Snow

January 1, 2004
K-Gr 2-A young child and a dog explore the wonders of winter in this appealing story. The author uses simple sentences to demystify the reason for snow, while still expressing the sense of excitement that youngsters feel about it. The colorful watercolor illustrations go perfectly with the text. There's an amazing amount of information packed into this short book. A delightful beginning reader.-Tracy Bell, Durham Public Schools, NC

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2003
\deflang1033\pard\plain\f3\fs24 Reviewed with Marion Dane Bauer's \plain\f3\fs24" Wind\plain\f3\fs24 .

Gr. 1-2. Bauer is such a good writer that even when she's limited to approximately 75 words, she can still put together an interesting text. These Ready-to-Read books not only capture the excitement that comes with snow, it explains how snow is formed: "Clouds are crystals of ice. Each bit of ice clings to a speck of dust . . . they grow so heavy that they drop from the cloud." And she follows the snow that melts into rivers and lakes to give the earth "a cool refreshing drink." Wallace's artwork, childlike and child friendly, works well with the words, although most of the pictures concentrate on fun in the snow rather than the scientific aspects. A final page, "Facts about Snow," offers interesting tidbits for teachers and parents to share with kids. \plain\f3\fs24" Wind\plain\f3\fs24, a companion volumes, follows the same format. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)