SNOW DANCE

A rhyming celebration of snow that covers just about every playtime activity possible before, during, and after a snowstorm. ``Pressure's falling/forecast's calling/for a snowstorm late today./`Find your warm boots/lay out snowsuits/do a snow dance and it may!' '' The territory is so familiar that it may not matter that the stanzas are often mundane and occasionally strained in their meter. The children hear a forecast, get ready for flakes, and then take full advantage of the snowstorm. They play until nightfall, and then play some more the next day when school is canceled. Snowmen, sleds, snowball fights, thawing by the fire, hot chocolate time—it's a cozy litany, but Jabar is the one who livens up the static, gerund-laden text with scenes of joyous children, unusual snowmen, and a dog's antics. (Picture book. 3-6)