Welcome to the first Perfect Picture Book Friday in March!
Here on Blueberry Hill, no one seems to have gotten the memo that it IS March and therefore enough with the snow! It still seems to be snowing every day, at least for a while, even if only flurries. Pretty much not a day goes by when some amount of snow shoveling isn’t required!
So this Picture Book seems Perfect for today – an adorable story of a little snow plow doing his job!
Title: Small Walt Spots Dot
Written By: Elizabeth Verdick
Illustrated By: Marc Rosenthal
Publisher: Paula Wiseman Books, September 2020, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: jobs (plowing, keeping public spaces clear), teamwork, animal rescue, kindness
Opening: “Whoosh! Wind’s howling.
Swoosh! Snow’s flying.
Small Walt and Gus are on the road – and on the job.
They’ve got lots of parking lots to plow.”
Brief Synopsis: Walt and his driver Gus are plowing a parking lot when a blur of fur catches Walt’s eye. It’s cold and snowy. Will Walt and Gus be able to help the stray?
Links To Resources: Small Walt Activity Pages; 3-D Snowplow Craft (my apologies that it says “for boys”!); Snow Printouts, Activities, and Ideas;
Why I Like This Book: I love this book because it instantly reminds me of Katy And The Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton, one of the classics from my childhood, I think because of the style of the art as much as the fact that it’s about a snow plow. 😊 Small Walt is such an earnest, careful, and responsible little plow, able to get into those smaller spaces where the big plows can’t. He and his driver, Gus, take their job seriously. It is important and they do it well. But Walt also has his eye out for the community, and when he spots a stray dog, he knows he has to help. Together with the policewoman, Walt and Gus manage to catch the shivering stray and take her to the animal shelter. I like that the police person is a woman, and that she is not white (as well as that there is diversity in several of the illustrations.) And (spoiler alert!) I always like books that show animals being adopted from shelters. With its sweet story and engaging illustrations, this book will please the truck lovers and the dog lovers in your house or classroom!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊
Susanna Leonard Hill 
Susanna, I love this book. I know someone working in a shelter who will love it too. Thanks for sharing it.
I’m glad you love it, too, Maria! The Walt is such a wonderful character, and the story and illustrations are so appealing! I hope your friend loves it!
She absolutely did! And is sharing it with colleagues! She liked your review, too.
Those illustrations brought me right back to my childhood, too. I do hope, though, that we can read about this plucky snow plow, but not hear real snow plows continuing to work as spring struggles to arrive.
Me too, Patricia! I’m ready for sunshine and green grass and flowers and being able to go out side in shorts and a t shirt and not be cold! 😊
I’m so glad you chose this book this week, Susanna.
It has all the right ingredients for becoming a classic.
I’m putting this on my list to buy for family and friends.
Have a great weekend!
I think you will love it! At least, I hope you will!!! 😊 Have a great weekend too!
I know I will:)
Happy writing, Happy weekend!
Thank you for sharing this today.
I’m kind of glad they don’t plow my street, unless we get over a foot! But I do appreciate it on the road that takes me to the library! Looks like a lovely book and I hope to read it once storytime resumes at the bookstore! (Almost all of the last snow has melted here – expecting 70F on Monday😲!)
I’m hoping to read this book soon. It looks like an adorable book and I love snow so it hits a sweet spot for me.:)
What a clever and adorable book. My 3-year-old grandson loves cars, trucks, etc. and would just adore this book! Thanks for sharing! The weather is so much nicer now here — 60 – 70s next week!
So cute! I love my snow, but I’m glad we are done with it for the foreseeable future!
That’s EXACTLY what I was thinking: Virginia Lee Burton!! Except I was thinking about Mike and MaryAnne (sp?) the steam shovel done in the same style. Anyway, this looks lovely! Thanks for the rec, Susanna! And I hope spring comes sooner rather than later for you!!
Oh, I love snowplow books. And we still have snow (but thankfully NOT enough to plow!)… this looks like a wonderful, warm and furry story despite the snow.
This book looks adorable! It’s one I didn’t know about, so thanks for introducing it to me. My grandkids will love it!
How very cute. Great for those snowy days.