Description: On snowy days, the Snow Giant comes out. This is a warm, gently illustrated storybook featuring Kiko the fox and her friends Chii and Nii the raccoons. Kiko, Chii, and Nii are always close friends, and Kiko's grandmother is the one who lovingly looks after all three of them. When winter comes, Grandmother makes them wonderful capes to keep them warm. Made from red and green fabric, the capes seem to symbolize Christmas itself. With their wide capes fluttering in the wind, the three friends can hardly wait to put them on and go out sledding. After all, everyone loves showing off new clothes. Ignoring Grandmother's warning that the Snow Giant appears on snowy days, they rush out to go sledding. The Snow Giant is a fearsome monster who appears on snowy days and freezes solid anyone who says they're cold. Wearing their new capes, Kiko, Chii, and Nii are praised by everyone and, feeling excited, they meet two snowmen named Chill Chief and Snow Chief. The snowmen invite them to go sledding together, and as they play and grow warm, Chii and Nii take off their capes and even eat icy shaved ice. But Kiko hesitates to take off her beloved cape, and when she senses something strange, Chill Chief and Snow Chief shout, "Kiko, you've figured it out!" "We are the Snow Giant!" Having eaten the shaved ice and grown as big as a mountain, the Snow Giant blasts cold wind and threatens them to say they're cold, but Kiko splashes hot tea on the Snow Giant's feet to melt them, then grabs Chii and Nii and runs away. It was truly a dangerous moment, but Kiko, Chii, and Nii make it home safely, where Grandmother welcomes them warmly. She even makes new capes for Chii and Nii, who lost theirs — this time in colorful patchwork, since she used up the leftover fabric. A warm and joyful way to get through the cold winter: "Cold, come out, Chill Chief! Snow, come out, Snow Chief!" Snow is falling. On snowy days, the Snow Giant comes out. Snow that falls quietly, little by little, brings us joy, but when it falls heavily, it can become dangerous. The frightening Snow Giant, who is said to freeze anything solid, appears on days when heavy snow falls. Of course, staying indoors is best on days of heavy snowfall, but we should also understand children's desire to run and play outside. Yet the Snow Giant doesn't only appear in picture books. To play happily outside on a cold, snowy winter day, we need the courage to never say we're cold, along with the caution not to carelessly take off our clothes just because we feel warm. If you strip off your clothes the moment you feel a little warm, your body actually cools down faster and freezes solid. Just as Kiko cleverly defeated the Snow Giant with warm tea, let's wisely overcome the cold and enjoy a joyful winter. It seems we really should listen to what grown-ups tell us. Author's Note - My First Time Skiing: Long ago, when my older brother sprained his ankle at a ski resort, I went with two cousins, making a huge fuss about going to rescue him — but in the end, all I did was carry his luggage. At the time, one of my cousins loved skiing and happily took on the role of guide. We switched to a tiny one-car train and rode up the snow-cleared mountain path to the ski resort. "They say a dragon appears around here," my cousin said, and I was so startled I replied, "Wouldn't the dragon be hibernating in winter?" My cousin grinned and said, "A wild boar might show up instead. Boars run so fast we couldn't even climb a big tree to escape." Then, pointing at a tree root, he shouted that it was the boar's tail. My other cousin and I were so frightened we ran and ran all the way to the ski lodge. At the entrance of the inn, seven or eight snowmen of different sizes stood on either side, wearing old ski caps and buckets, as if welcoming us. My brother was the only guest. Since his sprain was minor, my cousin and I had the rest of the afternoon free to enjoy skiing. The small ski slope didn't even have a lift. My cousin held onto a rope to climb to the top, then glided down as if flying. My cousin...