Snow

March 14, 2021 By Maria

Snow. Something everyone loves or at least appreciates the beauty of even with the inconvenience it brings and the back breaking shoveling it can involve. Who loves snow most? Well, kids of course! And who loves reading about snow? Everyone. . . or at least I hope. Personally, I find stories set in cold and snowy settings give me a delicious cozy feeling like I’m really curled up in a warm blanket with a hot cup of tea watching snowflakes dance outside the window. When we had our first snow of the season, it was spectacular. . . minus the shoveling. The snow dusted trees were magnificently highlighted and every nook emphasized. The air felt still and peaceful and the white snow covered everything in a uniform beauty.  Without knowledge of the upcoming forecast, I read some snow books to my kids a few days before the snowstorm. I’d like to share some of them here. 

The first is a beautiful book called It’s Snowing! written and illustrated by Olivier Dunrea. The illustrations charmingly tell the story of a mother introducing her baby to snow for the first time. The text is simple and almost rhythmic. Painted in gouache, the pictures show the fur wrapped mother and baby exploring snow on a dark and cold night. They build a snow bear and a snow troll together. (Inspired by the book, my kids tried to build their own snow bear when sledding at my mom’s house.) Years ago I found this book by chance at our local library and I continue to check it out once or twice every winter. (Another of Olivier Dunrea’s books I recommend for beautiful snow paintings is a Christmas story called Bear Noel.)

 My two little ones cannot read on their own yet and they occasionally enjoy books without words like Fox’s Garden by Princesse Camcam from the Stories Without Words series. I am not familiar with the rest of the series, but hope to explore them soon. Even though this book does not contain text my kids usually prefer I tell them the story at least the first time we peruse it. The cut paper illustrated story takes place on a cold snow covered night in which a lone fox searches for a warm place to rest. After meeting rejection at every turn the fox receives a kind gesture from a young boy and in turn leaves him a token of her thanks. This book appears short and plain but the lesson of kindness and sharing can be easily recognized even by small children. I try to discuss the stories we read and ask the kids questions that help them comprehend and reflect on the books. Asking questions while reading is actually a new habit I am trying to form after listening to some virtual lectures over the summer about reading with children.

The third book in my snow book pile is Snowflake Bentley written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and illustrated by Mary Azarian. This book is a fantastic example of an educational picture book! It shares the life and passion of Wilson Bentley told in story form with charming woodcut illustrations and a side bar containing more biographical information. Wilson Bentley was a farm boy who pursued and observed nature with the eye of a scientist. His persistence after countless failures made him the first person to photograph a snowflake. Wilson Bentley’s book, Snow Crystals, remains the first source of those who wish to study this subject.  I read this book to all my kids, but the seven year old benefited most from it. Though suited better for an older child, Snowflake Bentley introduces younger children to the beauty and wonder of science even if the text needs some paraphrasing.  There are so many snow books I would like to talk about in this post, but to keep it from growing into an enormous snow drift I will stop at three for today.