Thomas' Snowsuit

Thomas refuses to wear his new snowsuit despite the pleas of his mother, his teacher and even his principal. When everyone's best efforts lead only to comedic chaos, they all agree it's best to let Thomas suit himself.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2 Thomas refuses to wear his new brown snowsuit: ``If you think I am going to wear that ugly snowsuit you are crazy!'' He reinforces this statement with a resounding ``NNNNNO'' when his mother insists he don the suit. His mother jumps up and down, and they have an enormous fight. This behavior is repeated with Thomas' teacher and the school principal. In the process of a fight, Thomas and his teacher end up in their underwear. Thomas never suffers any ill-consequences for his rude behavior; he looks on with a smirk as his mother, teacher and principal are made to look foolish. In the end the principal retires to Arizona ``where nobody ever wears a snowsuit.'' Thomas comes off as a manipulating, rude little brat. Audiences may chuckle over the cartoon-like illustrations; they are bright and colorful, and do fit the story. However, this is one Canadian import that should be left north of the border. Evelyn Homan, Lexington Public Library District, Ill.

Robert Munsch is the author of more than 25 books for children including The Paper Bag Princes and Stephanie's Ponytail. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and studied to be a Jesuit priest before deciding to work with children instead. He taught in a variety of nursery schools and daycare centers while he earned an MA in Early Childhood Education. In 1975, Munsch and his wife, Ann, moved to Guelph, Ontario. The Munschs have three children: Julie, Andrew, and Tyya (see them all in Something Good!).

Michael Martchenko has illustrated over 30 books for children and has exhibited his work throughout North America. He has won numerous awards for design and illustration. He lives with his wife, Patricia, in Toronto.