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12th out of 61 books
—
154 voters
The Snow Day
by
Komako Sakai
The best snow day book since Ezra Jack Keats's THE SNOWY DAY...
A young rabbit wakes up to wonderful news: A snow day! School is canceled, and the day that follows is rich with the magic and delight of the falling snow. And yet there is longing too, as the young rabbit and his mother wait for news of his father, grounded on a plane in a faraway city.... The news that his fa...more
A young rabbit wakes up to wonderful news: A snow day! School is canceled, and the day that follows is rich with the magic and delight of the falling snow. And yet there is longing too, as the young rabbit and his mother wait for news of his father, grounded on a plane in a faraway city.... The news that his fa...more
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
January 1st 2009
by Arthur A. Levine Books
(first published December 1st 2006)
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Oct 06, 2009
Abigail
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Young Snow Lovers
Shelves:
picture-books,
childrens-translations
Review Temporarily Removed.
You know when a picture book is successful? When it can conjure up a feeling or a memory you didn't even know you had. I remember playing in the snow at night as a small child. The contrast of bright white snow lit by the streetlights, and the jet-black sky above. In my experience, picture books that deal with simple subjects generally have a hard road to hoe. They either are accused of glutting the market with more of the same, or they are so unique that they're told that they won't find their...more
This is the quiet story of a little bunny and her mom and what they do on a snow day home from school. Gorgeous illustrations and just sweet.
On a very snowy day, a little rabbit awakens to discover that the snow has cancelled school. His mother doesn’t want him to go out in the storm, but he sneaks onto the balcony to make a snow dumpling. His mother can’t go to the grocery store, so they play cards together. His father can’t return from his trip because of the storm. All around them it is only snow, no traffic, just them and the snow. When the little rabbit is getting ready for bed, he realizes the snow has stopped and he can go out...more
I've been looking back at a ton of books, getting ready to write my year-end Jewy-books roundup for Tablet, and I am BITTER that this book is utterly unJewy and thus not eligible. It's one of my favorite books of the year. So simple, so beautiful. Maxine (age 5) loves it too — she asks for it over and over and over. The art is just gorgeous — muted colors, adorable but not cutesy bunny, sophisticated and subdued but not kid-offputting look. Looks like a mix of paint and charcoal. The plot’s simp...more
I probably should have read this when we had our snow day yesterday--today it is ICE day and I still can't go out! In any case, I read it a few days ago and while I enjoyed it and can certainly see why the artwork has won such accolades (this was recently named one of the NY Times Ten Best Children's Books of 2009) I was not quite as wowed by it as I thought/hoped I would be. Some of the illustrations (such as the cover art) really touched me, and others were just so-so. Still, I think it's wond...more
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The feelings of a small child are here. But,it is not geared towards children in practice rather than in theory.
Perhaps using a small child instead of a blobby bunny might have given this the universal feel the author is aiming for with the bunny. But instead the juxtaposition of an animal on a very real world somehow clashes.
Sorry, no one has ever done it better than Ezra Jack Keats did it in The Snowy Day. You can read that to a bunch of 2009 high tech, overstimulated preschoolers and they wi...more
Perhaps using a small child instead of a blobby bunny might have given this the universal feel the author is aiming for with the bunny. But instead the juxtaposition of an animal on a very real world somehow clashes.
Sorry, no one has ever done it better than Ezra Jack Keats did it in The Snowy Day. You can read that to a bunch of 2009 high tech, overstimulated preschoolers and they wi...more
The Snow Day is a sweet story about a young bunny who wakes up one morning to discover that he has a snow day from kindergarten. Between making snowballs, playing cards with his mom, and listening to the sound of silently falling snow, he’s waiting for the snow to stop so he can go play outside. The author studied art in Japan and the artistry is apparent in the illustrations, which include muted colors brightened by touches of yellow and red and focuses on the setting of each scene, whether it’...more
I was very surprised to find I don't have a review of this book, because I swear I remember writing one. This book captures the essence of winter in the city in a powerful way, enough so that a half year later and I still remember the book vividly. The illustrations are simple and maybe a touch old fashioned, but evocative of the stillness and isolation that a heavy snowfall can produce in the city. For that brief time everyone in inside, the world seems far away, the streets deserted, and famil...more
Quiet and appropriate to the weather as well as to the Japanese sensibility. I especially liked the fact that the rabbit family lives in an apartment - first the child goes out on the balcony and is only allowed to go downstairs after the snow has finished. The animals' body language is very expressive, especially the ears.
I like the way many of the illustrations are framed - as if looking in a window.
I was struck by the movement - constantly forward - (as in the double page spread as he goes o...more
I like the way many of the illustrations are framed - as if looking in a window.
I was struck by the movement - constantly forward - (as in the double page spread as he goes o...more
This heartwarming book begins with a rabbit waking up to find out that school(kindergarten) has been cancelled because of the snow. He also finds out that because of the snow his father's flight home has been cancelled. This family lives in a high rise thus the snow must be viewed from above. The little rabbit is in awe of the snow. He loves the quiet, beauty and stillness of things. He comments to his mother "Mommy, we are all alone in the world." It is mind boggling how children can interpret...more
Little bunny is excited when there's so much snow that kindergarten class is canceled for the day. THE SNOW DAY!. Mommy bunny and little bunny go outside to play, make snowballs, snow dumplings and snow monsters, but when little bunny finds out that daddy won't be home because his flight's been canceled for the snow, he's sad. But, tomorrow is another day!
