Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser

Waiting for Winter by Sebastian Meschenmoser
Rating: 5 surprisingly wonderful and funny stars

This is one of my favorites.  Do I say that so much that it doesn't mean anything?  Maybe, but REALLY, this time, I mean it!  I can't believe that I've not seen this book before, one that makes Lorelei belly-laugh (and Ben pretend belly-laugh, just to assure her that he gets the joke, too, even though he doesn't totally get it) every time we read it.  One that stands outs with its unique artwork and quirky, human-like animal characters.  One that really has fewer words than I thought was good, but Sebastian Meschenmoser does all kinds of right in this book. 

I'm going to spend awhile on it.  By the end, you'll probably bypass the library and go right to the bookstore, which I think is a wise decision.

 So squirrel is waiting for winter--waiting, specifically, to see snow, which he usually sleeps through.  There are a dozen pictures (no words) of him waiting, waiting, waiting.  Then he almost falls asleep waiting and decides that exercise will help him stay awake.  More pictures (no words) of frantic squirrel scurrying up and down and around and through a tree.  That wakes up hedgehog, who decides that since he's awake, he, too will wait for the first snowflake.  They wait and wait and wait and begin to fall asleep (few words).  They decide that, to stay awake, they should sing sea shanties.  (This is my favorite part because Meschenmoser doesn't provide any words, so I fill in with a hearty, pirate-sounding "What do you do with a scurvy pirate?" that makes Lorelei and Ben smile.)  Not surprisingly, they wake up someone else: bear.

Squirrel and Hedgehog's sea shantys wake up Bear.


Bear emerges looking like most of us do after a night that started too late and ended too early.  His barely-open eyes are pained by the fact that they are not closed.  C'mon, I know you know that feeling.  Or maybe you forgot about it since your children now sleep through the night? 

Anyway, they decide to wait together but then realize they might have missed the first snowflake. So they go hunting for it.  Each finds something white and wet and cold and soft and is convinced that it is, without a doubt, the first snowflake.  Squirrel finds a toothbrush; Hedgehog finds a can.  Two full pages are dedicated to what a snowfall would look like with these "snowflakes."  Squirrel, surrounded by toothbrushes with toothbrushes falling down around him.  And Hedgehog, surrounded by cans with cans falling down around him.  (Ouch!)  And then there's Bear, with a sock.  Meschenmoser writes: "But the snow will be a little smelly."  Giggle, giggle. 

The first snowflake falls on Bear's nose.


This is where Lorelei really gets into it.  She knows what snow looks like, so she thinks it's really funny that she knows something these two animals don't.  Another note to aspiring children's book writers: Make your young listeners think they are smarter than your characters!

So the animals sit around thinking about which one is right when a snowflake--a real one--lands on Bear.  And then more fall, and soon they are surrounded by it.  The last few pages are wordless and show the animals walking and playing in the snow.  They build a snowman--with a tin can hat, a toothbrush pipe, and a sock nose--that make two men trudging through the tracks stop in curious wonder.

Making a snowman before going to sleep.
This is a delightful, delightful book that is super fun to read aloud.  I can't wait to read it again when winter gets closer (though I am certainly not waiting for it...more like dreading...I'm a warm weather person, myself) and when Ben can understand more and produce a true belly laugh for himself.

1 comment:

  1. Hi! I made a review of this too today! the book I liked very much, actually it was great! the pictures are really cute and the story is very lovely :)

    love,
    Claire
    BooksWithClaire.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete