Snow today! It makes me want to break out the snow books:
Snowflake Bentley, by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, and illustrated by Mary Azarian, is the story of Vermont native Wilson Bentley, who lived in the late 19th and early 20th century. Bentley developed a new technique for photographing snowflakes, and he spent an amazing amount of time doing it. He became passionately devoted to it, and produced a staggering collection of snowflake photographs. This picture book is suitable for young children, but my older girls and I love it, too.
For more photographs, rather than illustrations, see Bentley’s Snowflakes in Photographs. Another one (which I haven’t yet had the pleasure of seeing) is Bentley’s Snow Crystals.
Favorite, time-tested picture books about snow include Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day, and Virginia Lee Burton’s Katy and the Big Snow. Jan Brett’s winter books are always fun to snuggle in with. We love The Mitten, The Hat, and Trouble with Trolls.
The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs, is such a lovely book, with illustrations that perfectly convey the fluffy softness of a hazy, snowy night. The fun thing about this book is that the story is told entirely through pictures (leaving lots of room for narration, though it isn’t necessary. The pictures stand on their own.)
Other great snow books: Jill Barklem’s delightful Brambly Hedge mice are beside themselves when a great snow falls, and they plan a Snow Ball, in Winter Story. (It’s tough to find a new copy of this book, but used copies can be had from used-book sites.) Marie McSwigan’s Snow Treasure is a fun one, about children in Norway, just before WWII. They go sledding past the Nazis daily, but they’re really smuggling their country’s gold past them. Will they save it all? Surprises, of course, and much suspense along the way.
Snowy days seem always to beckon us to the couch, cups of cocoa, and great, winter reads. Enjoy these treasures!
Related links:
Frugal Fun: Make Your Own Snow Paint