'S No Go for Snow! No Snow for Christmas by Jill Kalz

FAWN BRAUN HAD NEVER BEEN SO WORRIED.

TOMORROW WAS CHRISTMAS EVE, AND ALL OF PFEFFERNUT COUNTY LAY BROWN, DULL, AND DUSTY.

Fawn is a fretter.

Apparently it's been a warm and dry fall in her little town on the prairie, and though the downtown diner and the dry goods store are decorated for the holiday, Fawn is in a funk because there's no snow in sight.

She's got a point. It's not your postcard-pretty scene.

DRY WEEDS POKED FROM THE DITCHES LIKE OLD BROOM BRISTLES...

Pfeffernut County is definitely lacking in winter wonderland awesomeness.

A STRAWMAN INSTEAD OF A SNOWMAN?

DIRT ANGELS INSTEAD OF SNOW ANGELS?

Fawn grumps to her mother about it. 'S no problem, Mom maintains.

"THE SNOW WILL COME WHEN IT'S READY."

The rest of the townspeople seem not too concerned, but Fawn is a proactivist.

She addresses the town meeting with her take on the big problem, pointing out that in her considered opinion, unless they act Christmas will skip right over the county and settle on their rival, Hoogledoo Falls.

Christmas will be a dust bust!

With intra-city status at stake, the mayor calls for a committee--a meeting at Fawn's family's farm to formulate action plans for snow-making.

The concerned citizens show up with their alternatives. Louie blows crushed chalk, flour, and powdered sugar on the ground, but Fawn finds it little better than the dust they already have to deal with. Farmer Cap and his bi-plane crop duster drop popcorn. Not soft and fluffy like snow, says Fawn. Other farmers roll out the combines and blow cotton balls and marshmallows all around. Fluffy, but not sparkly, Fawn scoffs. Little Lina blows bubbles. But not cold, Fawn complains.

But, as we know, in the way of stories, Christmas can come without a Santa Claus, without presents, and definitely without snow, and despite fussy Fawn, Christmas comes to Pfeffernut County right on time in Jill Kalz's No Snow for Christmas (Pfeffernut County) (Capstone, 2015) and it was. . .

...THE MERRIEST EVER SEEN!

Kalz's tale is a pointed little parable about being a perfectionist about Christmas, and artist Sahin Erbocak uses a variety of perspectives and some vintage scenes of farmhouses and two-toned, tail-finned Buicks to set the quaint rural scene as Fawn learns that she can count on Christmas even if it's a no go for the snow.

Share this one with a couple of the classics of calamitous Christmases threatened with a closing, Phyllis McGinley's The Year without a Santa Claus and Dr. Seuss's evergreen How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Classic Seuss).

Snow Trail Snow Tale: Blizzard by John Rocca

THE FIRST FLAKE FELL BEFORE RECESS.

From his desk, a boy spots the first flake through his school's tall windows. The excitement is palpable in the classroom, as the students hope that this will be the first big snow of the winter. Yea!

SCHOOL CLOSED EARLY.

The boy and his sister trudge home in the snow, already high up on their boots. By the next morning the snow is too deep for them to open their front door.

SO WE WENT OUT THE WINDOW!

The kids play in the snow until they are too tired and wet to have fun anymore, and they resort to cocoa and camping out before the stove. The boy bones up on blizzard lore, reading Arctic Survival.

As more snow days go by, the children begin to tire of snow play and the family begins to run out of their favorite foods. Without milk, their cocoa is not the same, and their snacks are down to raisins dug out of the back of the pantry.

Snowbound for six days, the boy decides that only a certified survivalist like himself is up to the task of resupplying the family larder. And... there is one more thing...

HE WAS THE ONLY ONE LIGHT ENOUGH TO WALK ON THE SNOW.

He suits up, fashions tennis rackets into snowshoes, and with a list of necessities (peanut butter, coffee!) and sled in tow, heads out to the store, stopping by the neighbors to see if they need anything.

It's a post-blizzard scene outside as the boy plods through the snow-obliterated streets. He is a Arctic explorer, stopping to make a snow angel, checking out an igloo some kids have built, getting into their snowball fight, and breaking a trail toward the store, which he is happy to find OPEN.

He's a celebrated returning hero when he drops off supplies at the neighbor's house and when he stomps into his own yard, his dog barks out a fanfare:WOOOFFF!

There's milk for the cocoa, coffee for his parents, and the next day brings a loud but welcome sound in the snow-deadened landscape.

"SNOWPLOWS!"

