Review - Cozy

Cozy
by Jan Brett
Date: 2020
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

A group of clever animals find an unusual but warm and furry home during Alaska's long winter in Jan Brett's newest snowy adventure.

Cozy is the softest musk ox in Alaska, with the warmest fur you ever did feel. When a storm hits while he's separated from his family, he starts to feel lonely--but not for long. As the snow piles up, animals start to notice just how warm and cozy Cozy really is! One mama lemming has a bright idea . . . maybe the best place to spend the winter is under Cozy's fur!

As more and more animals burrow in, Cozy adds to the house rules: quiet voices, gentle thumping, claws to yourself, no biting, and no pouncing. That seems easy enough . . . until the lemmings, snowshoe hare, snowy owl, arctic fox, and wolverine begin to bicker. Luckily, signs of spring soon appear, and that means Cozy can find his herd and his new friends can head to their summer homes. But not before promising to get cozy with Cozy next year!

Jan Brett brings a new lovable character to life through this gorgeous tale of sharing, friendship, and living in harmony.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

There's nothing really wrong with Cozy... as long as you haven't read The Mitten. Sadly, Cozy is just a retelling of The Mitten... but with musk oxen. The formats are exactly the same. Each is a sort of cumulative story. Here, instead of animal after animal taking shelter in a dropped mitten, they take shelter in a musk ox's coat. Each page features one main spread with text and a large illustration, along with side panels that show which animal will be the next to join.

The illustrations are nice, and the writing is strong. If you really love The Mitten and want more books like it, you'll probably really enjoy Cozy. But if once was enough for this format, you might be a little underwhelmed like I was.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.16 out of 5