Member Reviews
I love this book and the fact that it is a wordless book. The audience is expanded and the opportunity to discuss the experience of new immigrants. We don 't know where the young boy comes from other than on a plane and a place with no snow. This provides an opportunity to discuss how and why people need to leave their country. The snow doves instead of angels makes it more inclusive. . It obvious this was thoughtfully created and there are many ways appreciate this book.
This was a really lovely book to enjoy together, as we created the tale. We had fund trying a few different versions, as we made the words fit the photos. Ada really liked it and I liked the story it was sharing with her, about facing her fears. The illustrations are really lovely.
This book may be wordless, but it certainly isn’t silent! The gra are phenomenal. Didn’t need words to get the sentiment behind each page. It is so detailed that I nearly came to tears at the kindness shown and laughed at the kids’ playfulness. This book works well to showcase friendship. Parents will need to allow time to point out certain elements, which will lead to further discussion. A must read for parents, librarians, and anyone who have interactions with children.
Author Nancy Hartry has written a wordless picture book — yes, an oxymoron — of young Sami, a newly arrived immigrant, and his neighbor, who lives up to her name of Joy. Although Sami speaks no English, young Joy helps him to feel at home and make his very first “snow dove” (what I call “snow angels”). The story is sweet, but it’s Gabrielle Grimard’s soft illustrations that really make the book.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Second Story Press in exchange for an honest review.
This a unique book in that the story was told entirely through pictures. Sami and his neighbor Joy do not speak the same language, but they build a friendship as Joy helps Sami overcome his fears of the snow. The story is completely understandable as long as you have read the brief synopsis that accompanies the book. I personally loved that there were no words- I felt it was a significant representation of the two kids who couldn't verbally communicate but could still become friends.
A big thank you to NetGalley and 2nd Story Press for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's book. I adore children's books, but I didn't quite understand this one. The graphics are beautiful!! But there are no words, I personally didn't think that worked in this case. Maybe there should have been a forward instead of at the end. How could a child know that there was a language barrier if there are no words? Would a child even understand a language barrier? Yes, the child can make up their own story which is great but this didn't seem to be the intention. 3 stars for book but 5 stars for graphic s!!
Snow Doves by Nancy Hartry is a gorgeous, little picture book set in the winter time.
This book has no words in it, which was quite unique! The story is told through pictures, which could easily be a great way to have the reader make up the story as they go. The characters are very expressive, which makes the story fun without the words. This unique premise impressed me, since I haven't seen many books without words. Then, you get to the end of the book and figure out why there is no words... the two lead characters don't speak the same language. But remember, fun is fluent in all languages! language boundaries doesn't limit the fun.
Overall, this book is super cute and a great little read! I think younger readers won't understand the premise and it will go over their heads, but older (six and up) will be able to appreciate it.
Four out of five stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Second Story Press for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
At first, I thought there was something wrong with my digital copy of the book. There were no words on any of the pages! Then, I got to the end and saw that this was a wordless story, and I was like, "Okay, this makes more sense." Snow Doves is about two children: Joy and Sami. Sami just moved to the country, and Joy shows up at his window to have him play outside in the snow. The two cannot communicate through words because they speak different languages; however, that does not stop them from becoming friends.
So, you might be wondering what a book is like if it has no words. Well, it is a little strange. However, it is actually nice. I think this is great because it leaves the imagination open to the readers. The first time I read this book, I kind of skimmed over it, but after I read it a few more times, I really saw a lot of detail in the illustrations. I like that I can narrate this to my child, and not have to worry about reading the correct words or trying to memorize the text. Or, I can just point to different objects on the pages with him and tell him what they are. Would I recommend this book? Yes. I think it's nice to just have a wordless book that you can use your imagination while reading. Snow Doves would be a great book for children ages 0 to 9. I think older kids would enjoy this because you can have them narrate the story to you.
I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This is a cute book about two kids who speak different languages having fun in the snow without speaking to one another.
Snow Doves is a beautiful, wordless story about a new friendship. A kind, young girl decides to invite her new neighbor outside to play in the snow. He is scared because he has never been somewhere this cold before. With some kind urging, and a loan of nice, warm clothes, the little girl is able to convince her new neighbor to come outside to play. There, she shows him all the joy and adventure there is to have while playing in fresh snow.
A sweet picture book about two kids making friends over a snowy day, when neither can speak the others language, plus the first child has never known or been in snow before.
Sami is given clothes to go out in the snow in with Joy. They do the things that kids have been doing forever in the snow, throwing snowballs, making snow angels, or rather snow doves, admiring the beauty of the world around them.
A very sweet, wordless story.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
One basic blunder us humble reviewers can sometimes do it assume the worst, and think we've got a book that has come to us digitally without text. I went all through this before hitting the back cover blurb saying it was wordless all along. So looking at it a bit more carefully, a bit less greedily, I finally picked up the story. The boy is very wary of the snowy outdoors that his family has just moved to, full as it is of cold, er, snow, and possibly monsters. But the girl next door is much more in tune with all of that, and persuades him to try on for size snowball fights, tobogganing, and – key to this – making snow angels, which here are something else even more magical. The artwork is wonderful, embracing the twee and defeating it in giving us two greetings-card-ready children at play. The plot is pitched perfectly for early readers, showing the benefits of bravery, of exploring the outside world, and of the cooperation between two children who instantly become friends. And with these publishers known to me for giving the world books concerning First Nations narratives and experiences, I dare say there's more than a hint of the city boy learning from the culture of the First Nation, as the real North American spirit is brought to life in the newcomer, and beyond. This will, despite the cold aspect, be warmly received – a strong four stars.
A wonderful picture book about the friendship of two children who don't speak the same language! I love the concept, and it makes me remember being a child when the language barrier wasn't that big because you could always communicate another way! This is a wonderful book where you can discuss with the child you are reading it to what each spread means and what they might be saying to each other, and it would also be perfect to use in the classroom! Really makes you reflect a lot!