________________ CM . . . . Volume XI Number 12 . . . .February 18, 2005

cover

Winter Friends.

Jean Stoick. Photographs by Carl R. Sams II.
Milford, MI: Carl R. Sams II Photography (Distributed by Scholastic Canada), 2003.
14 pp., board, $9.95.
ISBN 0-9671748-5-6.

Preschool-kindergarten / Ages 2-5.

Review by Sylvia Pantaleo.

***1/2 /4

   

 

Readers initially met the snowman and his feathered and furry friends portrayed in this 14-page board book in Stranger in the Woods. Those readers familiar with the author's multiple award-winning book Stranger in the Woods will recognize a few of the photographs in Winter Friends (e.g., the wordless double-page spread of the chickadee landing on the snowman's nose, and the deer carefully extracting the snowman's nose/carrot). Curious about the snowman, the birds, deer and squirrels quickly discover that his hat, gloves and face are sources of snacks. In the last beautiful photograph in the book, a squirrel appears to be kissing a miniature snowman as it carefully removes a nut from the snowman's smile.

     Young children will be charmed by the beautiful photographic and succinct textual (50 words) story about the woodland creatures and the snowman. Observant readers will note the differences in the snowman's appearance and apparel on various pages, as well as the three font colours that communicate meaning.

     Recipients of several awards, Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stock are professional wildlife photographers. Their work has appeared in numerous national and international publications including Nature's Best, National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Audubon, and National Wildlife.

Highly Recommended.

Sylvia Pantaleo is a language arts professor in the Faculty of Education, the University of Victoria in Victoria, BC.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
Hosted by the University of Manitoba.
 

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