Any Port In The Storm: Cozy by Jan Brett

Cozy was accustomed to being in a herd, surrounded by his whole family. In the coldest winter, the musk oxen always circle round the youngest, their long, silken coats flowing down to their hooves, to keep everyone safe and warm.

But in this storm, Cozy finds himself all alone. Or is he?

"... In a tussock, a mother lemming's pups were squeaking. "I'm cold, I'm cold, I'm cold." She used a triple carry to tunnel toward a new spot ... where they settled next to the towering mountain of fur. "Shhh...." she whispered. "Quiet voices, and that musk ox will never notice us."

Soon a snowshoe hare comes along and begs a spot beneath Cozy's fur. Cozy is glad for the company, and allows him in. But soon a snowy owl, caught in a mighty downdraft of icy wind, crash lands right into Cozy's head. Cozy grants the snowy white bird sanctuary, but knowing her dietary habits, he sets up house rules for his tenants:

"Quiet voices, no thumping, claws to yourself!"

As the frozen winter goes on, Cozy finds himself sheltering many more creatures of all kinds. Arctic fox and wolverine must promise "no biting," but then along comes a sea otter driving a team of sled dogs with a wolfish look about them. Cozy brandished his big horns and gives the whole group an order:

"Be mindful of others!"

But arctic winters are long. Cozy's tenants get restless and his house rules start to slip. One day when the growing lemmings are climbing up his fur, a big patch of it falls out! That means only one thing. It's spring, and it's time for everyone to check out of their winter digs under Cozy's big tent. He sets off to find his herd and is greeted happily by his family. But the departing lemmings have the last word--

"Meet you when the snow flies, Cozy!"

In a novel version of the "There's always room for one more" trope, Jan Brett has brought us one of her sweetly charming snow stories, illustrated beautifully in her trademark style of elaborate frames decorated with hints of what is to come, in her latest picture book, Cozy (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2020). Cozy's generosity is heartwarming, and the case of cabin fever that ensues in this story of "sheltering in place" will ring true to both adults and children waiting for spring through this winter. This is a totally timely tale, told by a master storyteller.  In their insightful review, Kirkus Reviews says, "This moving tale of gentle kindness serves as a clarion call for anyone searching for a book about creating your own community in times of trial."

They GO in the Snow! Small Walt and Mo the Tow by Elizabeth Verdick

A bitter blizzard,

A snowbound town!

Get ready, plows!

The lazy, hazy days of summer are gone; the snow is flying, and it's time for Small Walt the little snowplow and Big Gus, his crusty, trusty driver, to bestir themselves and hit the roads, which are now filling up with snow and freezing into ice--fast!

We're Gus and Walt.

We plow and salt.

We clear the snow

So cars can go.

Small Walt is a veteran now, with one big snow already under his fanbelt, and Gus has many a snowy season to boast of, so they proudly push the drifts aside and spread salt to melt the ice as they as they make their way about the town, cheerfully smooshing the slush.

But just ahead they helplessly watch a car swerving on an uncleared road and then...

FWUMP!

The car lurches off the road and down into the snowy woods.

Little Walt realizes that his snow scoop is not up to the job. It's not tough enough to get that car back on the road.

Who you gonna call?

MO THE TOW!

With a humma brumma hum, Mo arrives to scope out the situation.

But Sue, Mo's driver, sees that the ice is too slick. Mo's big tires can't get a grip! Even Mo can't go in icy snow!

What do they need? TEAM WORK!

Gus steers Walt carefully so that he can scoop the snow away and salt the area. And soon the way is open for Sue and Mo the Tow to do their job and get that car back on track!

It's Gus and Walt and Mo and Sue, the winning crew, in Elizabeth Verdick's second book in her series, Small Walt and Mo the Tow (Simon and Schuster, 2018). Ace artist Mark Rosenthall offers up jolly retro anthropomorphic illustrations of the doughty little snowplow who could, even if he sometimes gets by with a little help from his friends. He's a plow and salter who never falters, in a delightful new snow tale of working together. Mo and Walt and Gus and Sue are a trusty team of two vehicles who keep on truckin'. Share this one with Verdick's first Walt story, Small Walt, (read review here) for a pair of snowy day winter winners.

"Three dynamic duos: Gus and Walt; Sue and Mo; Verdick and Rosenthal,” says Kirkus in their starred review.

Hedgie's Hibernation: The Snowy Nap by Jan Brett

Hedgie sniffed the chill wind. "Snow is on the way," he thought.

"I'll just take a last ramble around the farm."

He didn't want to miss a moment.

The season is changing, and little Hedgie knows what hedgehogs do in winter. His eyelids are heavy. But like most youngsters, he's just not quite ready to sleep.

Hibernation can wait.

Meanwhile, his farm friends are full of stories of the wonders of winter that they can't wait for.

"We'll think of you as we play slip-and-slide across the pond. It's starting to freeze," honked the geese.

Billy Goat boasts that he's going to get to see Lise build her snowmen. Pig wishes that he could save some snowflakes for Hedgie to see. Pony proclaims that he's going to pull the sleigh for everyone to take a ride to see the woods full of snow and decorated with icicles.

That was the last straw! "I don't want to sleep all winter!" Hedgie protested.

"I want to see icicles, snowmen, snowballs and sleigh bells!"

Kind little Lise takes pity on the half-frozen Hedgie, bringing him inside and placing him snugly inside a tea cozy in a basket by the window. Drowsily, the little hedgehog watches all the wonders of winder--snowstorms, icy trees, frost-painted windows, snowballs and sleigh bells.

The little hedgehog experiences it all before at last Lise decides that the happy but hibernating little Hedgie is ready for his his own beddie-bye in his burrow for a long winter's nap, in Jan Brett's latest picture book, The Snowy Nap (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2018).

In this companion book to Brett's many winters' tales, the author again chooses an Scandinavian setting where winter is more than just a passing change of season, and again brings forth the beauty of the natural world in her iconic illustrative style. Unlike many of her wintry stories, in this one Brett abandons her usual bright red and green primary accents, for subtler soft and soothing secondary shades done in watercolors and gouache. Artist Brett does. however, offer her usual curvaceous frames, foreshadowing what happens with each page turn. This is a good change-of-season wintry story to share with Brett's The Hat or any of her several Christmas tales. And for another happy hibernation tale, pair this one with Karma Wilson's Bear Snores On (Storytown).