Small Walt by Elizabeth Verdick

Hey, Story Seekers! Bundle up. We're going plowing.

Small Walt, written by Elizabeth Verdick and illustrated by Marc Rosenthal, is about the smallest snowplow in the fleet. Which means when the snow starts piling up and the drivers come looking for plows, Walt has a problem.

Everybody wants the big guys.

I've been a children's author, a dad, and a performer for kids for thirty years. Readit has already decided that being allowed to drive a snowplow would be an excellent idea.

Nobody give him the keys.

Book Breakdown

A blizzard has buried the city, and the snowplows are lined up waiting for work.

Walt is ready.

Unfortunately, Walt is also small.

The bigger plows get chosen first, while Walt sits there wondering whether anybody is going to give him a chance. Then along comes Gus.

Gus doesn't care that Walt is the smallest plow in the fleet. He checks him over, climbs aboard, and the two head into the storm together.

That's when the book really gets moving.

Verdick gives Walt a chant as he works, and there are engine noises and plowing sounds mixed all through it. Those sounds matter. A kid who isn't ready to read every word can still join in, and an adult reading aloud gets something to play with besides straight narration.

Walt also has a job kids understand. Clear the road. Keep going. Don't quit.

And that last part gets harder as Gus and Walt take on rougher stretches of the city.

What I like is that Gus doesn't spend the book giving Walt a giant speech about believing in himself. He treats Walt like a working partner. Here's the job. Let's do it.

That relationship gives the story warmth without slowing down the snowplow.

Marc Rosenthal's pictures help tremendously. He gives the plows faces through their windshields, with eyes and eyebrows that make these big machines feel alive without turning them into goofy cartoons. Publishers Weekly called it "digitally colored pencil artwork" with "a matter-of-fact open-heartedness."

Rosenthal also makes the city feel cold and big enough that little Walt really does look little out there. That matters. Walt's size isn't just something the words tell us. We can see what he's up against.

The publisher recommends it for ages 4 to 8. Kirkus pitches it a little younger, at 3 to 6.

For teachers and librarians: Lexile 490L · ATOS 2.4 · AR quiz 194531 · 0.5 points

Jungle Jimmy's Journal

I have a soft spot for stories where the little guy doesn't suddenly discover a secret superpower.

Walt is still small at the end of this book.

He just proves that small doesn't mean useless.

There's a difference.

And Gus may be my favorite part of the whole thing.

Everybody else looks at Walt and sees the smallest plow. Gus looks at him and sees his partner. He runs a four-point check on Walt before they head out, and that little bit of mechanical business does two things at once. Vehicle-loving kids get some actual snowplow stuff, and we get to see that Gus takes Walt seriously.

Then they work.

As somebody who has spent a lot of years performing for kids, I also like what Verdick gives the person holding the book. There are engine sounds to lean into, a repeated rhythm kids can grab onto, and one very clear question pushing us forward.

Can Walt do it?

That's enough.

You don't need six plot twists when you've got a little snowplow heading toward a hill that looks much too big for him.

I'd slow down there. Let the kids look at that hill. Let them decide whether Walt can make it before you turn the page.

That's where this book works best for me. The message about persistence isn't pasted onto the end after the adventure is over. Walt has to keep pushing through the actual snow.

It's also straightforward, and adults will know where it's headed long before Walt gets there. I don't think that's much of a problem for the intended age. This is less about surprising us and more about letting kids root for Walt while it happens.

Sometimes you want the underdog to pull off the upset.

Sometimes you just want the little snowplow to get up the hill.

Readit's Review

First, I would pick Walt.

The big snowplows already know everybody thinks they're big. Walt needs a turn.

Also, snowplows have a checklist before they go out, which I liked because I wanted to know what Gus was checking. You can't just jump in and yell, "LET'S PLOW!"

Apparently.

The hill was my favorite part because I wasn't sure Walt could do it. He's little, the hill is NOT little, and there is snow everywhere.

I also liked the noises.

If somebody reads this book without making the snowplow noises, I think they are doing it wrong.

Sorry, grown-ups.

Those are the rules.

What Others Think

Here's the split, and it's a wide one.

Amazon: 4.8 out of 5 from 84 ratings. Goodreads: 3.59 from 532.

Amazon reviewers bought this for a particular kid and watched it land. Goodreads skews toward librarians and heavy readers who have read a thousand picture books and grade on a curve. Both readings are real. They're just answering different questions.

One Goodreads reviewer called it a "readaloud delight packed full of fun, noisy truck sounds," and reported reading it three times the night they got it. That's a pretty good test of a read-aloud.

The professional reviewers were warmer than the crowd. Kirkus gave it a starred review and landed on "Charming and endearing: 'ChuggaMmmm-hmmm!'" Publishers Weekly praised Verdick's tight storytelling and put the emphasis on Walt and Gus's relationship. School Library Journal put it best: "The grit of The Little Engine that Could, the nostalgic illustrations of Katy and the Big Snow, and a touch of modernity."

Which brings up the one real criticism, and it's worth knowing before you buy.

That Virginia Lee Burton resemblance cuts both ways. The professionals frame it as homage. A number of Goodreads reviewers frame it as derivative, and one said flatly that given the choice, "I'd still go with Katy and the Big Snow." Another assumed at first glance it was a Burton book they hadn't seen.

If you already own Katy and love it, go in knowing what you're getting.

Belly Laugh Scale

2 out of 5: Giggle Territory

Walt isn't trying to knock you out of your chair laughing.

There are fun vehicle sounds, lively moments, and plenty for an adult reader to perform, but humor isn't driving this snowplow.

Determination is.

And I'm fine with that. Not every trip through Book Explorers needs to leave us holding our stomachs.

Sometimes a good CHUGGA-CHUGGA will do.

Final Explorer Verdict

I'd recommend Small Walt for ages 4 to 8, especially kids who love trucks, snowplows, construction vehicles, and machines doing actual jobs.

It's a good classroom or library read-aloud when you're talking about persistence, teamwork, or being underestimated, and it's a natural January pick. The repeated sounds give younger listeners something to join in on, while Walt's hill gives everybody somebody to root for.

It also winds down instead of winding up, which makes it a better bedtime book than most of what we review here.

And if what got your kid was the being-underestimated part, one of mine walks in the same front door. Little Jimmy Says, "Same Is Lame" is about a kid deciding that the thing making him different is the thing worth keeping.

Small plow.

Big hill.

Get moving.

Until our next expedition, Story Seekers, keep turning those pages!

Jungle Jimmy & Readit