Here Comes Jack Frost

"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. 

Copyright 2009 Publisher’s Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

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.

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.