Luna and her polar bear friend (Bear) discover a beautiful gold flower growing in the snow. But when the flower fades, Bear goes on a search around the world for another to bring to Luna. It's only when he returns home that the true strength of their friendship is revealed.(goodreads summary)
Luna and her best friend Bear do everything together. When Bear shares a beautiful golden flower with Luna that he finds in the snow, she calls it her sunshine flower and wants to treasure it forever. Unfortunately, her special flower begins to wilt causing Luna's smile to fade as well. Bear tries everything to bring back her smile but with no prevail, he decides that he must set out to find her another one.
One look at the beautiful cover and I knew I was going to like this one. This simple story about friendship is not only sweet and cute but the illustrations added a special warm feeling to it. The spirit of their friendship is felt by its' gentle characters and soft warm colors on each page. I liked the expression Bear had while trying to get Luna to cheer up, either by being roly-poly in the snow or making a silly face. Bears determination to make Luna smile again reinforced how far friends go for each other when in need. When Bear returns with nothing, Luna has a special surprise of her own for him and that just being best friends is more important than anything else. A great story filled with true friendship and love for a cold winters day. I think this is a "just right book for ages 3-6.~
Title: A Flower in the Snow
Author: Tracey Corderoy, illustrated by Sophie Allsopp
Pub. Date: December 2012, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Genre: picture book
Hardcover, 32 pgs.
In this timeless picture book, a new reader trudges through deep snow with a mysterious suitcase in tow. He has something important to share with his faithful companion, who bolts ahead to wait at the top of a tall hill. Our small hero climbs higher and higher, until finally, he is there, too. Then he opens his suitcase ? click, click ? and soon the only sound in the world is the sound of him reading their very favorite book to the very last page?the very last word. (goodreads summary)
One snowy day, a boy and his dog are determined to reach the top of a very tall hill. He has his red sled, warm drinks, a crunchy snack and something very special waiting inside his suitcase for the two to share. When he makes it to the top, they play in the snow making snowballs, angels and a snow dog. The time finally arrives for him to open the case and inside is the best book waiting to read out loud to his faithful furry friend!
A nice story about a boy and his dog spending time together on a cold snowy day finding the perfect place to read a special book. The subtle watercolor illustrations stand out against the backdrop of a blanket of white snow, giving me a chill when I think about how cold and snowy it could be. The text is quite simple but sweet as the two share an adventure filled snow day enjoying the wonderful outdoors and special time together reading a book. Afterwards, the two embark on a downhill adventure home on their red sled making it a truly great day. I think this is a "just right book" for ages 3-6.~
Title: The Reader
Author: Amy Hest, illustrated by Lauren Castillo
picture book
Pub. date: October 2012, Amazon Children's Publishing
Hardcover, 32 pgs.
