Thomas refuses to wear his new snowsuit despite the pleas of his mother, his teacher, and even his principal.
April 1, 1986
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.