Snow Day!

by Barbara M. Joosse

What do you do on a snow day? If you are an energetic little boy with a zippy little dog, you get up early, make your own breakfast of powdered sugar on bread, then go outside to play in piles of clean snow. Soon the rest of the family comes out to join the fun.... Joosse's lively descriptions are at times poetic and often humorous. The colorful cartoon-style illustrations help to express the joy and exuberance of this day off from work and school. A delightful picture book that could be used for whole-language units on snow or families, and as a good read-aloud for its expressive language.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Family

31 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

[Author also goes by the name Barbara Joosse.]

Barbara M. Joosse has written many books for children. Among them are Mama, Do You Love Me?, illustrated by Barbara Lavallee; and I Love You the Purplest, illustrated by Mary Whyte. She says, "When I was a little girl, I wished for two things — a best friend, and something so ferocious it would scare away the monsters under my bed. And so I have written Lovabye Dragon. I think maybe it’s for little me." Barbara Josse lives in Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good snow day story for all ages.

[Chloe DeRocker · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. Awards the book has received: none

2. Appropriate grade levels: Pre-k to 2nd grade

3. Original summary: Robby wakes up one winter morning to find that his yard has become covered with heaps of snow! Robby excitedly wakes up his sister, Louise, and together they listen to the radio hoping for a school cancellation. Finally the radio announcer mentions their school; it's a snow day!

4. Original review: This book is a pretty accurate representation of what a snow day is like for elementary school kids. Robby and his family are relatable and spend their day doing many of the things I did when I was a kid. There was one section of the book that was a little strange where the dad wants to have a snow fight between "men" and "women." I thought the word choice here was a little weird considering most of the characters are children.

5. Possible in-class uses: I can see this book being used as a quick read for enjoyment on a day before a big snowstorm.
I can also see this book being used as a gift for students over the winter break to keep them reading and engaged in school work while on vacation.

[Melinda Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about what every child dreams of: snow day! It follows a little boy and his dog who play in the snow excitedly. Finally, they get the rest of the family involved for an exciting day together.

[Zaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dddedffxz

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little boy is excited for a snow day, but for the time being he is the only one who wants to play in the snow. The family soon joins.

Lovely story.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read about a family's fun on a snow day. Great read aloud for younger readers.

[Blanca R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book parent can read to children a day when is snowing and they have to stay home because help children to play outside with the snow.
LE: Ask each child to talk about their experience with playing with snow.

[Sandybear76]

This book was a little longer than I usually read to preschoolers but they enjoyed it, especially since we recently had our first snow day of the school year.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

uses: Realistic Fiction Picture Books with grade 3

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picture book about how exciting it was as a child to wake up and hear you are off school because of said snow. How appropriate having our first snow just recently this year,

[Grayson Burke]

This book is about a boy named Robby who gets school canceled for a school day. The book tells us about his day and what fun stuff he does outside in the snow on his day off.