Bramble and Maggie Snow day

*Starred Review* Maggie's family prepares for a big winter storm while her horse, Bramble, watches. That night, Bramble shoves her stall door open and trudges through the deep snow, relishing the exciting storm. She becomes a hero the next morning when she helps clear away the snowdrift that blocks her family's door. They all walk to nearby houses, enjoying the camaraderie of their neighbors, shoveling walkways, and gathering together for an impromptu feast around a fire. The story unfolds in three chapters: before, during, and after the storm. Writing short, effective sentences, Haas does a particularly good job of expressing the horse's point of view as fully as Maggie's. The girl knows that Bramble's long hair will keep her warm all night, but Maggie never guesses how the snow feels to Bramble: first the cold tickle of falling flakes, then the warmth of the blanket of snow on her back, and finally the pleasure of feeling stronger than the storm: It was just air and snowflakes. She was a horse. Lighting up every page, expressive gouache paintings feature rounded forms and rich colors that glow brilliantly against backdrops of white snow and blue-gray skies. From the Bramble and Maggie series, here's a beautifully crafted book for beginning readers.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2016 Booklist

In three transitional-reader chapters, Maggie and her horse Bramble prepare for a winter storm, weather the snowy night (Bramble gets outdoors via an unlatched gate), and help their neighbors dig out in the morning. Simple declarative sentences convey Bramble's charmingly naive horse observations and Maggie's true horse facts, while frisky gouache illustrations offer close-up views of the affectionate girl-horse relationship. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.