Friday’s Vintage Find::Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

I chose Katy and the Big Snow as our first Five in a Row selection for the new year.  Weather forecasters began predicting snow for our little neck of the woods last week some time, and although this happens several times a year and rarely ever materializes, we live in hope.  This week, though, we did get some snow, but it hardly compared to the blizzard in Katy and the Big Snow.   This is probably a good thing, though, since here in the Deep South the grocery stores run out of bread and milk at mere mention of the “s” word.  Oh, and we don’t have any nifty snow plows like Katy to get us moving again (not that we usually need them, but still). 

Katy and the Big Snow is, in my opinion, mostly about the pictures.  Virginia Lee Burton obviously put a lot of time and effort into developing the town of Geoppolis–the story is complete with a map, and many pages even include a compass rose so that readers can discern in which direction Katy must travel to rescue the snowbound town.  The color scheme, which is showcased on the book’s cover, is perfect for this cold and snowy story.  The text is good, too.   As we read it, we really got a sense of Katy’s determination to get the job done.  First published in 1943, this is a book I’m glad is still around in 2010.  In fact, I like it so much I’m adding it to my Best Picture Books list. 

Stay tuned in the near future for more snowy fun!