Booklist (October 15, 2009 (Vol. 106, No. 4))Preschool-Kindergarten. Kohara, author-illustrator of the well-received Ghosts in the House! (2008), moves from autumn to winter and introduces another not-of-this world creature. A young boy has nobody to play with until a frosty figure named Jack appears. Running and jumping, sledding, and skiing ensue, along with a snowball fight. All the boy has to do to ensure more fun is never mention anything warm. Then one day he finds a snowdrop: “It’s almost spring.” In an instant, Jack disappears, leaving behind only the whisper of a promised return. The story is slight, but the artwork is divine, beginning with the glittered jacket cover. In Ghosts, Kohara, a printmaker, used orange and black to great effect. Here, the simple yet creatively rendered shapes are all icy blues and snowy whites (except inside, where a more subdued gray-blue is juxtaposed against a woody brown). The artful design (for instance, a snowy hill is simply an empty space) is what will draw repeat viewers, young and old, who’ll be taken with the pictures’ evocative feel.Horn Book (November/December, 2009)Having provided readers with the Halloween treat of Ghosts in the House! (rev. 9/08), Kohara advances the calendar to wintertime. Here Comes Jack Frost begins on overcast gray and black pages, introducing a little boy who's lonely because "all his friends were hibernating." After a snowstorm -- and with the turn of a page -- the world turns a cheery ice-blue and white, as Jack Frost, all impish and pointy-angled, materializes to keep the boy company. Jack's only caveat: "Never mention anything warm in front of me...That would break the spell and force me to leave." All winter the new pals delight in ice-skating and sledding, having snowball fights, and building a snowman. In the end, the boy mentions spring, and the sight of a tiny snowdrop sends Jack Frost packing -- for now ("See you next winter!"). Kohara deals deftly with the inevitability of change, the natural progression of the seasons representing not only what is lost but also what else may be just around the corner. It's a bittersweet theme, but the lighthearted delivery leaves readers feeling optimistic. As in Ghosts in the House!, the limited-palette illustrations are composed of the simplest shapes and lines, here enhanced with swirls of motion (check out Jack's shoes), mottled-background snowfall, and a few perfectly formed snowflakes. The child-friendly pictures tell much of the story, displaying the little boy's emotional ups and downs in addition to the warmth of wintertime fun as enjoyed by two high-spirited friends. Horn Book starred (March, 2010)A boy is lonely before Jack Frost, all impish and pointy-angled, materializes. They delight in wintertime fun--until the sight of a snowdrop sends Jack packing (for now). The child-friendly pictures tell much of the story, displaying the boy's emotional ups and downs. Limited-palette illustrations in cheery ice-blue and white are composed of simple shapes and lines and enhanced with swirls of motion.Kirkus Reviews (October 15, 2009)Gorgeous prints illuminate an unusual friendship. The first few spreads are rendered in black and dull blue, as a little boy mopes inside with his dog: "I hate winter." But when he sees "strange patterns [appear] on his window," he's lured outside into a gorgeous white-and-blue fairyland, courtesy of Jack Frost, a spiky creature with elf shoes. After an initial period of suspicion, they play together all winter, with Jack Frost's warning never to "mention anything warm in front of [him]" hanging in the air. This outing partakes of the striking visual sense of Kohara's award-wining Ghosts in the House (2008), but it is almost entirely lacking in the earlier book's whimsy of story and play of illustrations against text. Probably most disappointing is the entirely unmagical explanation of Jack Frost's magic--too bad. (Picture book. 3-5)Library Media Connection (November/December 2009)This is a charming winter story! When a little boy experiences winter and the hibernation of his animal friends, the sad look on his face reflects his annoyance. When strange patterns begin forming on his windows, he brightens and his world changes. He meets the maker of the patterns, and together they have cold weather fun. Jack Frost tells his young friend that he can stay and play unless a warm word is mentioned. They ski, sled, build snowmen, and skate. One day, the little boy sees a