Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this gentle tale of serendipity, originally published in the U.K., the paths of a child and a newly formed snowflake converge for some holiday sparkle. Noelle, a white girl with dot eyes bundled in a red parka and chunky blue knit cap, dreams of a Christmas tree like the brightly decorated one she and her grandfather, Pappie, and their dog admire in a storefront window on their walk home. Inspired, she transforms a stray branch from the sidewalk into a decorated little tree outside her own window, but it's still missing something. That same winter's night, a tiny, dot-eyed snowflake begins her descent--twisting and tumbling, anxiously seeking the best place to land. Davies's prose has an elegant simplicity ("The snowflake fell over tree-dotted hillsides./ She drifted over valleys and streams./ She hoped she would soon stop falling") as sweeping digital spreads ensure that readers will continue turning the pages of this quietly satisfying narrative. Ages 4--8. (Sept.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
A new snowflake falling from the clouds wonders, worriedly, where she'll land. The wind carries her past an elaborately adorned Christmas tree ("Oh, to be the star on that glistening little tree!"), which a little girl, Noelle, also sees and wishes were hers. Instead, with her grandpa, Noelle decorates a small branch and places it outside their modest home, hoping it will "soon be covered with real snow." A storm that night brings girl and snowflake together, giving each exactly what she desires. Davies's petite white (anthropomorphized) snowflake stands out against the blues of the frosty winter scenes; the loving intergenerational human relationship radiates warmth. Varied page layouts effectively propel this sweet and quiet tale. Cynthia K. Ritter November/December 2021 p.19(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The stories of a snowflake and a girl named Noelle collide when the snowflake lands on Earth. When the snowflake first starts falling, she resists. A cloud assures her that falling is what she is made for, but the snowflake doesn't want to. Meanwhile, far away, a White girl named Noelle walks home with her grandpa, wondering if it will snow. The snowflake continues to tumble through the air, whisked onward by the wind, passing streams and then buildings with windows, including one with a tree topped with a brightly gleaming star that catches her attention. The snowflake longs to be that star. Walking through town, Noelle sees the tree too and wishes she could have one like it. Instead, she finds a branch. While the snowflake keeps flying through the wind, passing other snowflakes, Noelle decorates her little branch as a tree and sets it outside on her windowsill. She goes to bed still hoping for snow, and by morning, both Noelle and the snowflake have found their wishes come true. The sweet, gentle illustrations use a varied blue palette dotted with pink, yellow, and red to draw readers into the cold winter nights of the "town nestled between the hills." The anthropomorphic snowflake and hopeful Noelle are equally endearing, and their joined resolution feels just right. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Hope and patience are rewarded in this cozy holiday tale. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
