So much snow

A striking die-cut paper-over-board cover, vertical orientation (with spine at the top of the book), and adventurous use of white space are only some of the characteristics that make this South Korean import so thrilling. The setting is established through a very brief text on the opening spread. "So much snow. It is starting to snow. I've never seen the snow fall like this. There's so much. So much snow!" From here the book is wordless; Park manipulates viewers' perspectives and expectations through the creative placement of two sweater-clad figures across snow-filled double-page spreads. The pair emerges from their snowed-under chalet and, through a combination of extensive digging and plowing, tunnel their way to the top of the deep snow. Comedy ensues in the form of an escalating snowball fight, along with what appear to be scenes of the duo struggling to push an invisible object across the blank white pages. Subsequent page-turns depict the pair taking a selfie in front of seemingly empty space and hauling a large triangular object up a tall ladder. A vertical gatefold reveals their humorous goal: to create a skyscraper-sized snowman. Park's digital illustrations confidently feature only two colors, yellow and blue; however, the use of nondelineated white to represent both positive space (such as a white snowball partially covering a character) and negative space (snowy backgrounds) in the same scenes creates an exciting visual dissonance that necessitates careful examination and rewards rereading. This boldly graphic picture book is as sophisticated as it is fun...and very cool. Patrick GallMarch/April 2023 p.50 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

What do you do when there's snow on top of snow on top of snow? You have a (snow)ball! Designed to be held vertically, this nearly wordless picture book challenges readers to reexamine the white space of the page as two humanoid figures dressed in bright yellow and deep blue emerge from their completely covered home into a snow-white world. The artistic choice of blanketing the page in white means that the protagonists' actions are often obscured. Their bodies disappear behind snowballs and snow boulders, and the white-on-white design means that readers must interpret some movements and actions, much like a person watching a mime show. This one will have children shivering with delight as they try to figure out the movements of a snowball fight or the act of building a colossal snow person--a well-placed gatefold proves just how colossal as what appears to be a yellow mountain is revealed as a mammoth carrot. Larger storytime groups may find the mostly spare illustrations difficult to see, but this one is clearly meant to be shared one-on-one or in smaller groups, and storytellers who feel comfortable engaging readers with open-ended questions and breaking for discussion will find this a blizzard of fun. The added detail of a die-cut cover creates an appealing look that will draw in curious readers. Characters' skin is blueish-gray. Brisk fun for everyone! (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.