Too Much Snow

Christine Linge is a past director of the Toronto & District Parent
Co-operative Preschool Corporation and a freelance writer.

Ryan and Joshua are excited to discover huge mounds of snow outside
their window and rush outside to enjoy it. But there is too much snow to
move around to build a snowman; they sink when making angels; their
sleds get stuck in the drifts. Finally, they just jump into the snow,
wrestling and giggling. When only their hats are visible, their parents
come outside to pull them out. Mother says that they must wait until
tomorrow to play outside, because today there is just “too much
snow!”

This very simple tale is dedicated to Ryan and Joshua in memory of
“the never-ending winter of 1996.” One supposes that families in the
snow belt, or personal acquaintances of the author, may have sympathetic
memories of that snowy season evoked by this book, but most readers will
be left out in the cold. We learn that the children get snow on their
eyelashes; beyond that, the text fails to communicate any sensations of
deep winter. Although printed on lovely mottled-blue paper, the black
line drawings illustrate the plot action, but are not up to the task of
creating ambience. While some of Nella Zaccaria’s sketches demonstrate
a naive cuteness, others reflect an undeveloped technique.

In the same way that Grandma’s homemade preserves are the delight of
the whole family, but do not belong on the supermarket shelf, this book
is not a first-choice purchase.