cover image Snow Happy!

Snow Happy!

Patricia Hubbell, illus. by Hiroe Nakata, Random/Tricycle, $15.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-58246-329-2

Two excited children act out cheery vignettes about playing in thick, fresh snow: "We're packing snow and smacking,/ we're dodging and we're whacking./ Snowballs fly and we're—/ Snow Happy!" Ink and gouache spot details enliven Nakata's milky watercolor backgrounds: a dog chases after a squirrel, neighborhood children in brightly patterned attire ski and slide down a hill, and two red birds help to build an igloo. When the storm picks up, it's time to head inside: "Drinking nice hot cocoa,/ we watch the sparkling snow blow./ Winter makes us all—So Happy!" The kids' euphoria is contagious and will likely have readers gazing skyward for those first flakes. Ages 3–6. (Oct.)