The Cozy Book

The Cozy Book

A verse tour of the things that make up a cozy day includes such images as freshly baked muffins with honey, newly cut grass, a comfortable pillow, and the sound of laughter.From Publishers WeeklySkillfully constructed rhymes and tender, tidily detailed watercolors point out to children all the "cozy doings" of "a very cozy day," from the time "you wake up bright and early/ In your roasty toasty bed" all the way to bedtime. Hoberman names cozy things to eat, cozy smells and sounds ("The gurgle that a gargle makes/ The giggle when a tickle takes"), cozy words ("Pachysandra/ Sarsaparilla/ Tusk and smug and fog/ Galoshes"), etc. Fraser, who teamed with Hoberman for A House Is a House for Me, illustrates specific entries on Hoberman's list and also sets whole scenes that embrace a number of "cozy" activities. Her world is a bright one-characters are inevitably rosy-cheeked, their clothes festively patterned, their houses and schoolrooms and playgrounds definitely lived-in. Despite some precious phrases, the message here is thoroughly childhood-affirming. A good choice for lap-time sharing. Ages 4-7.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.From School Library JournalPreS?A newly illustrated edition of Hoberman's Cozy Book (Viking, 1980; o.p.). Verses describing a day in the life of a young child from waking up in the early morning to going to bed at night and all the activities in between. Clothes, food, games and play, smells, people, places, sounds, words, feelings, and a multitude of other things are all described as being "cozy." Rhymes are sometimes forced and grammatical correctness is sometimes sacrificed for the sake of rhyming: "Some smells make you think of things/Things you think you had forgot/If a smell helps you remember/Call it a forget-me-not." Constant repetition of the word "cozy" diminishes its effectiveness and becomes tiresome and saccharine. Detailed gouache-and-watercolor illustrations of multiethnic children engaged in various activities enliven the poetry.?Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NYCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.