cover image TOTALLY POLAR

TOTALLY POLAR

Marty Crisp, Rising Moon, , illus. by Viv Eisner. . Rising Moon, $15.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-87358-789-1

Peter Petrosky MacGregor O'Toole adores snow and all its accoutrements, and wonders whether today will be his lucky day: " 'Will it get so deep that it's up to our door?' asked Peter, who lived on the 23rd floor." But about two-thirds of the way through the volume, readers discover that it's actually mid-June. Crisp (Buzzard Breath, Private Captain) and newcomer Eisner gleefully spin out Peter's snow scenarios, which range from cozy (hot chocolate in bed) to magisterial (Peter works a forklift to put in place the head atop a towering snowman) to nearly insurrectionary (the falling temperatures necessitate the burning of homework for fuel). Eisner's full-bleed spreads make the most of Crisp's satisfying singsong text with a palette of frosty greens, purples and blues, and subtle snowflake motifs throughout the volume. She issues an invitation to the ultimate winter wonderland. Even the most summer-loving readers will likely appreciate this young hero's cool fantasy. Ages 5-8. (Aug.)