The main attraction of this book is obviously its interactive elements. The cover has shiny sparkles that look and shine like snow that cover the book title and the snowy scene. Then, on each page of the book, you can touch and feel a small part of five different animals, from the leathery skin of a narwhal to the soft fur of a husky dog, to the smooth fur of a seal, to the smoother skin of a moose, to the fluffy coat of a polar bear. I’ve never touched any of those animals in real life, but they feel just about what I’d expect them to.
The illustrations are cute and evoke a nice, sweet, cuddly feel. Each scene shows a little polar bear walking and meeting different animal parents and babies as they prepare for the cold night. It makes for a great bedtime book in the winter months, as the weather outside grows cold and the mood gets warm and snuggly inside. The rhymes are simple enough for a young toddler to understand and also for a preschooler to start to practice reading.
If there’s one gripe I have about the book, it’s that it doesn’t really have much of a story line. The text on each page is pretty repetitive and generic, and seems to have little to do with the illustrations. It would have been nice, for example, to learn more about each animals as the little polar bear goes to say good night to them. Instead, there’s just a generic quatrain about curling up, cuddles, huddles, stars, and snow.
As with many books like this, there isn’t really a “story” per se, but the illustrations and words do paint a calm, peaceful picture of God’s creation. It’s a nice book for the holidays as everyone in the house starts getting in the mood of winter and snow.