Review Detail

A little boy, nameless as usual in Kazuno Kohara's books, is very lonely in the winter because all his friends are hibernating. The boy only has animal friends, which is also typical of Kohara's books. One day the boy notices lovely frost and ice designs on his house, so he rushes outside.

Turns out Jack Frost has come to play some tricks. The boy keeps up with Jack Frost's mischief, and they become friends and play together all winter. Jack Frost is a strange little sprite-boy, definitely not quite a human friend, and I love how the boy and Jack are very different and have to make an effort to become friends. No insta-friendship here! I do wish there had been more animals in the story - more friends for the boy and Jack Frost to play with. That's my only small complaint about the book!

The illustrations in the beginning of the book are a pale blue, reflecting the boy's sadness and loneliness. But as soon as the boy goes outside and meets Jack Frost the colors brighten and become vibrant and lively. It's perfect that the colors stay bright for the rest of the book - the boy makes a new friend and doesn't have to be lonely the next winter. The arrangement of the text on the pages is perfect - lots of open space around the text and a bold, black, easy-to-read font.

With vibrant, wintery illustrations and a cute friendship, HERE COMES JACK FROST is a highly recommended picture book for read-alouds or enjoying on a snowy winter evening.