Befriending someone made of snow holds certain risks.Heading home to his grandmother, Little Mole finds a small snowball. He greets it, pushes it along so it grows far taller than him, and tells it a secret: " I just moved here. I don't have any friends.' / The snowball listened quietly." He wants to bring this new friend home with him on the public bus, but these buses are for animals, not snow, and each driver nixes the idea. What if Little Mole shapes the snow into a bear? Gives it a snow-backpack or his own hat? Finally aboard a warm bus with his friend, Little Mole dozes off. When he wakens, the worst has happened. Most readers will understand why the snow-friend's gone, but Little Mole doesn't, and a great sadness ensues. Kim's textual refrains ("Little Mole had a brilliant idea"; "He and his friend waited patiently") are gently reassuring. The illustrationsdone in colored pencil, pastel, and penare quiet and spare, showing snowy wilderness expanses with only a few trees and bus-stop signs. White snow blends softly into blue skies, with pale yellow used for warmth. Everything seems headed to the saddest possible ending, for how could a melted friend return? But after Little Mole's sleepless night, the friend does returnor its likeness doessitting across a snowy field, waiting. Did it come from magic or Grandma? Is there a difference?Stillness, tenderness, and hope are the essence of this quiet gem. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

On his way home to Grandma, lonely Little Mole confides in a snowball: Can I tell you something? whispered Little Mole. I just moved here. I dont have any friends. Grainy colored pencils and pastels create a softly lit winter atmosphere, and the illustrations show the snowball growing significantly in size (and meaning) as Little Mole rolls it along to the bus stop. Unfortunately, Mr. Bears bus does not accommodate snowballs. The snowballeven after being cleverly re-shaped into a winsome snow bearis not allowed on Mr. Foxs bus either. As the sky grows dark, Little Mole stays beside his new friend, sharing his hat and making a wish on a shooting star. Mr. Deers bus mercifully welcomes both passengers aboard, and the following double-page spread warms things up with a cozy scenein which Little Mole drifts off to sleep. When he awakens at his stop, his friend is gone. He trudges home to Grandmabut hope returns the next morning. The art is especially effective at juxtaposing the small but intrepid Little Mole with the vast winter world, and visual clues and surprises offer added enjoyment (for instance, endpapers starting with a single set of footprints close with two sets). Satisfyingly reminiscent of Raymond Briggss The Snowman (rev. 2/79)though with a happier ending. Julie Roach January/February 2020 p.72(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

PreS-Gr 1--Lonely, Little Mole befriends a snowball on the way home one day. As he pushes it toward the bus stop he confides, "I just moved here. I don't have any friends." The bus driver tells Mole that he can't bring a snowball on the bus. Undeterred, Little Mole shapes his new friend into a bear. When they are turned away by the second bus, Little Mole adds a backpack and his own hat. It is quite late by the time Little Mole and his friend board the third bus, and Mole falls asleep. When he wakes up, his friend is gone. Savvy readers will understand what has happened, but Little Mole's sadness as he trudges home from the bus stop and into his grandmother's waiting arms is very real. Mole falls asleep still thinking about his friend, and in the morning, he scrambles out of his burrow to find a snow bear waiting in the clearing. The colored pencil, pen, and pastel artwork is soft with large white expanses of snow. Little Mole should appeal to readers who like Frank Asch's "Bear" stories--the characters share the same innocence and sense of wonder. VERDICT A general purchase for all picture book collections needing more winter or friendship-themed titles.--Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

"I just moved here. I don't have any friends," Little Mole tells a snowball he finds as he trudges to the bus stop one winter afternoon. When the bus driver won't let the snowball aboard--"Snow is just snow. It'll melt"--Little Mole sculpts it into the shape of a large, cuddly bear. When the next driver refuses to let them on, Little Mole refines his work, giving the bear a knapsack like his own and sharing his hat. As they wait, Little Mole wishes on a shooting star in the glowing sky. Late that evening, a friendly bus driver finally takes them home--but when Little Mole awakes at his stop, his friend is gone, prompting questions about the snowbear's whereabouts. Making his U.S. debut, Korean creator Kim incorporates delicate, closely worked hatching in his mixed-media artwork, giving the scenes a gentle, furry feel. Little Mole and his friend have stubby legs and sweet, puzzled expressions; inside the bus, dozing passengers--a bear cuddling a lighted tree; a long, snoozy snake--provide quiet companionship. Little Mole's simple faith in his new friend makes him a beguiling character, and his snow-covered world is a warm and cozy place. Ages 3--7. (Nov.)