Review - One Snowy Morning

One Snowy Morning
by Kevin Tseng
illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte
Date: 2019
Publisher: Dial Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Two woodland friends spot a mysterious pile of snow decked out with funny objects which they put to use in unintended and highly original ways, proving that things are what you make of them

One morning, a squirrel and a chipmunk find the oddest things stuck in a giant pile of snow. Readers will recognize a snowman, but the two friends have their own ideas about what they've found. The top hat is a tall rowboat; the carrot nose is a rare dragon's tooth; and the mittens, of course, are fish puppets. The squirrel and the chipmunk wonder what all of these items are for -- and when they take them home, they figure out just what to do with them. The tall rowboat makes a perfect table; the rare dragon's tooth makes a delicious soup; and the fish puppets make amazing hats! They throw a dragon-tooth-soup party for all their friends, and the next morning they put (almost) everything back, nearly where they found it. Readers will still see a snowman, but they'll also see how the snowman can be so much more.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The premise of this book is super cute. Some forest critters find a snowman, but they don't understand what it is... and so they assign meaning to each of the objects found within it. The coal eyes are lumpy kickballs, the hat is a tall rowboat, and the carrot nose is a rare dragon tooth! When the animals think they've figured out what everything is for, they put those objects to use and have a party.

I don't want to say too much more about the plot for fear of ruining the ending (which made me chuckle). The interpretations of the various objects by the animals are fun and creative. It reminds me of an exercise we used to do in school where we'd have to come up with new interpretations for everyday objects.

The illustrations are cute, and the animals' friendships are sweet. The theme of imagination and creativity is a great one, and readers are likely to smile at the animals' unique interpretations of human objects.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 5/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 5/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4.33 out of 5