Until Mum returns each day, Samantha spends the time after school with their next door neighbor Mrs. Dean. Sam's dog Micawber is definitely not welcome near the clean, orderly home and neither are any other lively Trotter Street children or their pets. One afternoon before Christmas, Sam and her friend Barney create a snow lady and name it "Mrs. Mean." Sam later realizes that the labeled snow figure is hurtful and makes a valiant effort to keep Mrs. Dean from seeing it. The neighborhood community of ANGEL MAE (Lothrop, 1989) and BIG CONCRETE LORRY (1990) is the locale for the small, ordinary incident from which Sam grows in a big way. (Ages 3-7)

Sam and Barney build a snow lady that resembles their elderly neighbor, mean Mrs. Dean.