Ladybug Girl and the Big Snow

PreS-Gr 1—Ladybug Girl and her trustworthy canine companion are back in this story about the joys of winter. Lulu wakes up to a magical morning outside her window: an unexpected blanket of snow. Dressing in her snow gear, she rushes outdoors with Bingo to find that all the trees, bushes, and grass look like giant frosted cakes. Lulu and Bingo play in the white wonderland, sculpting snow into various whimsical objects and imagining such things as a giant penguin, a snow castle, and a dragon soaring high above the glittery frozen land. The characters leap from spread to spread, and the text has amazing exuberance. Crisp and clean watercolor and line illustrations feature numerous chucklesome aspects, such as Lulu's varied facial expressions-from frustration to contentment. The images exemplify what the words need not explain-with just a little imagination the average snowflake can transform the familiar into a world full of wonder. Pair this with Leonid Gore's Danny's First Snow (S & S, 2007) for a wintry storytime treat.—Krista Welz, The North Bergen Public Library, NJ