Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A young boy anticipates the arrival of a snowstorm bearing gifts: days without school. "Wonderful, amazing, we-can't-go snow." Laminack generates the increasingly hopeful energy to a fever pitch: "No alarm clock ringing. No one saying, 'Time to get up.' No one shouting, 'Hurry or you'll be late!' No school!" He'll snuggle with his family under a blanket and drink hot chocolate and watch TV. And they'll hit the slopes and sled. And they'll build a snow fort with a zillion snowballs and a snowman. Maybe read a book, too. Gustavson creates a festive mood with his oil illustrations, so luxurious and ample they feel like bundles of winter clothing, topped with bright scarves. Then it's off to bed with the same relish that attends Christmas Eve. Except, Christmas is never a no-show, like the great blows the hyperventilating weather forecasters predict. No time to deflate, though—got to get ready for school. Here Laminack throws in his sweet twist: It isn't the young boy narrating but the father. "I can't be late! I'm the teacher!" Should have known. What kid ever heard an alarm clock? (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

After hearing the weatherman forecast snow, two young children gleefully fantasize about various activities they can do if it snows enough to close school. Each activity snuggling on the sofa with hot chocolate, building a snow fort filled with a zillion snowballs, sledding seems to include their father. Unfortunately, the snow doesn't appear, leaving the family members rushing through their morning routines so as not to be late for school. Then comes the surprise: the narrator is the father, who happens to be a teacher. The illustrations, in muted oils, show the jubilant family anticipating the snow and the activities that they would undertake. The figures fill the pages giving a sense of intimacy, and the scenes are viewed from a variety of perspectives, adding to the excitement and chaos. Children (and parents) will identify with the strong wish for a day away from the routine, as well as the mad rush when things don't pan out.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2007 Booklist

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

K-Gr 3-As a father cooks, a brother and sister watch TV, gleefully celebrating when the weatherman predicts an overnight snow. The unidentified first-person narrator contemplates the possibility of a snow day, describing plans to cuddle on the sofa, go sledding, build a snow fort, and read. However, the expected snowfall does not occur, and as the family members hurry to get ready for school, readers discover that the narrator is actually the father, who is a teacher. Unfortunately, the surprise ending, which is reminiscent of Julie Danneberg's First Day Jitters (Charlesbridge, 2000), does not carry the book. Because the snow play is predicted rather than experienced, the story offers few of the sensory descriptions of wonder found in many titles on this topic. Gustavson's sumptuous oil paintings bring life to the spare text. The mostly two-page illustrations are rich in color, texture, perspective, and kinesthetic energy. Stick with titles such as Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day (Viking, 1962), Uri Shulevitz's Snow (Farrar, 1998), Will Hubbell's Snow Day Dance (Albert Whitman, 2005), and Lynn Rae Perkins's Snow Music (Greenwillow, 2003) to celebrate the season.-Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.