The Snowy Nap

August 13, 2018
In this fetching companion to The Hat, autumn gives way to winter on young Lisa’s Danish island farm, where her woodland friend Hedgie decides he’ll “just take a last ramble” before hibernating. Hedgie’s eyelids droop as his barnyard pals bid him adieu—pointedly mentioning what he will miss (“We’ll think of you as we play slip and slide across the pond ice,” the geese honk). Enchanted by predictions of icicles, snowmen, and sleigh bells, Hedgie futilely tries to stave off sleep outside, and Lisa rescues the frozen animal and brings him indoors. Nestled in a tea cozy, Hedgie watches the seasonal frolics from a window until, satisfied that he has “truly seen winter,” he falls into a deep sleep, and the compassionate girl returns him to his burrow, whispering, “You belong in the wild.” Brett’s trademark patterned borders both supplement and forecast the action playing out in meticulously detailed scenarios. The author brings her winsome tale to a wry close as Hedgie’s not-at-all-sleepy friends pay Lisa a surprise visit. Ages 4–8.

September 1, 2018
A hedgehog tries to stay awake for winter.It's almost time to hibernate, and Hedgie means to. But as he sniffs the chilly wind, farmyard animals taunt him about what he'll miss. The hens' coop will be "bedazzled by icicles"; the geese will joyfully "slip and slide across the pond ice"; the pony will pull a sleigh; snowflakes will fall, no two alike. The animals heckling Hedgie--hens, geese, sheep, pigs, a billy goat, a pony--are drawn with fine lines, hatchings, and textures. Because their faces are mostly realistic with only faint hints of anthropomorphism, their needling is subtle; some readers may hear their points as merely informative. Either way, Hedgie's seized by FOMO: He decides to stay awake. When he accidentally nods off, farm girl Lisa brings him indoors and places him in a tea cozy on a windowsill. Nature will eventually run its course, but not before Hedgie finally glimpses "flowers of frost decorating his window," the chicken coop "sparkl[ing] like a palace," and Lisa pond-sliding with the geese. Brett's watercolor-and-gouache illustrations feature both soft and bright colors, with fine lines and copious textures to peruse; the borders are characteristically fussy (braided yarn, pinking-shears edging, oval insets) but not distractingly so. Between the opulent farmhouse with decorative plates on the walls, the sleigh with sleigh bells, and the lack of adults, combined with a comfortably heated interior, this is a winter idyll. Lisa presents white.Amiable. (Picture book. 4-7)

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October 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-Hedgie, first introduced in The Hat, is back, and this time he's determined not to hibernate over winter. The hens, geese, sheep, the billy goat, pig, and horse each come to bid him a good sleep, and promise to tell him about the fun of ice skating, snowmen, and sleigh bells when he awakens in the spring. Not wishing to miss all these and the beautiful blue of a winter sky, Hedgie stays out in the cold in hopes of staying awake. Luckily, the young farm child finds him dozing and brings him indoors to snuggle near a window so he can see all the festivities while warm. He finally nods off, and Lisa gently relocates him to his burrow in the wild. All the other animals have decided they want to view winter from a snug house. Brett's signature Scandinavian-style drawings include page borders reflecting the previous and upcoming action. VERDICT Inspired by her pet rabbit's interest in winter, Brett's storytelling finesse and delicately detailed illustrations remind us why she's so popular with children.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

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