Snow Day
Richard Curtis and Rebecca Cobb
Puffin Books
8.30 am: a snowy morning, a deserted London school– a scenario I recall from a few years back when I was the teacher concerned but unlike in Richard Curtis’s story, no children turned up. They’d all received the closure message that I’d left too early to intercept.
Here though one small boy, Danny arrives and finds himself face to face with his most unfavourite teacher, his arch enemy Mr Trapper, the strictest teacher in the whole school.

Come break time, the two head outside, Danny to make a snowman, Mr T. for a puff (he wouldn’t get away with that in normal circumstances) and that’s when something totally unexpected happens. The teacher addresses Danny politely giving him advice on the construction of snowmen and together they go on to build a whole army of snowmen,

and a fort (that’s geography).
After lunch there’s skating (courtesy of some library books – not sure I’m totally in approval but … )

followed by skiing and a snowball fight– that’s the games lesson taken care of. Maths and French are taken up with igloo building

and then it’s time to head homewards, two lonely people who have had one of the best days of their lives. Do they tell one another this? No they don’t and next day the usual hostility is resumed, though perhaps things have changed between Danny and Mr Trapper after all. But you’ll have to get hold of this magical story to find out …
I absolutely loved this one. It’s a great story that speaks directly to a young audience with a gentle humour that Rebecca Cobb captures to perfection in her gorgeous illustrations that are packed with delightful details. The outdoor scenes really evoke that sense of awe and wonder newly fallen snow engenders in the young (and some of the not so young) where everything is new and sparkling, as well as bringing out the humour of Curtis’ text – a text that is perfectly pitched for anyone from around 6 up. Not to be missed – buy to give and buy to keep.
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