As the Winter weather approaches, the most fitting book of the season is Blizzard by John Rocco. In case you are unfamiliar with John Rocco and his work, I highly recommend you take a look at Blackout. Yes, above is a picture of me with the author at Book Expo America 2014!
Blizzard is the story of the major snowstorm that hit New England in 1978. People were home-bound for days and one brave boy heads out into the freezing cold to buy food and supplies for his family and neighbors. The store is over a mile away from the boy's house and with tennis rackets on his feet the boy successfully helps his town survive the storm. Readers of all ages are truly going to love this journey. Anyone who has ever gone through a blizzard can relate to the story and the pictures. The most exciting pages in the book are fold-outs of the route the boy takes from his home to the store. It is beautifully and perfectly illustrated with stops the boy makes along the way and footprints in the snow as well as the driveways that are shoveled. John Rocco knows how to take a moment in history and make it relevant and exciting to revisit over and over again. I am sure as we head into our first school closings because of snow this will be the go-to read-aloud in many classrooms! I know it will definitely be read in all of mine!
