Snow Horses
A First Night Story
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
From Newbery Medal–winning author Patricia MacLachlan comes a cozy picture book of love, light, and community during New Year’s and taking the past with us as we step into the future, brought to life with tender and intricate cut paper illustrations.
On the very last evening before the new year, when the snow is falling soft and thick, two black horses wait for the jingle of their sled. As they ride about town, they will spread light to their beloved neighbors, bidding farewell to the last night—and saying hello to the first morning.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Evocative artwork and gentle prose from the creators of Prairie Days distinguish this intergenerational tale about a community that celebrates the last night of the year with sleigh rides for young and old. Tim and Tom, the black Percheron horses who pull the sleigh, "love winter./ They love the snow." Young Jenny, a child portrayed with brown skin, hitches them up, then takes the reins as "sleigh bells sing." Archer shows a bird's-eye view of the sleigh crossing a snowy field, a final splash of sunset splendor across the horizon behind them. The community's children and adults, portrayed with varied skin tones, appear amid lacy ink and paper-collage landscapes rich with patterns and warm hues. First, the children ride through the sparkling town before bed; then, "grandmothers,/ grandfathers,/ aunts and uncles,/ and longtime friends" take a turn, remembering their own youths. Text by the late MacLachlan captures incidents others might miss ("A little golden dog comes out to run alongside/ the horses—a beacon in the dark"), and the rhythm of the lines lulls while conveying pleasure and excitement. It's a celebratory winter story that many can share. Ages 4–8.
