(2) K-3 What is a house if it isn't shared? A "house-sprite" named Noa (with a charmingly acorn-shaped head) can find anything in his cliffside abode but the one thing he wants most: friends. Frustrated by his lonely life, he heads out into a blizzard to look for a new house with friends in it. A cold wind sweeps his hat away and onto the toes of a trapped creature. After a swift rescue, Noa exclaims: "I found a bear! I've never found a bear before. What do bears do? What do they like?" Berries, Bear declares, and the two march on in search of a home with both berries and friends. A yellow haystack beaming in a snowy field provides them with a warm reprieve and a sneezy friend, Ferret; then another companion, Wolf. Though the group journeys through snow, rain, and wind, a sense of coziness permeates the tale. The characters each learn a little bit more about themselves and much more about one another until they come upon someplace familiar. Hand-drawn illustrations and text refrains about what animals like and do imbue the narrative with a folktale's sensibility. Weaving humor with sincerity, Bourgonje crafts a winsome and heartfelt story that feels like home.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2034

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Giselle Potter. he Potter mother-daughter team tells the true story of Togo, an exceptional Siberian husky owned by the musher Leonhard Seppala of Nome, Alaska. An accessible text recounts Togo's somewhat tumultuous beginnings. Ultimately, Seppala made him the lead dog of his sled team hauling cargoes of food and mail. In January 1925, when Togo was almost twelve, an outbreak of diphtheria in Nome coincided with a "blasting" blizzard. Families were desperate to get medicine, and the town knew their only hope was the sled dogs. In a carefully planned relay, one hundred fifty dogs would cover the 674-mile route between Nome and Anchorage. Seppala's team, with Togo in the lead, traveled the hardest and longest part of the race, over two hundred fifty miles. "He steered his team along jagged ice-capped slopes and led them up and over a five-thousand-foot mountain pass!" The book emphasizes the role that Togo's intelligence and bravery played in the serum's record-time arrival, which saved the lives of many children. Milisande Potter crafts an exciting story and deftly weaves the history of the Serum Run of 1925 into one canine hero's tale. Giselle Potter, using ink and watercolor, perfectly captures Togo's clear-sighted determination and fearlessness. Appended with an author's note and sources.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) 4-6 Perigee arrives for a visit at their grandmother's house with their father in the middle of a snowstorm. The visit has a serious purpose. Only-child Perigee feels responsible for their dad (we surmise from his behavior that he is depressed) and hopes that a reconciliation between father and grandmother will solve the problem. From this solemn, realistic opening, the tone of the story and its action quickly morph into a rambunctious fun fair as the house, the "Eklunds' Puzzle House," built by Perigee's grandmother and her late husband as a themed bed and breakfast, takes over as the antagonist. This house, which has consciousness, agency, and its own first-person voice in the text, orchestrates a wide variety of puzzles, games, and mischief, including rhyming riddles, pinball machines, combination locks, anagrams, Morse code, sliding tile puzzles, dominoes, and labyrinths. (In a detail of homage Reese references Ellen Raskin's iconic The Westing Game.) Perigee and their pal Lily use creativity, gumption, logic, and smarts to outwit the house, soften their grandmother's heart, and broker peace between the generations. This romp suggests a warm welcome to readers who like their mysteries cerebral but who also appreciate a collapsing staircase or two.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Leah Hong. In search of the Christmas spirit, young mouse Hugo sneaks downstairs on Christmas Eve to see the tree decorated by their house's human resident, William. But it hasn't been, because a snowstorm has left the elderly man alone for Christmas. William catches but releases Hugo, who enlists his own large family's help in secretly decorating William's tree, and then they all celebrate together. Underwood's traditional story requires extra suspension of disbelief regarding the human-mouse interactions, but its focus on simple acts of kindness is entirely fitting for the holiday. Hong's detailed gouache and colored-pencil illustrations on watercolor paper depict heartwarming scenes of clothed mice engaging in domestic activities.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) K-3 When a blizzard forces the branch library (appropriately operating out of a tree) to close early, a little story-loving mouse named Hubert opts to "take a shortcut home through the hollow...even though it was spooky." The soft art uses line and color to convey mood and atmosphere. Hubert looks especially small and powerless,­ standing at the wooded entrance to the hollow as the storm blusters around him. The snow drifts are deep, and the dark trees appear to have contorted faces. And then, a stranger--taller, sleeker, with a bushy tail peeking out of the bottom of her long pink coat--steps out from behind a tree and offers her hand to Hubert. Spare text tracks their progress through the hollow, while the illustrations tell a more dramatic story. Faces leer at them, Hubert nearly slips into a chasm, and the landscape itself begins to look like a family of giant, sleepy bears. A wordless double gatefold primarily in black and white provides scale and brings the bears, now wide awake, to life--and the biggest one looks irritated. Once Hubert and his protector reach safety, they part ways; but when the mouse looks back, he only sees one set of footprints. Like Hubert, readers can make the tale their own and decide what really happened on that strange and precarious trip. A map in the front of the book shows Hubert's path, along with some fantastical details from this story (and perhaps others).

