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CM . . .
. Volume XXIII Number 4. . . .September 30, 2016
excerpt:
Ride the Big Machines in Winter consists of 13 double-page spreads. The first spread introduces the narrator, a young boy, who is going to go outside to experience the �wild winter weather�, and he invites readers to join him. The next 11 spreads see him operating vehicles, machines or modes of transportation usually connected with winter. Some of these, such as a snowplow, a salting/sanding truck, a Ski-Doo and a Zamboni, will likely be familiar to the board book�s young �readers�. Depending on where a child lives in Canada, s/he may have encountered a ski hill snow cannon, a hovercraft, a glacier snowcoach, a snowcat, a locomotive snow spreader, an airport de-icer or a semi-trailer on an ice road. And some may even have had a dogsled ride. The closing spread shows the boy, his �trip safely over�, sitting with his family around the dinner table and likely recounting the day�s experiences. Ride the Big Machines in Winter is a thematic board book, and, as such, it does not have a plot, and so each spread stands alone. The boy�s changing headwear suggests that he didn�t really carry out all of the book�s activities in a single day. The brief, simple text, rendered in rhyming couplets, provides but a single �naming/purpose� line (�I�ll steer a snowcat to help groom the trails�) for each spread, with the exceptions being the opening and closing spreads that have a full couplet. Youngsters will have fun finding the boy�s dog which appears somewhere in each spread. While each �machine� is foregrounded, the spreads� backgrounds offer details for young readers to explore during return readings. The backgrounds also suggest where, geographically speaking, the machine might be found in use. For youngsters who like �machines�, Ride the Big Machines in Winter will be a welcome choice. Recommended. Dave Jenkinson, CM�s editor, lives in Winnipeg, aka �Winterpeg�, MB.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca. Copyright � the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
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