Who doesn’t like presents?
Not you! You love getting presents. You love wondering what’s hiding beneath the paper, wrapped up so nicely. You like to tear the packaging in one big RRRRRRIP, pulling the bows off, and plopping them on top of your head. Unwrapping a gift is almost as much fun as seeing the present itself, isn’t it?
You love getting gifts and giving them is great too. So how far would you go to find the absolute best present ever? In “A Flower in the Snow” by Tracey Corderoy and Sophie Allsopp, a friend looks high and low.
Once upon a time, in an icy kingdom up north, there lived a little girl named Luna. It was snowy where Luna lived, and that was okay with her. She loved snow! She liked catching snowflakes on her tongue and leaving tiny footprints everywhere. But more than snow, Luna loved her best friend, Bear, a big, cuddly-soft polar bear. Bear lived in a snow cave in Luna’s garden, right next to her igloo and they did everything together.
One day, something magical happened — a bright yellow flower popped up through the white blanket of snow. It was very pretty and Bear carefully picked it for someone special.
That made Luna smile. She told Bear that she’d treasure the flower forever, but then it wilted and that made her sad. Nothing Bear did would cheer her up, and that made him sad, too.
Eventually, Bear figured out what he could do to bring back Luna’s sparkle — he would find another flower! He sailed away that night, and searched through rocks and docks. He looked over deserts and jungles, up and down hills, on dry land and wet seas, and he simply couldn’t find another flower for Luna. He sat and tried to think of more places to look, until a snowflake landed on his nose and he knew it was time to just go home.
If your kid has a bad case of “the give-me’s” this holiday season, “A Flower in the Snow” might show your her that sometimes the best gifts can’t be wrapped.
Author Tracey Corderoy does a great job telling this sweet tale of friendship and longing and Sophie Allsopp’s illustrations are very charming — Luna’s adorable and Bear is delightful — it’s hard not to fall in love. If your have a little kiddo between the ages of 2 and 7 at home who will be unwrapping a book this holiday, then be sure it’s this one.
“A Flower in the Snow” by Tracey Corderoy and Sophie Allsopp [32 pages, 2012, $16.99].
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
