Brrr!

by James Stevenson

When Maryann and Louie complain about the cold and snow, Grandpa tells them about the really cold winter of 1908

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1991

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads databse.

Reviews

[~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I FORGOT AB THIS

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

January 2018 - a new favorite, Ben digs the tall-tale humor and the excessive snow. Lots of fun to read aloud.

[Amy Seto · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s snowing again and Mary Ann and Louie are so sick of the cold and the snow. But Grandpa says he hasn’t even noticed the cold and begins to tell them the story of how cold it was in the winter of 1908 when Grandpa and his little brother, Wainey, were young. It was so cold Wainey’s sneezes froze. So snowy that the streets were covered and the trees and even the houses, right up to the chimneys! The brothers went sledding and got lost on their way home. After a series of outrageous snowy adventures, Grandpa and Wainey found their house, but it was completely covered with ice! So Grandpa whispered something to Wainey and Wainey cried so loudly that the ice cracked. And what did Grandpa whisper to his brother? “Well, I hated to do it, but I whispered, ‘I guess you’ll never have ice cream again!’” Luckily at that moment Uncle Wainey walks in the door with ice cream for everyone!

This tall tale is as brisk as a winter day. The comedic timing is stellar, especially little Wainey’s frequent crying spells, “WAH!” The story is laid out in panels, much like a comic strip, and Stevenson’s loose, cartoonish style fits the humorous tone and layout. The illustrations are a combination of pen and ink and watercolor washes. The story is composed of dialogue and sound effects, such as the “Plink! Plunk! Plonk!” of Wainey’s head hitting the icicles on the barn. Most of the dialogue is handwritten and presented in speech bubbles with the exceptions of some of Grandpa’s narration during the flashback sequences. It seems that the flashbacks are taken place in Mary Ann and Louie’s mind, rather than Grandpa’s, because young Grandpa and Wainey have tiny black mustaches that mimic the bushy white ones they have as old men.

Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...

[Lillie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite part: When Wainey says, "WAAH!" and cracks the ice off all the houses! AND when they see Uncle Wainey and he wants to eat some ice cream! And Wainey is a funny, really funny name!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grandpa tells some tall tales of winter in his childhood. Theo really liked the craziness of the stories, though it's not my favorite.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book with all of the trimmings - terrific characters, a hysterical plot and a satisfyingly sweet ending.