Perfect book for the weather right now! Brrrrrrr..... ( )

42 months - there are a lot of books about the cold and snow. Not sure this one was unique enough to stand out. ( )

This book is about the small town of Toby Mills and how they go through a major cold front. Day by day, the ice, the snow, the temperature kept getting worse and worse. The townspeople were out of ideas on how to raise the temperature of the town- everyone was FREEZING! Through the book, you see the town come together to think of ways that they can make Toby Mills go back to normal. At the end, they all climb up to the top of the mountain and make a MAJOR bonfire. This heats up the entire town and saves Toby Mills from their icy weather!

Genre: Fantasy

The illustrations really elevate this title from a fairly innocuous picture book to something more beautiful. The story tells the tale of a town experiencing a cold snap - it's getting colder and colder every day; the icicles are getting longer and longer; people start wearing more and more layers; etc etc. The story goes on to tell how people attempt to stay warm in the increasingly bad weather and ends with a big bonfire organized by the mayor.

I enjoyed the flat perspective, folk-artish style of the illustrations. The colors are vibrant, the sense of movement is surprisingly lively given the flat perspective, and the illustrator does a really good job of contrasting the shivery coldness of the outdoors scenes with the bright warmth of things like ovens, lighted windows, steaming bathtubs, etc. ( )

There is a cold spell in a town and the community tries several things to warm up but nothing seeing to help. The mayors wife has a big bonfire and the whole town gets together and they are finally warm. This is a good book to have in the classroom to teach students about sharing and community. This is suitable for grades 1 and 2.