First Snow

by Bomi Park

Overview

Look out. Now look up. From the sky one flake falls, then another. And just like that—it's snowing.

In this beautiful book from debut creator Bomi Park, a young girl wakes up to the year's first snowy day. From her initial glimpse out the window to her poignant adventures—rolling a snowman, making snow angels—the girl's quiet quests are ones all young readers will recognize. Simple, muted text and exquisite, evocative art conjure the excitement of a day spent exploring the wonder of snow—and the magic that, sometimes literally, such a day brings. As subtly joyful as a snow day itself, this book will find its home in the hearts of young adventurers everywhere.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452156767
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	09/06/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	31 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	2 - 4 Years

About the Author

Bomi Park lives in Seoul, South Korea. A student of piano, psychology, and architecture, she discovered drawing was a perfect way to communicate love to her family and friends. First Snow is her debut book.

Editorial Reviews

First Snow…is an assured and enchanting fantasy that reveals fresh secrets with each page turn…the narrative—carried forward in a few words and Park's meticulously observed, soft-focus illustrations—takes first one unexpected and altogether magical turn, then another, and another. What appears at the start to be a quiet little story proves in the end to be just the opposite: an inviting springboard to make-believe.

The New York Times Book Review - Leonard S. Marcus

07/25/2016
In her debut, Korean artist Park captures the quiet mystery of snow. A small child with rosy cheeks and straight hair stirs under her quilt as she hears a noise: “Pit, pit, pit against the window. Glistening, floating in the night.” Alone, she dresses in the velvety darkness and ventures outside, her red scarf the only note of color in the black-and-white spreads. White, canvaslike texture peeks through the black paint in places, mimicking the way bright surfaces catch small amounts of light in the darkness. Outside, the girl sets to work making a snowman, rolling a snowball along dense urban streets, through a field, and past an elevated train line. In the forest, she passes through a light-filled opening into a realm of snowy fantasy, arriving at a place where children rise into the sky to fly with the snowmen they’ve made. Then, just as quietly, reality returns. Park’s artwork recalls the child portraits of mid-20th-century artists like Eloise Wilkin, but gives them new dignity with a somber palette. Together with the spare, unobtrusive text, the images evoke an atmosphere of enchantment. Ages 2–4. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Imaginative."—Booklist

"Imaginative."—Booklist

"Evokes an atmosphere of enchantment."-Publishers Weekly

"Evokes an atmosphere of enchantment."-Publishers Weekly

"A delight."-School Library Journal

"A delight."-School Library Journal

"A quiet wonder."-The Horn Book Magazine

"A quiet wonder."-The Horn Book Magazine

"A sweetly minimal love letter to the white stuff."—Austin American-Statesman

"A sweetly minimal love letter to the white stuff."—Austin American-Statesman

"Magical, flowing and easy to read, and it succinctly captures the joy of a first snow."—Kid's Home Library, Creator's Syndicate

"Magical, flowing and easy to read, and it succinctly captures the joy of a first snow."—Kid's Home Library, Creator's Syndicate

"Readers will find themselves longing for the season's first snow, too."-Kirkus Reviews

"Readers will find themselves longing for the season's first snow, too."-Kirkus Reviews

"An assured and enchanting fantasy... an inviting springboard to make-believe."—The New York Times

"An assured and enchanting fantasy... an inviting springboard to make-believe."—The New York Times

From the Publisher

10/01/2016
Toddler-PreS—This story captivates from the start with "Shhhh, listen…do you hear something?" In this celebration of a first snow, a tiny girl awakens in the night and quickly dons her boots, coat, scarf, and hat before quietly slipping outside to form a snowball. She rolls the snowball out of town, into the countryside, and past woodland creatures before reaching her destination—an open area where dozens of children are creating snowmen. By this time the ball has become bigger than the girl. After she joins the others in creating snowpeople, magic happens when the page is turned. The simple narrative holds readers' interest while it moves from the familiar to the ethereal. The concise language and dreamy yet understandable images are perfect for toddlers. The artwork, in shades of black-and-white with accents of red, is reminiscent of the visuals in Akiko Miyakoshi's Tea Party in the Woods, although Park's images, mostly depicting nighttime scenes, are darker. VERDICT This quality picture book debut is a delight and just right to share one-on-one or in toddler storytime.—Gaye Hinchliff, King County Library System, WA

School Library Journal

2016-07-26
A little Korean child celebrates the titular first snow.Bundling up in a white snowsuit, red scarf, and white-and-red mittens, the child tiptoes out of the house in the dark of night to be joined by a young white puppy. “Pat, pat, pat. / Roll, roll, roll.” The child makes a snowball and rolls it along, under streetlamps and the moon, next to an elevated train track, and into the woods. Here, spreads that have been dominated by night-sky black dotted with fluffy, textured snowflakes turn dazzlingly white, with snow-covered trees and mountains as background. In wordless spreads, the protagonist, now dwarfed by the giant snowball, is joined by other bundled-up children, in gray and black with red accents, with giant balls of their own. Together, they make huge, smiling snowmen, both filling a vast plain and floating in the sky before the page turns, and, abruptly, all readers see is the lone, first child isolated in the right-hand corner of the spread with tongue out to catch the flakes. Another turn of the page reveals the backyard with a modest, red-mufflered snowman next to the doghouse, leaving readers to wonder how much of the adventure was real. In her debut, Seoul-based author/illustrator Park captures the magic of the first snow, her limited palette and textured canvas creating a soft, welcoming world. Readers will find themselves longing for the season’s first snow, too. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Review