Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1943.
Hardcover edition, 44 pages, pre- ISBN.
This depiction of life in a small town buried by a huge snowstorm may not seem terribly unrealistic to those of us from northern climes. Katy, an anthropomorphic snowplow reserved for only the deepest of snows, saves the day by carving out a route to rescue trapped people and restore essential services to Geopolis. The meandering pathways she cuts through the snow provide an overall layout of the town, giving small children an early sense of mapping and overall geographical layout. The pages are bordered with repetitive minipics of Katy at work, some with blue to frame and relieve the unrelenting whiteness of the snow. This book also serves to teach young ones about the components which make up a community--police, hospitals and ambulances, schools, post offices, airport, etc.--as well as the oft overlooked highway department of which Katy is the heroine.
This book can be read in small groups to children with more of an attention span. The detailed borders demand close-up inspection most suitable for individual reading. Great for winter or snow-themed storyhours.
Narrative skills may be enhanced by the sequencing of each subsequent rescue.
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