Two stories in one! (The Snow Lambs - Debi Gliori)

Member Name: kingfisher111

Product:	The Snow Lambs - Debi Gliori
Date:	14/08/07 (157 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good story and illustratios

Disadvantages: none

'The Snow Lambs', written by Debi Gliori, is a rather cleverly written picture book which actually tells two stories at the same time - one in words and pictures, and the other in pictures alone. This is a good thing for little children who are trying to develop their observational skills.

The main story tells of a little boy Sam, who is helping his dad, who is a shepherd, bring in the sheep one rather snowy, wintry night. Bess the sheepdog is also helping them. It is a difficult job to count all the sheep in the swirling snow and wind, and Sam thinks his dad might have counted one twice! Dad is worried about the weather, especially if the power lines fail, and wants to get home fast. He is annoyed to discover that Bess has disappeared and insists that they must go home without her. All evening, as the weather worsens, Sam frets and worries about Bess, particularly when there is a power cut, because how will Bess find her way back to the house with no light? Sam's mum and dad tell him not to worry and say that he must go to bed. Sam's dad is even cross with Bess and says that she is a useless sheep dog. Sam goes to bed but cannot slep and eventually hears a noise...

I'll leave the main story there for a moment and talk a bit about the other story - the one told in pictures. As it turns out, Sam was right and his dad had miscounted the sheep, meaning there was one missing! Bess realised this, and followed the sheep, and eventually helps her back to the farm house and safety - which is a vry good thing as the sheep is about to lamb any minute! The pictures show the brave dog struggling in very difficult snowy conditions!

Once back at the farmhouse the two stories merge, when Sam opens the door and discovers Bess and the sheep. Soon there are also a number of tiny lambs, which, because of what has happened, they call the 'snow lambs'! So everything turns out well in the end!

I really like the way there are two parallel stories going on at the same time. On each double page spread there are pictures of the Bess story alongside pictures and words of the Sam story. There is also on many pages a stark contrast between the two sets of pictures - dark swirling scary snow pictures set next to safe, warm colourful indoor pictures. This creates quite a talking point for young children and helps develop their awareness that there are other things going on elsewhere, even though you can't see everyone!

All the illustrations are very good in creating the desired atmosphere and there is a lot of detail in each one providing a great deal to look at and talk about!

THere is also some really lovely language used to describe the weather conditions. At the beginning the reader is told that 'the wind felt full of sharp little teeth nibbling at Sam's nose and biting his ears'. My four year old thought this was a wonderful description and has since talked about the wind nibbling her nose and fingers too! Later on there is another wonderful description where 'the wind grew louder, hurling itself a the house as if it wanted to tear the roof off.' I think this must be my daughter's first introduction to personification and she really enjoys hearing this type of description!

We also like this story because it has such a happy ending. It also is a tale about courage and shows that you shouldn't always think the worst - Dad thought Bess was being a useless sheepdog, but at te end has to admit that she is really one of the best!

I read this book to my four year old daughter and this seems to be just the right age. At this stage, she can concentrate on slightly longer stories with more complex plots, and although not overly long, there is quite a lot to take in and understand in this story.

So overall, we definitiley recommend 'The Snow Lambs' for a goo and enjoyable read. It is published by Little Hippo, and at the moment, the paperback version can be bought on Amazon, for as little as £2.99!

Summary: A good story to share with youg children