Freshly fallen snow is a blank canvas to be marked by evidence of play, right? When we are first shown the fast blankness beyond his front door, cleverly non-illustrated by Sam Usher, we feel the young boy’s desperation to get outside. As the route to the park past his door is churned up by ever more feet, the boy’s frustrated eagerness is contrasted by his grandfather’s calm, unhurried nature. There are some subtly layered lessons here about age, energy, preparedness, and patience. The vibrancy of the pictures reminds me of Quentin Blake. Like the boy at its centre, this book is full of energy, and movement, and wonder, and surprise. (As an aside, if you’ve not seen Usher’s ‘Can You See Sassoon?’ then please do. It is a personal favourite because of these illustrative skills.) I love that despite the differences that their ages present, both boy and grandfather have a great adventure in ‘Snow’. It’s true that all throughout the spectrum of age, and the menagerie of life, a snowball slushing is universally enjoyed. This is a wonderful wintertime book.