A Day for Skating

This celebration of winter, family and the great outdoors takes the reader on a journey through a single day of skating that stretches to include both sets of endpapers. From a father and daughter’s early arrival at a skating pond through to the appearance of the pond’s more nocturnal skating enthusiasts, the tone and coloring of the illustrations changes from vibrant morning and afternoon blues and then to purpler tones of evening and night. A host of skaters enjoy the pond throughout the day, whose ice interests (including hockey, figure skating, racing, waltzing, etc.) are as diverse as their ethnicities and groupings. While the plot and story line are minimal if not non-existent, the sense of movement in the illustrations maintains a sufficient energy level to keep this book fun while still maintaining a sense of wintery coziness. The cadence is hampered by imperfect rhyming (“Shadow lengthen. Time to stop./ Loosen laces. Skates come off”) that frustrates the read-aloud experience, but is sufficient to convey the joy of skating as well as a delightful plug for getting up when you fall.