Izzy, a white boy with messy brown hair in a blue sweater, red mittens, and a green and beige hat, likes to play in the snow. He makes a snowball, sparkling with little snowflakes, but when he starts to throw it the snowball objects! A smiling face with round nose appear on the snowball and they set out to enjoy other winter fun, along with Izzy's dachsund. Izzy names the snowball Larry and takes it home, but, of course, it starts to melt!
Izzy stores Larry in the freezer and Larry waits patiently until Izzy takes it out to check out spring, summer, and fall. Larry feels lucky to see each gorgeous season, but after a brief visit it has to go back into the freezer, to keep from melting. Finally, it's winter again and Larry can stay outside as long as Izzy wants as they play with all their snowflake friends.
The backmatter gives a simple explanation of the four seasons, assumed to be in a climate with snow, leaves changing color, etc. Another page talks about melting, solids, and liquids.
The art is collage and includes lots of bright colors. The same scene is repeated, but in different seasons so readers will see Izzy's yard in many different colors, with the full growth of summer, and in the bare chill of winter. Humor is added in gentle jokes about Larry in the freezer and the panic over him melting and returning to the freezer. Don't be surprised if kids want to make - and keep - their own snowballs after reading this book!
Verdict: An excellent preschool read-aloud with age-appropriate back matter about the seasons and melting. Use in a storytime or preschool classroom, or suggest to readers who like snow and want to learn more about the different seasons. If you live somewhere without the "traditional" four seasons, you could make collages of what your seasons look like and how they change.
ISBN: 9780823441051; Published September 2019 by Holiday House; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library
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