Snow Horses: A First Night Story
by Patricia MacLachlan; illus. by Micha Archer
Primary    McElderry    40 pp.    g
11/22    978-1-5344-7355-3    $18.99
e-book ed.  978-1-5344-7356-0    $10.99

On New Year’s Eve, young Jenny drives Percheron horses Tim and Tom from their farm to the market for a bustling celebration (“There is laughter and talk” is a refrain) and then back home; a dog gets the cozy last word. MacLachlan’s poetic text is hushed (“the sleigh makes a / whisper sound in the / snow—a comforting / swish, swish, swish”) but allows excitement to build (“in every window / of every house / there are little lights. / The town sparkles”). Archer’s illustrations, rendered in collage with homemade papers and inks, create luminous landscapes and invite poring over for details. A joyful, homey way to ring in the new year.

From the November/December 2022 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.