The Snow Globe Family

October 23, 2006
In this enticing, snappily written tale-within-a-tale, O'Connor (Fancy Nancy
) introduces two Victorian families, each consisting of a mama, papa, boy, girl and baby. The first family lives in a sprawling, turreted house on whose parlor mantel sits a snow globe, which is home to the second family. The snow globe "has been there such a long time, nobody notices it anymore—nobody except Baby." It is winter year round in the snow globe, and the little family within builds snowmen "as big as lumps of sugar" and skates on a pond "as shiny as a silver coin." The diminutive children love to hear their father's stories of the "big snowstorms from long ago" and pine for a blizzard instead of the gently flurry that occurs when the parlor maid in the big house does her weekly dusting. One evening, as snow falls outside the big house, Baby endeavours to reach the snow globe. In a priceless spread, Schindler (The Cod's Tale
) depicts Baby's big eyes as seen by the snow globe family. When Baby loses her balance, she shakes the snow globe into the blizzard that the tiny family was waiting for. Meanwhile, the big family experiences a blizzard of its own. Rendered in colored inks and gouache, Schindler's art brings this whimsical concept to life with subtle humor and treats readers to lavish Victorian particulars and some entertaining perspectives as the wee and life-sized worlds intersect. Ages 4-up.

December 1, 2006
PreS-Gr 1-Old-fashioned illustrations, the appeal of dolls, and glitter on the cover cannot save this marginal effort that lacks both tension and logic. On the mantle of a Victorian familys home stands a snow globe. Inside it is another Victorian-looking, although doll-like, family. All they want is for someone to shake the globe so they can have a blizzard. But no one notices them, except Baby. One day, during a storm, the live family goes out to play, leaving the baby and her mother behind. The child climbs up to the mantle, takes down the object that captures her attention, and causes a blizzard inside. Then Mama decides that the snow is too wonderful to miss and takes Baby outside. Both families enjoy the elements, and the snow globe is returned to the mantle, but now the cat is creeping up on it]. The text is simple and somewhat disconnected, and the art, while attractive, will have limited appeal. The odd premise and lack of real excitement are unlikely to capture a young audience."Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2006
In parallel winter worlds, two families dream of a beautiful batch of fresh snow. The members of one family enjoy tea in the snug parlor of their Victorian home. On their mantle sits a snow globe, inside of which a miniature family gathers in a tiny sitting room of its own. Then a swirling snowstorm hits the human world, and the family head outdoors with sleds--all except Baby, who piles pillows to reach the snow globe and topples it, sending a blizzard through the miniature world--much to the delight of the tiny family, who also goes sledding. The story is slight, and children may have trouble distinguishing between the visually similar big and little families. Still, kids will like the notion of a tiny, unseen world within our own, and Schindler's nostalgic, detailed illustrations extend the story's playful humor and create an appealing contrast between the cozy interiors and the bracing thrills of sparkling snow drifts. This isn't a necessary purchase, but it makes a solid choice for a snowy story hour.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2007
Ingeniously combining children's fascination with snow globes and miniature worlds, this book presents the parallel lives of the big family and the little family that lives in the snow globe on their mantel. Unlike, say, [cf2]The Doll People[cf1], this is a benevolent, menace-free vision of the miniature. And in the inevitable shake-up, Schindler's illustrations depict not injury and chaos but slapstick humor.

(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)