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The Biggest, Best Snowman
by Margery Cuyler.
Scholastic Press, 1998
Margery Cuyler's story of a snowman is really a story about big and little and how a little girl finds a place in just the right scale for her. Nell seems small inside her house, overshadowed by her mother and sisters. But when sh moves outside, she enters a natural world that can accommodate any size.
Nothing is too big or small here and Will underscores its benevolence in the tea and cupcake party that Nell holds with her friends Hare, Reindeer, and Bear Cub. As the four friends roll snowballs, Nell emerges from crouched position in a hollow tree to open-armed triumph on top of the snowman.
Even her sister Big Lizzie with her dark glasses, crossed arms, and slouching attitude, must acknowledge her accomplishment. Will uses snow flurries to enhance the innocence and natural beauty of the story; it is as if the reader watches through a snow globe that has just been shaken. The strong left-to-right movement is punctuated by a clever message in the snow that readers will delight in deciphering.
Reviews
Publisher's Weekly, starred review
As crisp and delicately patterned as a snowflake, Cuyler's tale brims with rhyming words... and recurring phrases... with which children will gleefully chime in.... She explores larger themes such as a child's yearning to feel significant and the value of cooperation within the cozy context of family and friendship.
From Kirkus Reviews , November 1, 1998
This funny winter's tale from Cuyler features a girl who needs a boost of confidence to get past the teasing of her overwhelming, overbearing mother and sisters. When Little Nell asks if she can help prepare for a party being given by BIG Mama, BIG Sarah, and BIG Lizzie, she is turned down:
"No, you can't. You're too small.''
"Yes, I can, and no, I'm not.''
"No, you can't, and yes, you are!''
Little Nell takes refuge in the woods that surround her house, where her forest pals--Bear, Hare, and Reindeerprovide the support that is absent on the home front. They combine forces to build a BIG snowman, which towers like a colossus in the snowy woods.
It even impresses her dismissive mother and BIG sister Sarah when Little Nell brings them to see her achievement. BIG Lizzie adds a note of sibling realism, by sticking "her BIG nose in the air--HMMPH!''
Hillenbrand's comic exaggerations put both the characters and the landscape powerfully in place. (Picture book. 4-7) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
by Margery Cuyler.
Scholastic Press, 1998
Margery Cuyler's story of a snowman is really a story about big and little and how a little girl finds a place in just the right scale for her. Nell seems small inside her house, overshadowed by her mother and sisters. But when sh moves outside, she enters a natural world that can accommodate any size.
Nothing is too big or small here and Will underscores its benevolence in the tea and cupcake party that Nell holds with her friends Hare, Reindeer, and Bear Cub. As the four friends roll snowballs, Nell emerges from crouched position in a hollow tree to open-armed triumph on top of the snowman.
Even her sister Big Lizzie with her dark glasses, crossed arms, and slouching attitude, must acknowledge her accomplishment. Will uses snow flurries to enhance the innocence and natural beauty of the story; it is as if the reader watches through a snow globe that has just been shaken. The strong left-to-right movement is punctuated by a clever message in the snow that readers will delight in deciphering.
Reviews
Publisher's Weekly, starred review
As crisp and delicately patterned as a snowflake, Cuyler's tale brims with rhyming words... and recurring phrases... with which children will gleefully chime in.... She explores larger themes such as a child's yearning to feel significant and the value of cooperation within the cozy context of family and friendship.
From Kirkus Reviews , November 1, 1998
This funny winter's tale from Cuyler features a girl who needs a boost of confidence to get past the teasing of her overwhelming, overbearing mother and sisters. When Little Nell asks if she can help prepare for a party being given by BIG Mama, BIG Sarah, and BIG Lizzie, she is turned down:
"No, you can't. You're too small.''
"Yes, I can, and no, I'm not.''
"No, you can't, and yes, you are!''
Little Nell takes refuge in the woods that surround her house, where her forest pals--Bear, Hare, and Reindeerprovide the support that is absent on the home front. They combine forces to build a BIG snowman, which towers like a colossus in the snowy woods.
It even impresses her dismissive mother and BIG sister Sarah when Little Nell brings them to see her achievement. BIG Lizzie adds a note of sibling realism, by sticking "her BIG nose in the air--HMMPH!''
Hillenbrand's comic exaggerations put both the characters and the landscape powerfully in place. (Picture book. 4-7) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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