Publisher's Hardcover ©2018 | -- |
A pair of sisters awakens to the same snowy day, but they approach it in very different ways. The red-haired girl excitedly bounds out of bed and bundles up to play outside, while her brown-haired sibling cozily settles into a chair with a stack of books and steaming mug of hot chocolate. White's illustrations give off a cheery warmth that is echoed in the teal, lavender, apricot, and magenta colors of the juxtaposed outdoor and indoor scenes. Snowball throwing and baking, tracking animals and watching them from a window seat ese simple contrasts show the range of activities possible on a snowy day and highlight the sisters' differences in personality: the redhead is messy and impulsive, the brunette tidy and orderly. The text uses a handful of individual words to describe each scene's action ("Cocoa. Blankets. Books."), before replaying them all in reverse for the book's second half, where one girl comes in from the cold and the other takes her turn in the snow. A clever and charming cold-weather read.
Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)One sister greets a snow day with exuberance ("Snow!"), another with some trepidation ("Snow."). As the day progresses, the first sister grows tired and comes inside, while the second sister's curiosity builds until she heads outside; they happily reunite at book's end in a cozy blanket fort. Spare text and quaint gouache and watercolor art illustrate the value of independence and solitude for the youngest picture-book readers.
Kirkus ReviewsTwo sisters who could not be more unalike in personality enjoy a snowy day in different ways. Except for the final page, Kokias' clever text reads the same backward and forward, following the two white girls through their day. The redheaded sister is thrilled with the snow outside and rushes to put on outdoor gear. Meanwhile, the brunette settles in to read with hot cocoa and a blanket. While the redhead throws snowballs and tracks animals, her sister bakes, makes paper snowflakes, and engages in pretend play. But then: "Cold. Wet. Brrr." The two sisters cross paths in the center of the book as they switch places and activities, and with the redhead inside, an obvious difference between the two becomes even clearer: the brunette is neat, the redhead messy. The focus remains on the sisters and their fun, though their redheaded father and brunette mother do appear in the baking scenes in the kitchen. The softly colored gouache-and-watercolor illustrations are chock-full of ideas for fun on a snowy day, whether inside or outside. The final page shows the two at last enjoying time together as "Snow sisters!" The girls' expressions are a bit one-note, and children may find it easier to identify with the exuberant redhead than the nearly flawless brunette.A nice addition to sibling shelves that shows that fun can also be had apart. (Picture book. 3-7)
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)The title of Kokias-s first picture book describes two contemporary siblings with different approaches to a snow day. The boisterous redhead, who appears on left-hand pages, digs out her winter gear (-Coat. Scarf. Hat. Mittens. Boots-) and runs outside to lob snowballs. The composed brunette on the right sets herself up with cocoa, blankets, and books, and later whips up a batch of cookies (-Baking. Making-). Just when readers think they have the sisters pegged, the brunette heads outside, the redhead comes indoors, and the words that appeared in the first half are assigned to the other sister, their order reversed. The girls- distinct personalities still shine: the redhead-s -Making- and -Baking- is far less tidy (Mom is seen sweeping up), and the brunette-s -Building- and -Throwing- results in a snow castle. The drawings, almost too pretty in the first half, become more captivating and even surprising: how will each sister put her spin on the words? It-s a neatly conceived study of two independent sisters who are fully capable of enjoying a day on their own terms. Ages 3-7.
ALA Booklist (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)
Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
Just like snowflakes, no two sisters are alike, but together, they can share the perfect snow day. Siblings, snow-bunnies, and fans of the Frozen movies will all find something to love in Snow Sisters!
When snowflakes fall, two sisters react in different ways. One is excited and the other is wary. The first sister spends the morning outdoors, playing until she's all tuckered out. Meanwhile, the second sister stays indoors, becoming ever more curious about the drifts outside. Soon, they switch places, and spend the second half of the day retracing each other's footsteps. But each sister puts her own unique spin on activities like sledding, baking and building.
The simple mirrored text is spare and lovely, and each spread is split to show what each sister is doing independently--until at last they come together in the sweet, satisfying conclusion. LeUyen Pham's Big Sister, Little Sister meets Kate Messner's Over and Under the Snow.
"Chock-full of ideas for fun on a snowy day . . . A nice addition to sibling shelves that shows that fun can also be had apart." --Kirkus Reviews