Emma's Magic Winter

by Jean Little, Jennifer Plecas (Illustrations)

A new friend? When Sally moves into the house next door, Emma's mom thinks it will be easy for the two girls to become friends. But Emma is so shy, she can barely even read out loud in school. Will Emma ever make friends with her new neighbor?

Genres: Picture Books, 1st Grade, Childrens

64 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

Jean Little is a Canadian author, born in Taiwan. Her work has mainly consisted of children's literature, but she has also written two autobiographies: Little by Little and Stars Come Out Within. Little has been partially blind since birth as a result of scars on her cornea and is frequently accompanied by a guide dog.

Reviews

[Nanny B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story with simple chapters.

[Nancy O'Toole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma's Magic Winter is the story of a young girl named Emma who has trouble reading aloud in school. Then she makes a new friend named Sally who teachers her how to find confidence. Emma's Magic Winter is a easy reader book with large font and simple yet colorful illustrations by Jennifer Plecas. This story of a biracial friendship is dealt with gently, with plenty of emphasis on fun and games during the winter. Instead of emphasizing how the two girls are different, she instead decides to explore the many things they have in common, such as their red “magic boots.” Insecure Emma is a character that many shy characters should be able to relate to quite well, while Sally is more confident. The sixty-four page book is broken up into brief chapters that cover specific incidents. The story ends on a positive note, as this “winter friendship” between Sally and Emma is able to extend into the spring.

NOTE- this review was written for a class

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh.My.Gosh. This book contains so many memories for me. It is the first 'Big Book' I ever read by myself when I was 4 (It had ACTUAL chapters!) I remember in my Pre-K class, I told the teacher I could read it, and she said my mother probably read it to me. As proof, I read the whole book out loud to my class. And thus began my love for chapter books. From what I can remember, it was really fun, and warm hearted. I loved the friendship between Emma and Sally, and how Emma could overcome her shyness with the help of a friend (Spoiler!!) . I read this over and over again, and would highly recommend this to any parent teaching their children how to read. Jean Little also writes great books for older children, such as From Anna, which I read for school in grade 6.

[Eric Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emma's Magic Winter is the story of a girl named Emma who becomes best friends with her new next-door neighbor, Sally. Over the course of the winter, the two girls overcome their shyness and their fear of school.

The book has very easy-to-read sentences and has short chapters of 3-4 pages each. It will make kids feel like they are reading their very first chapter book. Because it was written as an easy-reader, there is not a lot of emotion or depth in the writing, but kids will enjoy the story and feel proud of reading a book with chapters.

[Marissa Pezzullo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book very well, it was a quick read, and would be useful for teaching in a older classroom wen starting with chapter books. This book would also be useful when teaching about dialogue, because it is filled with it. This was a cute book that i could use to teach children about friendship, if I was to get a new student in the classroom or one new to the school.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story about making friends and being brave

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have yet to read this, but I have heard it is wonderful! On recommended book list

[WSL Library]

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[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a chapter book but an easy reading one. About two very shy little girls, but they each find friendship in each other and a way out of their shyness.