It's civilization at last for the snow-weary family in Caldecott artist John Rocco's personal memoir of the blizzard of 1978, in his latest, Blizzard (Hyperion Books, 2014). Telling the story primarily through his art, Rocco makes good use of a palette of wintry whites and hues of blue, providing a delightful fisheye lens view of the town's snowbound landscape on a four-page foldout painting. In Rocco's impressive illustrations, it's a child's dream of the biggest blizzard ever, with snow fun and seven days off from school to boot. Special touches, such as the day of the week shown cleverly on each page--Monday in careful cursive on the class blackboard, Tuesday written in the snow by squirrel tracks, Thursday spelled out in spilled raisins from the box---add touches of humor throughout. As Kirkus says "The Caldecott honoree's pencil, watercolor and digital paint illustrations are reminiscent of Steven Kellogg in their light and line and detail, and readers will pore over the pages as they vicariously live through a blizzard,"

Warm Welcome: Frozen: The Christmas Party by Andrea Posner

IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS!

ELSA USES HER MAGIC TO MAKE ICE SCULPTURES!

Since Elsa has invited the entire kingdom of Arendale to her party, everyone has to pitch in on the party prep. Anna provides the goodies, Sven helps decorate their tree, Kristoff prepares to perform the carols, and snowman Olaf bakes the cookies, while Elsa worries that he's getting too close to the oven for his own good. With presents all hidden away and the desserts all done, Elsa thinks it's time to chill out for a while.

"WE'VE WORKED HARD," ELSA TELLS ANNA.

"WE CAN HAVE SOME FUN!"

The royals and their retinue can't resist going outside for some snow time, and the princesses join forces in a grand snowball fight with the villagers who are already outside playing in the new snow.

"SISTERS ARE THE BEST!"

Andrea Posner's The Christmas Party (Disney Frozen) (Step into Reading) (Random House, 2014) offers early readers this Step Into Reading, Level 2 outing with the current most popular characters in the princess panoply. In addition to a sparkly cover and familiar illustrations by the Disney artists, this book boasts a bonus, eight pop-out ornaments featuring the Frozen gang for their readers' own Christmas tree decor.

For more glitzy holiday reading practice, stocking-stuff this one plus Victoria Kann's Pinkalicious: Merry Pinkmas! (Step into Reading, Level 2).

Under the Christmas Tree: I'll be Home for Christmas (Toot & Puddle) by Holly Hobbie

"My dear Toot," said the ancient aunt, "This is for you. It is my lucky nut."

And with that fortuitous gift the globe-trotting Toot is off for another adventure in far places. His autumn travels take him finally to Edinburgh, where, just as his plans turn toward Christmas back in Woodcock Pocket, Massachusetts, Mother Nature intervenes in his travel plans:

TO: Puddle
SUBJECT: Christmas

Puds!

Edinburgh is having an ice storm. All flights delayed. But don't decorate the tree without me. I'm on my way home...somehow.

Your pal,
Toot

P.S.: I'm full of Christmas spirit!

So while Puddles and Tulip are bringing home the tree and baking Toot's favorite fruitcake, Toot begins to make his way home. The first leg of the trip, via WorldWide Airways, finally takes off and, flying over a snowy Atlantic Ocean, lands at last in Boston, where everything is shut down because of the storm--trains, buses, and taxis. Resolutely, Toot trudges past Beacon Hill and across the Common, heading on through the night into the wooded countryside.

At home Puddles peers out the snowy window and worries how Toot can get possibly through the storm. Meanwhile Toot slogs on through the deep drifts until he cannot take another step and stops beneath a snowy tree. "I promised Puddles I would be home tonight," he frets.

Then hugging himself to keep warm, Puddles discovers his Aunt Peg's talisman in his pocket, and, clutching the lucky nut, whispers, "It's Christmas Eve. I wish I was home in Woodcock Pocket!"


And soon he is, as a passenger in an ornate passing sleigh driven by a jolly fur-clad driver. At the door of their cottage Puddles greets the weary traveler warmly, as always, and soon, dressed in their red flannel long johns, Toot at last joins Puddles in decorating the tree and sharing a late snack of homemade fruitcake before they turn in--to wait until morning for Santa's official visit.

Holly Hobbie's Toot & Puddle: I'll Be Home for Christmas Gift Set (Toot & Puddle (Mini)), featuring the now-famous NOGGIN television stars, one a adventurous traveler, the other a content stay-at-home, reunited for Christmas Eve, makes a great gift, especially in this special edition which includes two mini-plush figures of the porkers dressed in their monogrammed red longjohns with real drop-seat flaps.


And then there's also the brand-new tenth-anniversary edition of the pair's first episode, Toot & Puddle, and the wintry tale Toot & Puddle: Let It Snow (Toot and Puddle). Hobbie's seasonal treat is also available in its DVD version, as Toot & Puddle: I'll Be Home for Christmas.