Winter Friends    by Mary Quattlebaum & Hiroe Nakata Order:  USA  Can Doubleday, 2005 (2005) Hardcover      Reviewed by J. A. Kaszuba Locke Winter Friends is a pleasure to read, and to tell others about. The jacket cover is precious, its rosy cheeked youngsters dressed in winter warmth and joyful expressions. A boy pulls a sled, his friend and her small snowman riding with delight. Mary Quattlebaum tells a tale of winter fun in rhythmic rhymes. Hiroe Nakata's flowing watercolors of images and movement are some of the best illustrations I have ever seen. Plus - for a true-to-life memory, Nakata's girl subject wears a hat just like the one that was knitted for the illustrator by her mother (including a cherry tassel). It begins 'After the Storm' - 'Here comes the plow, / crowding the snow, / breaking the hush / like a clock alarm / that just won't shush / BRRR.' Following verse titles include 'Clean Laundry', 'My Mama's Whistle', and 'Lost and Found' - 'Mitten, mitten, / dropped in snow, / who will I find? / Which way should I go?' One that caught my fancy is 'Winter Breath' - 'Ghost horse, / all wispy mane / and misty tail / and hooves so fleet and fine - / you rise / silently / before my eyes.' Coupled with 'Icicle Piano', it creates the perfect snowy weather memory for me - 'ting tong / That long / instrument / glittering / under / the eaves / keeps / losing / ping / keys. / plip plop / They drop / softly ... Each / note/rings / clear / ting / fingered / by wind'. A 'Snow Angel' is a must, as is building a snowman doll for Baby Jo, who is 'bundled fat / as a polar bear'. (Hey! that could be me, even though I'm long past the baby stage.) 'Sledding' is specially typeset with words set at a slant, complemented by an illustration of youngsters sledding down a slanted slope. Oops! one boy just lost his hat to the wind. And to end the day, 'Recipe for a Party' - hot steaming cocoa for all your friends. Can you tell I like this book? I sure do and recommend Quattlebaum and Nakata as a fine team offering splendid text and vivid illustrations. Do you have your sled ready? The snowfall is not too far off. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews