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Snowballs
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Pull on your mittens and head outside with Lois Ehlert for a snowball day! Grab some snow and start rolling. With a few found objects, like buttons and fabric and seeds, and a little imagination, you can create a whole family out of snow. “Ehlert uses collages of cut paper and vibrant, textured objects to dazzling effect in her tribute to building a snowman--and snowgirl a
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Board Book, 28 pages
Published
September 1st 2001
by HMH Books for Young Readers
(first published November 1st 1995)
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This book confused me. We started the book off about birds; the question is asked, "Do you think birds know when it's going to snow?" I think it's going to be about feeding birds in the snow, but then the rest of the book is full page spreads of the different snowmen they make and what they look like. They make a family of snowmen, including the baby and the dog and cat. There is usually a bird on each page, but I really don't get how they are connected so much. It was simply confusing.
There isn ...more
There isn ...more
I'm afraid Ehlert's books just never really wow me. I love the cover on this and really appreciate her creativity in building the snowpeople/animals in this book, but there really isn't much of a story going and it just feels a little bland and disjointed at times. There is some factual information about snow, but if you are interested in that sort of thing I would highly recommend is The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder.
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We finished up our "OLAF GROWS" -- SNOWMAN story time with this book and I think it might have been the kids' favorite.
A family collects stuff to decorate a snow family -- Dad, Mom, Brother, Sister, Baby, Cat, and Dog -- and waits for a big snow storm. The birds and squirrels are waiting too, because the family puts plenty of edibles on their snow creations.
The kids enjoyed identifying the decorations. I would ask, "What is the nose made from?" I would also ask, "Can the birds or squirrels eat t ...more
A family collects stuff to decorate a snow family -- Dad, Mom, Brother, Sister, Baby, Cat, and Dog -- and waits for a big snow storm. The birds and squirrels are waiting too, because the family puts plenty of edibles on their snow creations.
The kids enjoyed identifying the decorations. I would ask, "What is the nose made from?" I would also ask, "Can the birds or squirrels eat t ...more
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A family has been waiting for snow for a while now, collecting all kinds of odds and ends for when the big snowfall arrives. And finally - snow, enough snow for all kinds of snowballs. First up is a snow dad, then a snow mom, a cool snow boy, a snow girl, a round snow baby, and finally, a snow cat and a spotted snow dog. But these are ordinary snow people and pets - they are decorated with all those colorful, carefully collected odds and ends. Dad wears a Bolivian hat, mom sports a Guatemalan pu
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I admit there is no real plot to grasp the children's attention and simply reading it straight through would have probably bored them to death, but I don't believe that was the purpose of the book or how it was meant to be read.
I read this twice this week to a mixed group of kids (ages ranging from infants to about 9 or 10 years old) along with Frosty the Snowman. Each time they appeared to really enjoy the book. We took the time to look at the details of each snow-creature, naming the objects t ...more
I read this twice this week to a mixed group of kids (ages ranging from infants to about 9 or 10 years old) along with Frosty the Snowman. Each time they appeared to really enjoy the book. We took the time to look at the details of each snow-creature, naming the objects t ...more
I'd call the narrative shallow, but it appears to have completely melted away like the snowman family. Some cute folksy art isn't enough to save this book. I'd need coffee beans for eyes too, if I had to sit through another reading.
The popcorn ball recipe at the end fails to impress, either. ...more
The popcorn ball recipe at the end fails to impress, either. ...more
*Lots* of vertical pages.
I like the cut paper and other objects in the illustrations (and I love the weather reports on the back cover). Most of those objects aren't what I would have used to decorate snowmen, but on the cut paper snowmen it was all cute. ...more
I like the cut paper and other objects in the illustrations (and I love the weather reports on the back cover). Most of those objects aren't what I would have used to decorate snowmen, but on the cut paper snowmen it was all cute. ...more
Just not a fan of this book. The story is boring, the illustrations are boring. Nothing to really like here.