Used for "Snowy Things" storytime-01/2010.
Used for "Snowy Things" storytime-01/2010.
In these lovely, quiet illustrations, Komako Sakai perfectly captures the feelings of a snow day for a young child who lives in an apartment in the city. You get the sense of hushed quiet as the snow falls and the noisy city comes to a halt - the expectant sense of waiting to go outside and make marks in the new unblemished snow. A great one on one read for a parent and child or storytime.
Nov 13, 2011
Emily
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
animals,
children,
family,
games,
bedtime,
fantasy,
mother,
parents,
picture-book,
school,
sketched-illustrations,
snow,
young-readers,
kindergarten,
joy
The joy of snow days! I remember being just like the little rabbit when I was younger when my mom said school was cancelled. My brothers and I were so excited and couldn't wait to get outside to play in the snow. This would be a good book to read to children who may not know what a snow day is. It has simple words and small sentences so this would be a great beginners book.
From the Smithsonian's list of notable books for 2009, this simple story about a rabbit waking up to find out it's a "snow day" is beautifully illustrated. Little rabbit waits all day for the snow to stop and it finally does about the time he's supposed to be going to bed. But his mother relents and takes him out into the still evening and they experience the snow together. A great evocation of what it's like to homeschool, where every day is a day of self-guided exploration and freedom.
I want to like this book better. The slightly odd references to the father stuck away at an airport are off-putting. I like the watery artwork, but the kids were not drawn to it, nor to the story. It had a peaceful feel which seems at home with a Japanese author, and is entirely enticing. Overall, though, not memorable to the children.
This book is ideal for topics and discussion on weather and science in an early childhood classroom. I found this book to be particularly entertaining because it brought back fond memories of how excited I would get when it snowed because I was excited to play in the snow and make snow men and make snow doughnuts or even snow angels : )
Genre: Fantasy: Picture Book
This story is about a little rabbit who stays home from kindergarten because it is snowing. He wants to go out and play in the snow, but his mother wants him to wait until it stops snowing. Finally, he gets to play outside and his dad's plane can land at the airport. The pictures are beautiful and delicate.
This story is about a little rabbit who stays home from kindergarten because it is snowing. He wants to go out and play in the snow, but his mother wants him to wait until it stops snowing. Finally, he gets to play outside and his dad's plane can land at the airport. The pictures are beautiful and delicate.
Snow Day is a very cute book about a bunny waking up very excited to see that it has snowed. It is a good book to get children to start thinking about their feelings towards snow in Georgia. You can also talk about things that they relate to snow and compare it to the feelings that the bunny in the book has.
beautiful illustrations highlight a bunny's day home from kindergarten due to a snow day. girls were of course fixated on the fact that the daddy doesn't come home (plane delayed)...so i do question this aspect of the story, even though at the end it is said that he will be home tomorrow.
something about the writing and illustrations work so well together in this text that I almost feel that I am having a snow day, complete with all the emotions that go with it. The text is simple, but the book is compelling. And soothing, like listening to snow fall.
Sakai perfectly captures the hushed excitement of a snow day with a kindergarten bunny and mommy. A city setting makes it nice for urban libraries and, although it is clearly Japanese (making snow dumplings); the coziness of an unexpected snow day is universal.
Dec 30, 2009
Bookless00
added it
This should be added to everyone's list as a a companion to the Snowy day by Keats. It's quiet and gray and the rabbits somehow evade bunny cuteness (which would give the book a completely different feel). Even so, the story is tender and earnest.
This story captures the quiet of a snow day, and the way sometimes you don't get to do what you want because of the snow, but also the excitement of finally playing in it. Though I like the simplicity of the illustrations, I find them a bit dreer.
Most of this book is great. The text and especially the pictures make you feel like you're snowed in. The only thing I don't like about it is the last page. It feels tacked on to me. So, I basically just skip the last page whenever I read it.
The text captures the curiosities, concerns and pleasures of a young rabbit's snow day, but the illustrations are the real winner here. The rough textured paintings and sparse use of color create a perfect sense of mood and atmosphere.
I found this book to be extremely depressing. The colors were blah. The bunny doesn't even get to play in the snow until late at night. What's up with that? I found it to be a waist of the paper it was printed on.
Gosh I love this book. I love the dark, snowy, quite pictures. It really creates that still snow mood that I can't get enough of. A nice simple story. Each picture deserves alot of attention.
Catch this one before all thoughts of winter slip away... exquisite illustrations express the mood of a snow day into night, with the story about the delightful play and anticipations of a young bunny-child.
Conjures the muffled, all-alone-in-the-world impression of freshly-fallen and falling snow. Quiet story. Quiet pictures. Children will be able to identify with the feelings and activities that take place here.
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JK
Nov 21, 2009 07:09am