Review by Booklist Review
Quiet as a snowfall, this portrait of a man who has chosen to live a solitary life in a remote locale offers insights into the rhythms of such an existence--and highlights an unexpected result. Starting out in 1972 in a Rocky Mountain shack that he had to share with a skunk and a marten, billy barr (his chosen capitlization) was driven (initially, anyway) by boredom to begin meticulously recording snow depths and densities, times that wildflowers and wildlife appeared, and other natural rounds. He never stopped, and now his notebooks and computer files are giving scientists studying climate change decades of data, a unique trove of local evidence for global warming. In Jeanette Winter's mountainous, piney snowscapes, the skunk and the marten peer curiously at a bearded human chopping wood, taking notes and measurements, tending to his greenhouse, and gradually going from brown to gray to silvery white. In a pointedly phrased send-off prior to their afterword and source list, the authors leave him, still alone, "surrounded by trees and animals, and, for the time being, snow."
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The mother-son team (Oil) create a wry, poignant picture book biography about a reclusive man--billy barr, an author's note reveals--who lives in a cabin on a snowy mountain and, with nothing else to do, becomes a scientific researcher. "He propped up an old freezer door to collect the snow, then stuck a ruler in it." In naif-style paintings, Jeanette Winter shows the bearded, pale-skinned man standing in the snow, writing in a small notebook as forest animals look on. After decades of keeping measurements and records--the date of the first wildflower blooms and the arrival of migratory birds, among others--he begins to realize that there's less snow falling than before, and that it arrives later and disappears earlier. The local climate change researcher he shares this information with is astonished by the encyclopedia of information assembled by this lone man--who is, Jonah Winter says, still living on the mountain, still measuring snow. With only his powers of observation and the quiet afforded him by isolated circumstances, he makes a significant scientific discovery. The idea that revelatory research can still occur both outside the confines of a laboratory and via simple, consistent noticing is a powerful and inspiring revelation. Ages up to 8. (Oct.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--This quiet true story follows the life of a young man who lived alone in a remote cabin at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. He came for solitude and to be near nature, but over time he began to record his observations of how much snow fell, when the first snow occurred, and when the first spring blossoms appeared. Decades passed with him continuing to record his notes until he noticed something interesting. There was less snow each year, and it arrived later and melted sooner. He brought his notes to a local scientist who was studying climate change. The scientist was amazed at the massive amount of data recorded over the years to show how long and at what rate the climate has been changing. His findings were invaluable for climate research. This book is a great addition to nature units dealing with climate change as well as biography units showing how one person can make a difference in the world. Jonah Winter's text is written with short sentences and accessible vocabulary for young readers. Jeanette Winter's bright and recognizable illustrations are a perfect complement to the text. VERDICT There are not many books about the science of climate change for younger readers; this is an excellent addition to all collections introducing this important topic to the primary grades.--Heidi Dechief
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Review by Horn Book Review
This nonfiction picture book spotlights the decades-long data collection project of billy barr, a contemporary citizen scientist who spells his name using all lowercase letters and has spent over fifty years living alone (not counting a skunk and pine marten) in the Rocky Mountains. To pass the time, barr began observing and measuring his natural surroundings: snowfall and snowpack, animal hibernation, wildflower blossoms, and more. After years of recording in his notebooks, he shared patterns he noticed with a scientist he knew who studied climate change. "These measurements proved that the earth was getting warmer." Now, his data is used by climate scientists around the world, and he continues to live in the mountain wilderness and collect and record data using a computer. The account unfolds chronologically using a straightforward, line break-filled text. barr's name and specific location are not revealed until the concluding author's note (and brief bibliography), keeping the story focused on his process and impact rather than on the "man on the mountain" himself. Illustrations are set against plentiful white space in Jeanette Winter's trademark colorful, painterly style reminiscent of folk art. A variety of perspectives, including double-page landscapes, offer readers opportunities to connect with the setting and join the protagonist in tracking changes in it over time. The Winters here celebrate how a long-term commitment to a personal project can become an informational resource that inspires future study and action. Elisa GallNovember/December 2023 p.114 (c) Copyright 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
One man makes a difference, far from society, in a cool true tale. When he is young, the man finds a remote cabin at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. There, he proceeds to spend the rest of his life. But being alone can be boring, so to pass the time he begins to record the snowfall, when the flowers bloom, when the animals emerge from hibernation, etc. As he grows older, he notices changes to the seasons, like the snow falling later and melting sooner. When he shares his copious notes with scientists, his data is embraced around the world as definitive proof that the world is growing warmer. The text is straightforward, ending with the final bittersweet observation that the man (whose real name is billy barr) will continue to measure the snowfall "for the time being." Meanwhile Jeanette Winter brings her talents to bear on the beauty of snowcapped hills and barr's own, inevitable, aging. Consider this a younger companion to I Begin With Spring (2022) by Julie Dunlap, illustrated by Megan Elizabeth Baratta, which also features a man's meticulous notes on nature and their invaluable contribution to climate science. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A quiet, necessary consideration of how a single person can make an impact with patient observation. (Informational picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
