...[A] gem — not to be missed.
In this companion to Dawn and Rain Rain Rivers , Shulevitz uses text as spare as a December landscape to cast a spell of winter magic. Despite predictions to the contrary ("`No snow,' said radio"; "`It'll melt,' said woman with umbrella"), a boy and his dog spy a single snowflake and rush outside in gleeful anticipation. Sure enough, one snowflake turns into two, two into three, and before long snow is "dancing, playing,/ there, and there,/ floating, floating through the air." In a lovely fantasy sequence that hints at the wonder children find in snowfall, a trio of Mother Goose characters climb down from a bookshop window to join the boy and his dog as they frolic through the city streets. A 1999 Caldecott Medal honor book winner, Shulevitz works a bit of visual alchemy as the tale progresses, gradually transforming the chilly gray watercolor washes with flecks of snow, until his cityscape is a frozen fairyland. Pure enchantment from start to finish. Ages 3-up.
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
"This sparely worded, amply imagined story captures all the eagerness children feel about a snowfall," said our Best Books citation. "Prankish art begins as gray watercolor washes, with flecks of snow gradually changing a cityscape into a frozen fairyland." Ages 3-up. (Oct) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
PreS-Gr 2-The skies are leaden over a Russian town, then one flake falls. Then another. Snow isn't predicted, but a young boy delights in the possibilities as his elders react with more skepticism. Uri Shulevitz beautifully captures the inner joy of a snowfall in this Caldecott Honor book (FS&G, 1998). Gentle background music increases the suspense as George Guidall reads the story with the perfect accent and expression. Shulevitz's gentle, yet detailed illustrations are scanned iconographically, and the close scrutiny makes it easier to appreciate their deceptive simplicity. This story allows viewers to feel again the childlike wonder that a good snowfall can bring. The audiocassette is clear and crisp, including the same music and narration as the video. The video treats an exceptional book with care and quality, creating an experience that all viewers will enjoy.-Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
Finally, another of Sandburg's Rootabaga Stories has been made into a picture book— and a fine one.
Journal Starred, School Library
...[A] picture book that young children in all climates are likely to relish. -- The New York Times Book Review
Pure enchantment from start to finish. Shulevitz uses text as spare as a December landscape to cast a spell of winter magic [and] works a bit of visual alchemy as the tale progresses.” —Starred, Publishers Weekly Starred, School Library Journal
When next you see a sky gray with clouds and a ring around a hazy sun, that is the time to listen to SNOW—at best, while also absorbing the Caldecott Honor illustrations from a printed edition. As Shulevitz captures the excitement of a first snowfall, unobtrusive narrator Sean Schemmel quietly reads the spare text. His tone is subdued and his pacing leisurely. Soft background music accompanies Schemmel, letting the illustrations speak for themselves. And speak they do! So much more happens than the text suggests—exuberant storybook characters frolic, radios and televisions talk, unimpressed citizens bustle along, and, all the while, the boy and his dog are on top of the world. A.R. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
FEBRUARY 2010 - AudioFile
