“Blizzard,” by John Rocco
Hyperion Books, New York, 2014, 32 pages, Grades K-3.
Snow is a fact of life in the northern parts of the United States. It can bring up many happy memories of sled riding, snowball fights, snowmen and cups of hot cocoa. School children are usually happy when they see the snow falling because school might be cancelled the next day. When it is, children can sleep in and then later play outside with their friends.
But there is another side to snow. It is always cold and sometimes it can be dangerous. In some states, like Nebraska, it is usually accompanied by high winds that produce snowdrifts. In particularly bad moments there can be a whiteout, which is the snow swirling so fast that people lose all sense of direction.
John Rocco has written a book about the giant snowstorm that struck New England Feb. 6, 1978. The name of the book is “Blizzard.”
As the children look out the window on Monday morning, some snowflakes begin to fall. The students aren’t worried as the weather doesn’t seem to be very dangerous. But the snow continues to fall all morning, leading school leaders to decide to cancel the school day early. Happily, the children troop out of the school and head for home.
But the snow starts falling faster and harder. Luckily, the children get to their homes before the roads and sidewalks become impassible. Thanking their lucky stars, they go to bed hoping that school will be called off the next day.
Much to everyone’s surprise, the snow continued to fall throughout the night and the next day, the snowdrifts were so high that some people had to climb out of their windows to get outside.
One little boy studies the weather and reads a book entitled “Arctic Survival.” He learns that people can survive and travel in snow if they know about clothing and snowshoes. He files this away for future reference. The snow is so deep in his neighborhood that snowplows are unable to reach the area. For several days everyone enjoys the time off from school and work. But people were not prepared for the severity of the storm and begin to run out of food supplies.
On the sixth day of the snowstorm, the boy decides to get supplies for his family at a local grocery store. He knows he needs snowshoes to travel through the deep snow. In the closet, the family has stored all of their old sporting equipment. He sees two tennis rackets and gets an idea. What does he do?
Why does he need tennis rackets? Since the snow is almost as tall as he is, why does he stop by so many peoples’ houses on the way to the store? How does he show both courage and charity on his trip? Why does this boy show us that we can be heroes through common actions? To find out the answers to these and other questions, go to the library and check out this delightful book, “Blizzard” by John Rocco.
John Rocco is an acclaimed author/illustrator of children’s books. He won a Caldecott Honor Medal for the picture book “Blackout” in 2012. This book is the autobiographical account of what he did during the famous New England Blizzard of Feb. 6, 1978. It is a refreshing story of innocence and pluck. I hope you get a chance to read this book with the younger members of your family. You will relish the experience. Don’t forget, tennis rackets have more than one use. Enjoy!