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Kris Easler. It's Hanukkah, and the Menashe family is stuck at home during a blizzard in this picture-book reissue, with new illustrations and an updated text. The family is out of apples, and their potatoes are buried under the snow. As the snow keeps falling throughout the holiday and the lack of food becomes more serious, a cat and then a dog arrive in need of help--and ultimately lead the family to discoveries that feel miraculous...and are definitely delicious. The tale of generosity rewarded draws readers (and listeners) in with a storyteller's cadence, and the mixed-media illustrations show deep-blue winter nights and warm, glowing family scenes. Back matter gives more information about various elements of Hanukkah.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) 4-6 A car accident during a blizzard strands twelve-year-old Willow's family in tiny Kismet, Maine, for days. As Willow gets to know the townspeople, she discovers a secret: they eat berries from a magic bush to see the next day's events in their dreams. Duble populates her story with well-rounded adult and child characters, and the book's fate-versus-free-will theme is handled in a child-friendly and realistic manner.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Maëlle Doliveux. Near the end of wintertime, the wind--personified in striking illustrations as a large blue body affixed with different-colored and -textured strips of paper--unsuccessfully seeks a place to rest. Increasingly frustrated, Wind unleashes a blizzard that frightens a girl's brother. She stands up to Wind before finding it an out-of-the-way resting spot. Readers should appreciate the youngsters' cleverness, problem-solving abilities, and empathy in this story inspired by a Yiddish-language tale.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Douglas Holgate. In this entertaining fourth Last Kids on Earth book, Jack plans a makeshift Christmas celebration to cheer up his snowbound friends (and fellow monster-apocalypse survivors). But then a new human villainess kidnaps Jack's friend Dirk for a ritual sacrifice, and Jack and company must prevent her from summoning an evil extra-dimensional entity. Dynamic comic book–style illustrations featured throughout once again support the story's well-rounded characters, humor, and action.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(2) YA Only an anti-anxiety medication and a rigid routine keep the "howling demon" of Elliot's fear at bay. When his mother goes out into a Christmas Eve blizzard for his medication and does not return, Elliot must venture out into the snow. The heart of this novel--a meditation on Elliot's relationship to fear as it paralyzes him, protects him, and eventually propels him to find courage--is compelling.

Reviewer: Christina L. Dobbs | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler. When a blizzard strands a young boy at home with his parents and little brother (a.k.a. "the scallywag") on the eve of his school report on Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, he reimagines his family as a restless ice-bound crew. Ebbeler's humorous and evocative illustrations complement the pitch-perfect tone of the entertaining log-style text. An author's note and supplementary information about Shackleton are appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 In the thirteenth Wimpy Kid installment, Greg suffers through a snowy winter. Smaller escapades featuring pizza-box snowshoes and hiding from the mysterious Goat Man lead up to the grand finale: an all-out snow battle between the Upper Surry Street and Lower Surry Street kids. As usual, the abundant middle-school humor is amplified by Kinney's stick-figure cartoons.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) K-3 When chipmunk Izzy receives Bear's note ("Please come at once!"), she braves heavy snowfall until squirrel Scritch relieves her with a piggyback ride; when Scritch tires, duck Bingle lends a wing, etc. Readers who don't question the advisability of characters risking Izzy's safety to pull off her surprise birthday party will enjoy the friends' mutual devotion and Lies's charmingly old-fashioned acrylic paintings.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. Illustrated by Maddie Frost. A legendary 1888 blizzard illustrates the power of winter storms and sets the context for explanations about atmospheric conditions that cause extreme weather as well as the physical science that leads to large amounts of precipitation and high winds. Friendly illustrations of families and animals in the snow are mainly decorative, though a few additional diagrams illustrate the science. Winter-weather journaling tips are included. Glos.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) YA Desperate to get home for the anniversary of her best friend's accidental death, Ryn is trapped in the Denver airport by a blizzard on New Year's Eve. Swoon-worthy stranger Xander draws Ryn out of her anxious bubble and into a variety of unexpected airport exploits. This funny and rollicking romance has a colorful cast of side characters, genuine emotional heft, and a strong voice.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Qin Leng. Two bundled-up bear brothers seek shelter from a blizzard. The other animals, ensconced in their comfortable homes, refuse to house the strangers, but a young fox takes pity and gives them a lantern. The bears build a humble snow shelter, and when the fox family's home collapses, Little Fox's generosity is repaid. Expressive pen-and-ink and watercolor drawings deepen this quiet fable, translated from the French.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(1) K-3 A child carries a lost wolf pup to its family during a blizzard. The wolves repay the favor, staying with the exhausted child and howling until, guided by the wolves' cries, the child's parents arrive. The pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations balance detail and emotion. Hand-lettered sound effects in this otherwise wordless story support the cinematic feel created through varying perspectives and loosely demarcated panels.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(4) YA Day of Disaster series. These fictional stories pose the question: when disaster strikes, would you survive? An unsuspecting family or group of friends must work together to endure nature's challenge, whether it be an earthquake (Aftershock), blizzard (Freeze), or tsunami (Water). Wide margins and easy prose make the formulaic stories accessible to hi-lo readers, but they should also appeal to fans of survival narratives. There are three other spring 2017 books in this series. Review covers these Day of Disaster titles: Aftershock, Deep Freeze, and Wall of Water.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(4) K-3 X-Books: Weather series. These somewhat scattershot but browsable volumes combine history and meteorology with maps, statistics, and embellished photographs. Each book contains a countdown of the "Top Five Xtreme" examples of the weather phenomenon (or meteorological tool in Forecasting), with explanations of the science behind them. Cluttered layouts and occasional difficult-to-read spiral and vertical text detract from the information-packed presentations. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these X-Books: Weather titles: Clouds, Forecasting, Hurricanes, Snow, Thunderstorms, and Tornadoes.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) 4-6 A blizzard hits Sloan's remote Alaskan community. One resident is injured, necessitating medical attention, so six people, including Sloan, set out for help. But a wolf pack is tracking them... The characters and their relationships are complicated by interwoven histories. A tense survival plot, vivid setting, and the realities of wilderness ecology make this a harrowing and emotionally resonant story.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin