The Luckiest Snowball

Izzy is just about to throw a snowball when it suddenly pipes up: “WAIT! STOP!... If you throw me—BLAM!— it’s the end of me.” So begins Larry the snowball’s yearlong odyssey. Izzy keeps Larry safe in a freezer populated by a rotating cast of characters—“sherbet, frozen peas, and twelve ice cubes,” then “a pie, dinner rolls, frozen green beans, and a giant turkey”—taking him out once each season. Each of Larry’s adventures—to see spring flowers, visit the beach in a cooler, and jump in fall leaves—ends when he shouts: “HELP! I’m melting!” When winter comes again, Larry says goodbye: “Winter is my home.” Kreloff illustrates this tale with digital collages that evoke the mixed textures of traditional cut-paper assemblages and capture the nuances of snowball personality. Readers may want to make room in their freezers for Larrys of their own. Ages 3–7. [em](Sept.) [/em]