ever but with different attitudes. Milton
thinks is it a “miserable day for ice fish-
ing.” Odie thinks it is a “beautiful day”!
Milton drops in his tangled line and sits
in “lonely stillness.” Odie drops in his
sleek line and waits in “splendid still-
ness.” And so the day progresses.
PICK OF THE LITERATURE
— by Dr. Donna Phillips
W
elcome to winter 2020!
While it seemed to start
off with serious intent
in 2019, the weather became mild and
inviting. But never fear, winter is back
and with us until March…or April…or
May…!!
One of the advantages of our win-
ter here is that it gives us time to ap-
preciate and explore the quiet recovery
it provides from our hectic summer and
fall seasons. This is the time of year that
is also perfect for exploring the many
books which make us aware of the beau-
ty and intent of the season.
Nothing is more fun than sharing
winter fun with a friend. But what hap-
pens when one friend likes to spend the
time outdoors and the other wants to stay
inside? In Croc and Turtle Snow Fun!
(Bloomsbury Books, New York, 2019,
$17.99), written and illustrated by Mike
Wohnoutka, these two best friends are
all excited to share a snow day together.
Croc has a list of all the things he wants
to do outdoors. Turtle had made a list of
all the things he wants to do indoors. So
they decide to take turns doing outdoor
and indoor activi-
ties. As you can
imagine, outdoor
things do not go
well for Turtle
and indoor things
do not go well
for Croc. Try as
they might, they
just can’t seem to
make it work…
10 WNY Family February 2020
that is until they come up with the per-
fect compromise and find a way to com-
bine an outdoor and indoor activity. In
the end, Croc and Turtle find that there
is always a way for best friends to have
fun together.
Sometimes friends like to do the
same things outdoors in wintertime.
In Milton and Odie and the Bigger-
than-Bigmouth Bass (Charlesbridge
Publishers, New York, 2019, $16.99),
written and illustrated by Mary Ann Fra-
ser, ice fishing is it. In this story, Milton
and Odie are fishing on opposite sides
of the lake, hoping for the biggest fish
As Milton pulls in not much more
than an old “yucky mucky boot,” Odie
pulls in a “super fish scooper” net. Again
and again, they drop their lines in and
again and again, not much comes out
until… they both seem to have snagged
the big one! Milton pulls. Odie pulls.
And Milton pulls in a whole fishing
pole! What is he supposed to do with
that?! Frustrated he heads for home and
runs into Odie who is on the way home
to fetch another pole. By now you can
figure out what is going on. After com-
paring notes, they decide to try fishing
together. In the end, it was worth it! Odie
gets a new fishing partner and Milton
gets a new attitude!
Unexpected winter adventures with
a friend are the best! In One Snowy
Morning (Dial Books for Young Read-
ers, New York, 2019, $16.99), written
by Kevin Tseng and illustrated by Dana
Wulfekotte, Chipmunk and Squirrel
come across a strange pile of snow. It
appeared to have wooden legs on ei-
ther side, lumpy kickballs, what looks
like a box on the top of it, 2 fish pup-
pets, a long curtain, an orange tooth, and
6 small golden shields. As they carry
the items home they wonder what they
are for, and by the time they arrive they
have plans to use all of them for a party!
This is a wonderful story of imagination,
friendship, and gratitude with an ador-
able surprise ending… a perfect book to
celebrate a winter day.
Fun
and
friendship is a
great way to spend
winter, but winter
is also a time for
quiet and recov-
ery. Winter Sleep:
A
Hibernation
Story
(Quarto
Group,
Mis-
sion Viejo, 2019,