Ehlert’s photographic collages are amazing as always, and this book has a ton of rich information on how snow forms, how animals prepare for snow, and different cultures’ winter clothing.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I absolutely adore this wintertime story! This story acknowledges what people and birds do when winter is coming. Birds store seeds, knowing that the snow will soon bury the rest. People make unique snowmen. In the spring the snowman melts. This book has some insight to how birds respond to the winter but mainly focuses on the physical change to the environment and the way children respond to it. In the classroom this would be great for a wintertime lesson! The kids could make their own bird fee
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Good for 2 years- kindergarten. The simple, almost non-existent plot takes back seat to the pictures. This is the perfect book for modeling dialogic reading. I usually state by taking about the cover and asking what do the children see. On each page, i ask what the eye, ears, mouth, etc. are made from; with older children I ask how can you tell the snowman is______? (Whatever Ehlert had labeled it). I pair this with All You Need For A Snowman by Alice Scherltle and for an older audience, Sneezy
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I loved the pictures in this book! They really help to bring the story to life and show kids that you can take just about anything from a leaf to popcorn to a tie when creating a snowman. The text is very easy for kids to follow along with. At the end it shows the different items used to make each snow person and includes some facts on what snow is. It also ties in the real world by showing multiple pictures of snowmen that kids have made while discussing what makes it snow. Another great book f
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I read this to the first graders as a writing prompt. I went through the book and looked closely at the photograph. Then I gave the students writing paper so they could plan their snowpeople in the even it should snow. It was a no-worry writing assignment where they can write as much as they can in list format or how they choose to plan their snowpeople. No guidance from me once they get started (spelling, grammar, etc). Rule number one is they stay busy while they wait their turn to check out.
I really love this book! The collage illustrations are adorable. I will use this as a read aloud and the students and I will discuss what birds do during snow. We will make a simple bird feeder - pipe cleaner and cereal - to put out on the first snowy day. We will also talk about what items we will save in our sack to decorate our snowball people.
Ehlert's trademark style of illustration is great, but there's no real plot line to this one. I plan on using it for a preschool story time on snow because the illustrations really lend themselves to engaging the kids. "What did they use for the snowman's nose?" and "Could a bird eat that?" It should make for some fun interaction with the kids.
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Snowballs (Paperback)
by Lois Ehlert
used as a resource for kindergarten to show the idea of sequence and family with snowmen. This is a cute very short book using collage to show items used to create not only the pictures but of the actual snowman.
by Lois Ehlert
used as a resource for kindergarten to show the idea of sequence and family with snowmen. This is a cute very short book using collage to show items used to create not only the pictures but of the actual snowman.
The artwork gets 5 stars - these collage snow people are awesome.
The kids loved them, especially the snow kids.
The book is mainly worth it for the artwork.
It might inspire kids to do some of their own projects.
It's a quick read.
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The kids loved them, especially the snow kids.
The book is mainly worth it for the artwork.
It might inspire kids to do some of their own projects.
It's a quick read.
...more
I wasn't that wowed by this when I first read it, despite it being highly recommended. However, my 2yo loves it. She used some props on her nature table to create her own 'snow child' (her words) so that says it all for me really. This book had really inspired her, so it's a winner!
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Includes scientific information about snow and a recipe for popcorn balls, as well as creative ideas for feeding birds.
cute story and great information
The first bit about the birds always seems a bit disjointed to me but it's always a hit at storytime and the illustrations and big and bold which is excellent
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Cute Children's book about building snowmen and what it takes to make snowman fun until the sun comes out. Lol!
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Lois Ehlert builds snowmen? Um, yes please.
always enjoy looking at Ehlert's art! Fun snow family, with snow facts sprinkled about, back matter explaining the water cycle and snowman photos.
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Very creative artwork. If you have little collectors like I do, they'll love absorbing the pictures and might get a few ideas on how to create art using their own little trinkets.
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Cute! Used for snowman themed storytime. Creation of snowman family & pets. Cute to ask the kids what items were used to create the snowmen.
This is a book I used time and time again for winter storytimes when I was a children's librarian, and also when I taught "Preschool Picasso" art classes for small children prior to that. Afterwards, I would ask the children what kind of things they had used to decorate a snowperson, and then I had all kinds of odds and ends they could use to make a collage snowman/snowgirl/snowdog as an extension activity. It's very short and simple to read even to the 2-year-olds, and helps the kids think abou
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Readers also enjoyed
Lois Ehlert has created numerous inventive, celebrated, and bestselling picture books, including Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Holey Moley, The Scraps Book, Mice, Ten Little Caterpillars, RRRalph, Lots of Spots, Boo to You!, Leaf Man, Waiting for Wings, Planting a Rainbow, Growing Vegetable Soup, and Color Zoo, which received a Caldecott Honor. She lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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