February 16, 2026 By Maria
It feels like the White Witch from C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia has descended upon our town. We have had a consistent layer of snow and ice everywhere for well over two weeks now. It’s still mostly beautiful with the occasional cluster of gray dirty snow. We even had some more snow last night – a dusting over our “forever snow.” I love the blanket of white, but not the icy walking conditions and I definitely do not like driving or parking on streets narrowed by accumulated snow and ice along the edges.
Due to this accumulation of snow at our doors and my increasing impatience with it, I decided to pull a couple of picture books from our shelf with lovely illustrations of snow. If I keep reminding myself of the snow’s unique charm, I will hopefully be more willing to deal with its inconveniences.
A little girl wishes for the inconvenience of snow to keep her pilot mother home in Before Morning by Joyce Sidman. This book is mainly told in pictures with very little text. The text that is included is the little girl’s wish, almost a prayer for the snowstorm to come and keep her mother home. The last lines of the book are my favorite: “Make it slow and delightful and white.” Beth Krommes’ art is perfect for the snow-covered town and park. Those illustrations are some of the most beautiful pictures in this book, but my very favorite is at the end; it shows snow angels made in the freshly fallen snow near the angel statue in the park.
My favorite part about snow is the cozy feeling it brings. I share the same sentiments with Beth Krommes as stated in the illustrator’s blurb on the back jacket cover. It says she often wishes to be “snowed in with her family, a good book, and a fire in the woodstove.” I love the slow quiet snow brings. I love it when plans and school can be cancelled for a day and we all get to just be together like the family in this book. The snow creates a brief but appreciated sanctuary for everyone to huddle in, for a fleeting moment, and get a break from the busyness of everyday life.
Snow creates a brief, still sanctuary for contemplative thought in Fox’s Dream by Tejima. This book tells the story of a lone fox awaking in a moonlit snow- and ice-covered forest. On his slow meander through the trees the fox sees a single hare, but it disappears just as quickly with a leap through a clearing. The hare jumping with the dark sky backdrop makes a dramatic two page spread in the book. I love the creative use of line, texture and shadow in the illustrations. As the fox wanders, he deals with feelings of loneliness and reflects on his time as a cub, the past closeness of his family, and the warmth of spring and summer. As the fox heads back home through the woods, he meets another fox, a vixen. They share a joyful greeting and the internal knowledge that spring will come again.
Beautifully illustrated books always fill me with a special joy. Both these books have lovely woodblock or wood engraving like art. I love it when books contain a note about how the illustrations were made or even what kind of media the artist used. Unfortunately these two books do not contain any such note about the art. That fact does not take away from their beauty.
I know that when our eternal icy snow finally melts away, I will miss its beauty, especially if it is followed by mud. When that happens, I know I will be just like the girl in Joyce Sidman’s book. I will wish to, “make it slow and delightful and white.”
More Bookshelves Please 