Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* A companion volume to Raindrops Roll (2015), this exceptionally handsome picture book offers a close-up look at snow. Crisp, concise phrases point out what happens before, during, and after a snowstorm, leading children from one idea to the next (freeze, cloud, snow, wind, sun, drips, slush) and ending with a sentence that echoes the beginning phrases. In the middle section, accompanying four large photos on two double-page spreads, these words relate to sunlight after a snowfall: Air warms. / Snow softens. / It drip, / drip, / drips. / Snowmelt / forms / icicle / tips. Elements of the text are sometimes slanted, curved, or arranged in ways that underscore their meanings. While the lyrical narrative alone could be read in a minute, the variety, intricacy, and beauty of the photos give viewers many reasons to pause and look closely at each striking image. Sayre has a well-deserved reputation for exceptional nature photography and dependable science writing for young children. The appended Secrets of Snow section presents additional information related to observations made within the book. Combining eye-catching photos and a spare, poetic text, Sayre's latest informational picture book is uncommonly rewarding for one-on-one sharing and highly recommended for preschool and primary-grade units on snow.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Sayre follows Raindrops Roll with an attention-grabbing tribute to snow, pairing striking photographs with snowflake-delicate verse. Squirrels, deer, and other animals make cameos ("A freeze. A breeze./ A cloud. It snows./ Snowflakes land/ on a squirrel's nose"), but it's Sayre's images of feathery ice crystals, pine needles caked in dripping icicles, and riverscapes blanketed in white that capture the essence of winter's magic. An enlightening closing spread addresses a range of topics about snow (such as why snowflakes sometimes "plaster one side of a tree branch but leave the other side bare"), offering some scientific heft to balance the artistry and poetry of the preceding pages. Ages 3-8. Agent: Emily Mitchell, Wernick & Pratt. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Gorgeous photographs complement evocative and economic verse in this poetic exploration of the winter water cycle. Alliterative language flows and pulses in a rhyming progression: "Air warms./Snow softens./It drip, drip, drips./Snowmelt/forms/icicle tips." A perfect storytime or one-on-one selection; readers of all ages will want to snuggle up and settle in to appreciate this gem. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In brief, simple poetic phrases (sometimes only two words per page) and stunning photos, Sayre celebrates snow in its many forms. Forest animals make appearances, but it is the exquisite close-up pictures of frost, snowflakes, and ice that steal the show. Teachers should gladly add this companion to Raindrops Roll to their science/nature and poetry units. Further information is included at book's end. Reading list. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
This striking photo essay engages curious readers as the world of snow is revealed in all of its frigid manifestations. Be it a shivering, huddled squirrel or a cardinal posing as a vermilion exclamation point within a maze of snow-laden branches, the frost-flecked forest creatures gazing forth from Sayre's compelling compositions contrast perfectly with the stark descriptions. A freeze. / A breeze. / A cloud. / It snows. The economically precise language entices and beguiles in a rhyming progression that accompanies a series of photos that range from dark gray clouds to drifting snowflakes to a brittle pane of ice fractals. The photos are stunning. Two red-winged blackbirds are captured in midair, about to land on a feeder; snowflakes on a red squirrels coat stand out in a double-pagedominating close-up; individual drops of water are captured melting from ice-encrusted fir needles. Stealthily introduced science concepts unfurl amid a visual symphony of meteorological splendor. The appended science facts perfectly accompany each line of poetry reproduced from the body of the text, harmoniously blending the authors twin disciplines of science and creative writing. A lesson-enriching bibliography is also provided. Adult companions of young explorers will find in Sayre's latest nature study an ideal vehicle for early STEAM curricula and activities at home or in school. (Informational picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
