written a paper on the treatment of snow in Caldecott Medal winning books, I found this book particularly intriguing. Love the sparkles on the front of the book!
Eileen Spinelli's story is unusual but highly entertaining, and a perfect read during the winter months. The weather is represented through the growing icicle on the nose of the town statue.
The illustrations by Marjorie Priceman are excellent. Pleasantly colorful snow is contrasted with the brightly hued people and houses of the...more
Eileen Spinelli's story is unusual but highly entertaining, and a perfect read during the winter months. The weather is represented through the growing icicle on the nose of the town statue.
The illustrations by Marjorie Priceman are excellent. Pleasantly colorful snow is contrasted with the brightly hued people and houses of the...more
The illustrations by Priceman are what really grab the readers attention in this book. The story of a town stuck in a cold spell (as well as rigidly defined gender roles) is okay enough but too long to be of use in a storytime. Some of Priceman's spreads are busy enough to be panic-inducing, but the detail is enough to keep a little reader poring over the pictures looking at the details and the design.
"Cold Snap" is a wonderful winter story about the weather getting colder in the town of Toby Mills. Everyday, the icicle on the town's statue of General Toby gets longer and longer as the weather gets colder and colder. A fun story about how the town survives and ends up enjoying the colder weather.
Publication Date: 2012
Age/Grade level: Kindergarten to 2nd grade
Format: Print Book
Publication Date: 2012
Age/Grade level: Kindergarten to 2nd grade
Format: Print Book
A story of a close-knit little town enduring a cold front, each day the weather dropping just a bit lower and the icicles growing that much longer. I loved that the mayor’s office was flooded with complaints about the cold, as if he could really do anything to stop it? Mostly this book made me appreciate that I live in sunny California.
Mar 12, 2013
Jennifer
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens-literature
I love the way the icicle on the statues nose grows longer and longer. This would be an excellent book to use in the classroom as it talks about the days of the week, temperature, and clever ways to stay warm. The pictures lead to lots of discussion as you look to find the characters and see the consequences of their winter antics!
1 like · like · see review
The Grandma Moses feel to the illustrations brings the narrative to life. Anyone who has experienced a prolonged cold spell will enjoy this picture book. The travails of General Toby add a unique perspective to Toby Mills’ plight. A bonus from the author is the inclusion of the recipe for Miss Dove’s Sugar-On-Snow Candy.
Loved this book. Illustrations are very reminiscent of White Snow, Bright Snow, and I absolutely loved the end papers showing the frozen town. I have not heard much about this one in the Caldecott buzz, but I definitely think it deserves attention.
Pictures are bright and appealing, but younger children will not sit still for this long story, which is sweet enough but lacks "umph". The grand finale (the town cheers up during a cold snap with a bonfire) is less than dramatic. Okay, but(sorry, can't resist)not something that is going to set the pond on fire.
The title and cover caught my eye and the pictures in the story as well. But, I have a hard time reading this when the cold snap gets to o degrees. Yes, that's cold but we've felt colder and 15 degrees will not melt the snow. So, I wanted to enjoy the story but couldn't get past these things.
This book is decent. It could be used in many ways. It goes through each day of the week, so you could use it to teach days of the week. It has a lot of adjectives and verbs, so it could also be used to teach some grammar. Students could also predict what the mayor's wife's idea is at the end.
Just couldn't get into this one. Also, the author makes it seem as though the temperature is ridiculously low, only to reveal that it just hit 0. Come on, now. And then by the time the thermometer reads 15 degrees, the snow (and the giant icicle) is melting and everything is dandy. I know it's a picture book, but even my kids knew that was off.
Feb 11, 2013
Kathy Ellen Davis
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
picture-books
Such a great book!
The words and the pictures work so well together, and it's really fun!
Growing up in a town where it gets cold, COLDER, COLDEST! I could relate.
Lovely.
Haiku Review:
icicle:growing.
the cold: creeping in so fast.
How will they get warm?
The words and the pictures work so well together, and it's really fun!
Growing up in a town where it gets cold, COLDER, COLDEST! I could relate.
Lovely.
Haiku Review:
icicle:growing.
the cold: creeping in so fast.
How will they get warm?
Dec 20, 2012
Margie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
book-a-day,
own-these-books
When Eileen Spinelli writes you feel what her characters feel as if you are in their very shoes. When Marjorie Priceman paints it's as if you can step through the page and participate. When these two collaborate it's magic.
My full review:
http://bit.ly/UHkER2
My full review:
http://bit.ly/UHkER2
Such a fun book to read to a class on a cold winter day, it would be perfect to read just after a good snow fall. This book show time elapse and talks about all the great things you can do in the snow. It even includes a recipe to make snow candy!
I rather liked this winter tale. Maybe I was just in the mood for something chilly. Parts of the story were a bit forced. (Do icicles really grow longer the colder it gets?) And the characters names didn't click with me. Otherwise the story of a snowy town was kind of cute!
After awhile, the illustrations with all the wonderful details started to remind me of Katy and the Big Snow. I love how almost every single thing mentioned in the text was there in the pictures somewhere (the only things I couldn't see were the thermometer at zero and the doughnuts at the bonfire).
Bright fun pictures and a heart-warming story make this a perfect book for a cold day. See how the town of Toby Mills handles the coldest stretch they have ever had with a sense of humor and whimsy. Reviewer 12
A wild rumpus of a book. This would be a great book to read on a really cold day and have a fake little camp fire there! Very well written and a great teacher recommend for imagery and word choice!
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Eileen Spinelli, wife of famed children's author Jerry Spinelli, is an award winning children's book author from southeastern Pennsylvania.
More about Eileen Spinelli...
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