UNDER MY HOOD I HAVE A HAT

Kuskin’s short, catchy poem (first published in 1964) about bundling up for winter weather serves as the text in this simple, sweet story about a little girl and her dog playing in the snow. After building a snowman, shown on the title page, the pair enters the house for a break, and the rhymed text describes the little girl’s layers of warm clothes as she takes them off. A wordless double-page spread shows the girl and the dog enjoying a snack before the poem resumes with more clothing descriptions as the girl gets dressed again to go back out in the snow to take her dog for a walk. Attractive speckled endpapers in snowy white and pale blue show the pair’s footprints, with the final endpaper showing the snow angel the little girl leaves behind. The text is short and simple enough to use with toddlers who are just beginning to listen to real stories, but the rhyme, rhythm, and attractive illustrations on lime-green backgrounds will also appeal to older preschoolers and even beginning readers. (Picture book. 2-6)