It's So Cold on the Prairies.

Lynne Perras teaches communication arts at the University of Calgary.

Ted Stone has followed his previous book, Cowboy Logic: The Wit and
Wisdom of the West (1997), with a delightful look at North American
winters. The book, which consists of 56 observations about our coldest
season, begins with an introduction by the author and illustrator. This
is followed by a “Temperature Conversion Chart for the Climatically
Challenged,” which proves that the hardiest people are the prairie
dwellers—in sharp contrast to Californians, who “arrive on the
prairies wearing parkas and long underwear” when temperatures stand at
a balmy 4°C.

The balance of the book consists of a description of winter (or an
answer to the question “How cold is it?”) on one page followed by an
accompanying humorous illustration on the next. The comments cover
topics ranging from parenting (“It’s so cold on the prairies that by
the time you get your kids dressed to go outside at least one of them
will have to go to the bathroom”) to politics (It’s so cold on the
prairies that politicians are happy when their escapades land them in
hot water”).

This imaginative and whimsically illustrated book would make the
perfect stocking stuffer once that dreaded, but inevitable, winter
arrives.