Shelf Awareness--Frostfire

PB Review: Frostfire

Frostfire by Elly MacKay (Tundra Books, 44p., ages 3-7, 9780735266988)

Elly MacKay's radiant, fantastical Frostfire showcases the bond between two sisters who take pleasure in letting their imaginations take the lead.

Celeste and older sister Miriam leave home to enjoy a "glittering winter kingdom" of snow and ice. When they hear a "deep grumbling sound," Miriam insists it is the roar of a snow dragon. Understandably, Celeste has questions. Miriam, luckily, is a dragon expert (she was "just reading about them") and explains all to her younger sister: snow dragons are huge, sneaky, fire-breathing, princess-eating beasts, who prefer flying to walking and never get tired. When Celeste wanders off to find a sword, she hears a grumbling sound and bravely welcomes the snow dragon--as long as it eats pinecones, not princesses. Celeste shows Miriam the wonderful creature (now "camouflaged to look like a cloud") and the girls watch until the wind shifts and the dragon moves "out of sight."

MacKay (Zap! Clap! Boom!) features a charming give-and-take between her two loving, humanlike fox sisters. The author's illustrations--photographs of paper scenes made with numerous materials, such as spray paint, glitter, fabric, and foam--depict crisp characters set upon silvery backgrounds suffused with golden light. At times, Celeste and Miriam appear as if they're floating in the scenes, an effect that makes the protagonists feel ungrounded, but may enhance the whimsy and fantasy of the text and Celeste's dragon. Frostfire is a sweet and elegant tribute to imaginative play. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author. Originally printed in Shelf Awareness.