On a Wintry Morning - Hardcover

Chaconas, Dori

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670892459 ISBN 13: 9780670892457

Publisher: Viking Juvenile, 2000

Synopsis

A father and his infant daughter bundle up for a sleigh ride on a winter's morning, in a tender and engaging celebration of winter. By the illustrator of the Caldecott Honor book Alphabet City.

About this title

About the Author

Dori Chaconas was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1938. The second child in a family of seven, Dori fell into the role of storyteller, nursery rhyme singer, and general entertainer for her siblings. She claims she learned about story pacing early. If the story action lagged, her fidgety audience would either scatter or start a poking war.

She has been married to Nick, her high school sweetheart, for 44 years. Everyone says the romance will last. They raised four daughters, and are now enjoying three grandsons—especially Grandpa, having been outnumbered by women all those years.

When their daughters were young, Dori wrote for them. She published three picture books and more than fifty stories in children's magazines. In the 70's, her interest turned to yarn embroidery design and she sold designs to major needlework companies and national magazines.

In 1997, Dori started writing stories again, partly to keep her grandsons from fidgeting or starting poking wars. Her stories reflect the warmth of family life. Dori gives credit to her parents for giving her a strong sense of family, and to her children and grandchildren for keeping it alive.

From Publishers Weekly

Reminiscent of Mother Goose rhymes, newcomer Chaconas's musical verse sequence nostalgically harks back to a quieter time while preserving its appeal to contemporary children. A father bundles up his toddler daughter: "Daddy, tie her hat on tight./ Tie that baby's hat on tight./ The wind will blow with all its might./ On a wintry morning." Describing the progression of the morning's events, the text skimps on dynamic tension but compensates with a cornucopia of child-pleasing images: the father and daughter hitch up the horse and ride in their sleigh, look for animal tracks ("Daddy, find a bunny track./ Quick-foot, light-foot bunny track") and buy a "tawny, brindled pup,/ One ear down and one ear up." Like the verses, Johnson's (Alphabet City) paintings possess a timeless tranquility. Despite the huge snowflakes, the illustrations are full of warmth and comfort. A close-up of the father's hands as he cradles the baby's "tiny tender toes," the baby asleep on his chest as he sings a "cozy, dozy tune"Deach scene suggests the joy and love shared by parent and child. As nourishing as hearty winter soup. Ages 1-4. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Viking Juvenile
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0670892459
• ISBN 13: 9780670892457
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Johnson Stephen T.