Kid Konnection: Toys Meet Snow

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week I'm going to share with you a cute picture book from the creators of the Toys trilogy.

Summary: Lumphy, StingRay, and Plastic—the toys from the beloved chapter books Toys Go Out, Toy Dance Party, and Toys Come Home—are back in a glorious full-color picture book, perfect for gift-giving this holiday season. Acclaimed author Emily Jenkins and Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator Paul Zelinsky have created a book destined to become a classic.

Children who have loved listening to the Toys trilogy, as well as those meeting the toys for the very first time, will be thrilled to see Lumphy, StingRay, and Plastic venture outdoors to play in the snow. Together the toys build a snowman, make snow angels, and, when day is done, head back inside their cozy house and wait for the return of the Little Girl. -- Schwartz & Wade

I thought it was appropriate to share with you the beautiful picture book TOYS MEET SNOW by Emily Jenkins and Paul O. Belinsky. Here in Central PA, we've had snow on the ground for a few weeks; and by the sounds of things, more might be coming early next week. Yuck! I'm ready for spring!

TOYS MEET SNOW stars Lumphy, StingRay, and Plastic. Some of you might remember them from the book TOYS GO OUT. Well, they are back and this time their owner, Little Girl, is away on winter vacation. The toys decided to go out and experience the snow.

I adored TOYS MEET SNOW! It's a delightful story about three unlikely friends and their first adventure in snow. I absolutely loved this cast of characters. Lumphy is a stuffed buffalo who asks lots of questions about snow, while StingRay, a plush stingray gives touchy-feeling answers. Plastic, is a no-nonsense ball and provides answers that she's learned from her books. They are just precious and their interactions are so much fun.

I loved these three from the time they decide to venture outside, to how they prepared for the cold, to the way they played in the snow. I found myself smiling as I read each and every page. StingRay cracked me up because she wrapped herself in a plastic bag because she was dry-clean only; and the page with their snow angels is beyond adorable.

TOYS MEET SNOW is not only cute because of the characters and the story, but the illustrations are just gorgeous. Mr. Zelinksy is an award winning illustrator and has received the Caldecott Medal and three Caldecott Honors, and it's especially apparent in this book just how talented he is. The pictures and the text are perfect together and they set the tone for this delightful story.

Highly recommended!

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this book.

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!