There’s a Lizard in My Blizzard
There’s a Lizard in My Blizzard
Mum left the table.
She came back with a box in her hands.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Of course,” Zeke said staring at the box.
A puppy would never fit in something that small. But maybe it held a clue. A collar, or a rolled up leash.
Instead of handing him the box, Mom put it on the table, removed the lid and lifted something out.
Zeke leaned in to see.
In her hands she held the strangest, ugliest creature he had ever seen. It was the size of her hand, with bulging eyes and a tail as long as its body.
“A dinosaur!” Bub bounced up and down in his Dino slippers, his mouth open and full of pizza.
Zeke couldn’t believe his eyes. No soft fur to pet. No wet nose to nuzzle against his neck. No best friend to play with in the snow. This animal was not a Saint Bernard.
Weather is Zeke’s passion. He maintains his own weather station, keeps daily records of atmospheric conditions and wants to be a meteorologist like his hero, Freeze Jones. But his immediate goal is to win the Grade 4 winter photo contest and earn the title of Weather Warrior. Eagerly, he pursues one great idea after another to take the winning picture. But nothing seems to work out, thereby dropping his mood meter drastically. In addition, he is having a disappointing birthday, especially when he receives a strange looking bearded dragon instead of the dog he was longing for. Zeke gradually warms to that ‘lizard’ when, in the midst of a blizzard, it becomes the solution to Zeke’s problems.
Zeke’s breathless narration moves at a fast pace, involving readers immediately. He is a likeable, nicely drawn character with a real passion for his subject and a will to succeed but honest about his disappointments and perceived failures. With a loving family background, his relationship with his loveable but pesky little brother, Bub, is especially endearing. Zeke’s descriptions of his friends, each geeks in their own areas, are well observed. Zeke’s curly hair is as much a barometer as any weather implement, and this, with his ever fluctuating mood meter, brings humour.
Several chapters have added entertaining and instructional weather facts on such topics as snowflakes, atmospheric pressure, blizzards, climate change, precipitation and the greenhouse effect. A source list, glossary and how to keep a weather journal are nice additions. Vital, expressive black and white illustrations perfectly capture the adventures and mood throughout.
Zeke’s, enthusiasm and ardor for his subject are emotions children will eagerly relate to. With a positive boy hero, There’s a Lizard in My Blizzard, a well laid out, readable chapter book, will be an entertaining read.
Aileen Wortley is a retired Children’s Librarian from Toronto, Ontario.