spring flower and mentions that spring is coming. Suddenly Jack disappears, but the wind in the woods whispers that he will return the next winter. The illustrations in blue, silver, and white and the simple text make this a wonderful book to use in ?season? units. In my warm part of the country, this is a nice introduction to winter fun our children rarely see. Recommended. Beverly Combs, Librarian, Parsons PreKindergarten School, Garland, TexasPublishers Weekly (October 12, 2009)"Never mention anything warm in front of me..." Jack Frost, a spiky elfin creature, tells his new friend, a boy whose winter doldrums are interrupted by the sprightly figure's arrival. "That would break the spell and force me to leave." The boy agrees, and he and Jack Frost scamper off across the spreads of this celebration of winter magic. Kohara's (Ghosts in the House!) sharp-edged white silhouettes suggest the crisp ice-cold of winter, but midnight blue backgrounds pale as they near the horizon like old Japanese woodblock prints, softening and adding depth. Jack Frost's challenges ("You can't catch me! You can't jump over the pond!") are easily met: the boy sails effortlessly with eyes closed to where the sprite waits on the far side, while the boy's hound, wearing skates as well, pirouettes. In an especially lovely scene, Jack, the boy and the dog build three snowmen with features that echo their own. Jack's a wonderful playmate, and only when the boy discovers a snowdrop does their idyll end. The book ends with a promise: "See you next winter!" A sparkling winter treat. Ages 3-6. (Oct.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.School Library Journal (November 1, 2009)PrS-Gr 1-Kohara's second book lacks the perfection of story she achieved in Ghosts in the House! (Roaring Brook, 2008). Nevertheless, the clean, stylistic simplicity she employed there is in evidence again, with crisp, sharp-edged woodcuts and limited use of color. A little boy is lonely because his friends are hibernating. One day Jack Frost appears. In a Runaway Bunny meets the Gingerbread Boy moment, Frost runs away. "'You can't catch me!.You can't jump over the pond!' But the boy had ice skates." He also has a sled, and the two become friends, playing all winter long. Frost warns him not to mention anything warm because that would break the spell. Nevertheless, one day the boy mentions spring, and Frost disappears. But ".the boy was sure he heard a whisper.'See you next winter!'" Kohara's command of her medium and use of color are masterful. Initially, the pages are gray and brown, but as soon as Frost appears, they change to white and a luminous blue that gradually darkens as it moves upward. The simple lines and crisp images, especially of spiky Jack Frost, pop and are a delight for the eyes. Unfortunately, Jack Frost's explanation detracts from the magic of the book and feels forced and abrupt. Nevertheless, this is a beautiful piece of bookmaking, and libraries in need of more winter titles will want to add it.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. This touching story sees a lonely boy and his dog form a firm friendship with the spiky sprite, Jack Frost. The author, Kazuno Kohara uses striking linocut illustrations, in tones of blue and white, to portray a crisp, cool winter wonderland for the unlikely friends to play in. Together, they embark on a series of wintry games – skating, sledging and snowballing to mention but a few. The little boy’s sudden discovery of a single, spring snowdrop breaks Jack’s magical spell upon the land. He disappears with the wind, leaving the boy alone once more, but with a promise to return the following winter. The book is suitable for children in the Early years setting and KS1.Activities:Literacy• Have an ‘ice hand’ (made by freezing water in a rubber glove prior to lesson) as a ‘hook’ for a story starter. Say that the hand was found in the garden – who might it belong to? Children to write an adventure story to say how Jack Frost left his hand behind or how they will return it to him• write winter poems using descriptive phrases• Write a character description, including adjective strings/alliterationNumeracy• Identifying 2d shapes in the bookTopic Work• Science – changing materials/investigation into best material to insulate ice hand etc• Art – cold colours, winter scenes, printing• DT – making snowflakes
What do You think about Jack Frost (2009)?
great winter story - also could use as spring ends
—muteto
