Willow and the Snow Day Dance

PreS-Gr 2—The girl with the "Pollyanna-can-do" attitude introduced in Willow (Sleeping Bear, 2008) returns in this picture book. New in a neighborhood inhabited by dour and off-putting Mr. Larch, she blithely settles in, asking neighbors for seedlings for her garden, sharing its produce, soliciting donations for the school's hat-and-mitten drive and, finally, during a warm winter, asking for her neighbors' help in getting snow. She receives an anonymous note in return, with a series of silly instructions that she is asked to share widely to get results. Sure enough, the next forecast for snow results in children and adults dancing, taping pennies to doors, and wearing pajamas inside out and backwards as they hope for some precipitation. The next morning dawns to a snow day, and a now-smiling Mr. Larch is revealed as the man behind the note. The bright watercolor and pencil illustrations echo the mood of the upbeat, wiggly-haired protagonist. This longish story can be shared one-on-one or read independently. Kids will find inspiration in their own power to make changes after reading about the resilient Willow.—Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI