Holly Pond Hill: Oliver's Red Toboggan

by Paul F. Kortepeter, Susan Wheeler (Illustrator)

Oliver and Emily Boxwood are thrilled to wake up on a snow-down-your-neck day, a play-till-your-toes-are-froze day! After school is canceled, they set off to Windy Hill to try out Oliver's new red toboggan. With youthful enthusiasm and single-minded focus, the bunnies are oblivious to the fact that many animals' homes were damaged in the storm. Oliver has a hard time sharing his prized sled, and Emily grumpily retaliates, pelting him with snowballs from her frozen fortress. At lunch, their mother's gentle reminder that "Sharing is a special pleasure… Giving makes for twice the treasure…" sinks in and they rise to the occasion by assisting the squirrels to rebuild their home.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

28 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2005

About the author

Paul F. Kortepeter grew up in the tea-drinking countries of Turkey and England. In the early 2000's, he collaborated with illustrator Susan Wheeler to create the Holly Pond Hill line of books and greeting cards to which he served as writer. He is now a teacher residing in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife Jenny and children.

Reviews

[Jaimie Flack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Checked this out be we have an Oliver and what a sweet surprise! It was an adorable story of two siblings not getting along and how they fix their problem. Gotta love a good character building book! Such a precious read aloud with my kiddos.

[Jeanette DeHaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book with a good moral!

[Misbah · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story about sharing. Oliver gets a new toboggan and doesn't skate it with his sister. When she doesn't share her snow castle he gets upset. They both decide to be nice and share with each other and a squirrel family that's homeless because of a storm.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a snow day for bunny siblings Oliver and Emily Boxwood, and they are excited to get outside. Oliver won’t share his toboggan, so Emily won’t let him into her snow castle. The misfortune of a homeless squirrel family brings them together and teaches the value of sharing to readers. The soft watercolor illustrations capture the expressions of real children and represent an idyllic, pastoral setting. The thick pages are embossed, creating wonderful texture on the snow and fur.
Comments: I recommend his book for one-on-one reading because the text is complex, but the story is appealing to younger children. It is a good story for teaching the value of sharing, as well as a good segue to discuss sibling rivalry. I like the illustrations and embossing very much; it is beautiful.