Snow Company - Hardcover

Marc Harshman was appointed the poet laureate of West Virginia in 2012. His full-length collection, Green-Silver and Silent, was published by Bottom Dog Press later that same year. Three previous chapbooks of poems preceded this volume. Periodical publications include Shenandoah, The Georgia Review, The Progressive, Appalachian Heritage, and Tuesday: An Art Project. Kent State University, the University of Iowa, University of Georgia, and the University of Arizona have anthologized his poems. His short prose works have recently been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His eleven children s books include The Storm, a Smithsonian Notable Book. Marc s children's titles have also been published in Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Danish, and Swedish. Two new children s titles are forthcoming. Marc holds degrees from Bethany College, Yale Divinity School, and the University of Pittsburgh. He recently received an honorary doctorate from Bethany College in recognition of his life s work. Marc has lived his adult life in northern West Virginia with his wife, Cheryl Ryan, and daughter, Sarah.

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- "Here it is--a blizzard--and school's out early!" The young narrator, his mother, and his brother are snowed in, but one by one the neighbors struggle out of their stranded cars and come to wait out the worst storm in 20 years with them. A party ensues with everyone telling snow stories. Bowman's detailed, yet impressionistic illustrations, done with pastel colored pencils, enhance the feeling of an oasis of warm friendship in the midst of the vast snowy landscape. The story is realistically told but doesn't always sustain the sense of dramatic tension inherent in the event. Lifelike but nonessential information, such as their mother's view on boys cleaning house, diminishes readers' ability to focus on the awe-inspiring storm. There is a sense of extraordinary events and of sharing history with friends, but the telling lacks the punch to make this pleasant story, with fine illustrations,a memorable experience. --Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
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