by Jan Fearnley
Little Robin is such a sweet and generous little guy! He meets a lot of different animals struggling to stay warm in the snow and ice of the winter, and thoughtfully offers them a knitted vest to keep them warm and cozy.
He meets a mole, a squirrel, a frog, a rabbit, a baby otter, and a hedgehog, and they are all adorable characters who are grateful to have some warm clothing. The rabbit is so big that he has to wear Robin’s little bird-size vest as a hat, and his long rabbit ears stick out of the arm holes! haha! So cute! But the small vest is just the right size for the baby otter.
I am amazed at the beautiful illustrations. The snow really feels cold, and the details on the knitted vests make them look so cozy and soft. You can even see individual stitches in the knitting pattern of the vests! Each vest is a different color with a cute wintry embroidery pattern on it. I just love the color scheme, and sweet expressions on the animals’ faces.
I loved all the little details in the background of each illustration, like footprints in the snow, trees covered in ice, and red berries ripening on a branch. These are things that draw the reader into the wintry world of the story.
The best part of this book is when Santa finds Little Robin freezing in the snow, and snuggles Little Robin into his Santa beard for warmth on the sleigh ride to his home in the North Pole. So adorable and Christmasy! What a Santa thing to do! haha!
An interesting feature in the story is the emphasis in the writing about how many vests are left after one have been given away and how that corresponds with how many days are left until Christmas. Robin has six vests left, and there are six days until Christmas. Then Robin has only five vests left, and there are five days until Christmas. This is a brilliant way to get children to do a little math along with the story, and it’s so subtle that they won’t even know they are learning!
The pages are thick and matte, with a sturdy hardcover. But the really special thing is the foil overlays on the dust jacket that make the snow sparkle on the cover. It looks so pretty!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.