How do you study snowflakes when they keep melting? Winner of the 1999 Caldecott Medal, Snowflake Bentley is a biography of a boy who figures out a way to share snowflakes with the world. It’s a story of persistence and problem solving.
William Bentley was born in 1865, in the time “ when farmers worked with ox and sled and cut the dark with lantern light”. The illustrations are prints from carved woodblocks. They are perfect at invoking the simpler time period of this story. As a young farm boy, Bentley studied all kinds of things in nature, but most of all, he studied snowflakes. For three winters, he tried drawing snowflakes, but they always melted before he could finish.
As a young boy, William (“Willie”) read about a camera that came with a microscope. Even though his father thought that studying snowflakes was foolishness, Bentley’s parents spent the savings and bought the camera for their son. The camera cost as much as a herd of ten cows. This amazing camera made images on large glass negatives and could magnify up to 3,600 times.
But even with the fancy expensive camera, Bentley’s first pictures were failures – “no better than shadows”. Bentley persisted though. He kept experimenting and finally succeeding. But no one cared. His neighbors laughed at him. After all, snow in Vermont was as common as dirt. Bentley didn’t let that stop him though. He said his snowflake photographs would be a gift to the world.
Over the years, Bentley learned how cold, wind, and moisture affected the formation of the flakes. Colleges began buying copies of his photos. He was asked to give speeches in faraway places, and became known as “the Snowflake Man”.
When he was 66 other scientist raised money so that Bentley could gather his best photographs in a book. The book ends with Willie becoming ill with pneumonia after walking in a blizzard.
This is a great introduction to biographies for young children. Some young readers may be put off by Willie’s death at the end. Explaining that this story took place a long time ago may help. The book also explains at the back that now there’s a monument and museum for Bentley in his hometown of Jericho, Vermont. Also at the back of the book you’ll find an actual photo of Bentley at work, and three of his famous snowflake photos.
I love the gentle rhythm of this marvelous story of persistence and dedication.
Also See:
Snowflakes in Photographs (a reprint of Bentley’s work)
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale – Mo Willems
The Three Pigs – David Weisner