Review by Booklist Review
PreS-K. Kuskin's poem Winter Clothes, originally published in 1964, is now the text of an appealing picture book. In the rhyming verses, a child details the many pieces of clothing worn in winter, concluding with the lines And when I walk / I must not fall / because / I can't get up at all. The poem may be familiar, but its simplicity and childlike voice make it easy to enjoy again and again. Kosaka emulates the poem's unaffected charm in the large illustrations, such as the one that shows a little girl and her dog coming indoors on a snowy day, peeling off layers of winter clothes, and enjoying a snack--milk and cookies for her and dog biscuits for him. Featuring curving lines and warm, textured colors, the artwork will please young children as much as the satisfying verse. Fine fare for winter storytimes. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Kuskin delivers a witty ode to a child bundled up for wintry weather, using the text of a poem from her 1964 collection The Rose on My Cake. Kosaka (If You'll Be My Valentine, reviewed Dec. 6) introduces a dog into the proceedings, pictured prancing indoors with a girl on the title page. The young narrator proceeds to cheerfully describe her multitudinous layers of outwear as she flings them off. After removing her hood and hat, she states, "Under my coat/ my sweater's blue./ My sweater's red./ I'm wearing two." A silent spread breaks up the action as girl and puppy sit side-by-side at the table enjoying warm milk and piles of treats (both the human and canine kind). Kosaka gives the girl a pageboy haircut, and defines her face with delicate, black crescents to form her eyebrows, a thin, wide smile and the slightest suggestion of a nose-the heroine is a near ringer for the title character in her Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed. Following the brief snack, the duo is ready to head back outdoors: "My gloves were knitted by my aunts./ I've mittens too/ and pants/ and pants/ and boots/ and shoes/ with socks inside./ The boots are rubber, red and wide." A funny cautionary note at the tale's close should bring smiles to readers' faces. Kuskin's simple, timeless subject matter finds an expert accompaniment in Kosaka's cheerful illustrations. Ages 3-7. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Kuskin's poem, which first appeared in her collection The Rose on My Cake (HarperCollins, 1964; o.p.), has been paired with playful pastel illustrations. A girl and her dog go inside after romping in the snow. Short verses describe how she takes off her winter gear: "Under my hood/I have a hat/and under that/my hair is flat." After a snack of cookies and a hot drink, the child goes through the process of getting dressed to go back outdoors, donning a muffler, gloves, two pairs of pants, and red rubber boots. Finally, she is bundled from head to toe: "And when I walk/I must not fall/because/I can't get up at all." The endpapers set the tone by showing footprints in the snow. The simplicity of the art reflects the simplicity of the poem. Flat background colors direct readers' attention to the actions of the characters, which are drawn with clean lines. Pair this lovely book with Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day (Viking, 1962) for a warm winter storytime.-Linda Staskus, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Preschool) ""Under my hood / I have a hat / and under that / my hair is flat."" Hat hair aside, Kuskin's cheery poem, which originally appeared in her collection The Rose on My Cake (rev. 8/64), captures the simple pleasures of bundling up for a snowy day. When a little girl and her doggie friend come in from the cold, the girl takes off her hood, her hat, her coat, and her sweaters (""I'm wearing two"") before refueling with a warm drink and cookies. Then she suits up again (gloves and mittens, ""and pants / and pants / and boots / and shoes with socks inside"") to go back out. The poem almost doesn't need pictures; thankfully, Kosaka's unfussy images don't overwhelm the words. The text skips rhythmically along, while the spare, primary-color pictures focus on the two characters. Cuddle up with this book and a cup of cocoa for some lap-time reading. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Kuskin's short, catchy poem (first published in 1964) about bundling up for winter weather serves as the text in this simple, sweet story about a little girl and her dog playing in the snow. After building a snowman, shown on the title page, the pair enters the house for a break, and the rhymed text describes the little girl's layers of warm clothes as she takes them off. A wordless double-page spread shows the girl and the dog enjoying a snack before the poem resumes with more clothing descriptions as the girl gets dressed again to go back out in the snow to take her dog for a walk. Attractive speckled endpapers in snowy white and pale blue show the pair's footprints, with the final endpaper showing the snow angel the little girl leaves behind. The text is short and simple enough to use with toddlers who are just beginning to listen to real stories, but the rhyme, rhythm, and attractive illustrations on lime-green backgrounds will also appeal to older preschoolers and even beginning readers. (Picture book. 2-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
