“Never mention anything warm in front of me...” Jack Frost, a spiky elfin creature, tells his new friend, a boy whose winter doldrums are interrupted by the sprightly figure's arrival. “That would break the spell and force me to leave.” The boy agrees, and he and Jack Frost scamper off across the spreads of this celebration of winter magic. Kohara's (Ghosts in the House!
) sharp-edged white silhouettes suggest the crisp ice-cold of winter, but midnight blue backgrounds pale as they near the horizon like old Japanese woodblock prints, softening and adding depth. Jack Frost's challenges (“You can't catch me! You can't jump over the pond!”) are easily met: the boy sails effortlessly with eyes closed to where the sprite waits on the far side, while the boy's hound, wearing skates as well, pirouettes. In an especially lovely scene, Jack, the boy and the dog build three snowmen with features that echo their own. Jack's a wonderful playmate, and only when the boy discovers a snowdrop does their idyll end. The book ends with a promise: “See you next winter!” A sparkling winter treat. Ages 3–6. (Oct.)
