Never underestimate what you can learn from a children’s book such as Pigloo by Anne Marie Pace, even if the learning is tongue-in-cheek. Pigloo, the Explorer, teaches how an explorer behaves and a couple of life lessons as well in a preschooler’s snow story.
The explorer must get together transportation (sled), proper clothing (hat, gloves, mittens), and stores (what explorers call their snacks in the backpack). He must read the map and learn the signs of the North Pole so he will know when he has arrived (a red-and-white striped pole and maybe a polar bear). He must consider the best route (so he will be back for lunch).
Life lessons include being patient (waiting for the snow), being brave (the trip to the North Pole is long and fraught with danger), minding his manners (taking his hat off at the table), and dealing with disappointment (no penguins at the North Pole, only at the South). He must also deal with a know-it-all older sister.
The book appeals to children who love the snow (even if they are not likely to get any like these two Mississippi boys) and whose imaginations are still intact (as theirs are). They will recognize the warm advice from the parents and even the bossy sister who comes through for Pigloo in the end.