Snow - Uri Shulevitz

Brings alive the pure wonder of snow.

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Common Sense rates it
4
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Book details
  • Author:Uri Shulevitz
  • # of pages: 28
  • Publisher:Farrar Straus & Giroux
  • Original Publication Date: 01/01/1998
  • Genre: Fiction - Picture Book
  • Hardcover: $16.00
  • Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: Ages 4-8
  • Read Aloud: 2-6
  • Read Alone: 6+
  • Awards:Caldecott Honor

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is a modern-day book with an old-world feel.

Families can talk about the boy's persistent hope. What do you think of the grown-ups in this story?

Message

Social Behavior:

Consumerism:

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Violence

Sex

Language

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Amy Brotman

An earnest little boy desires snow to brighten his gray city. Undaunted by the adults who tell him it won't come, the boy gets his wish as a white blanket falls, one flake at a time. The boy's eagerness, coupled with exceptional watercolor and pen-and-ink illustration, bring alive the pure wonder of snow.



Is it any good?

4

This straightforward book caused one five-year-old to squeal in delight at Uri Shulevitz's words. Descriptors such as "boy with dog," "grandfather with beard," and "woman with umbrella" inspired him to fire off a barrage of original people labels. "Neighbor with cat," "friend with mittens," and "teacher with snack" provoked endless giggles, plus satisfaction about being able to understand and play along with this silly-speak.

But what makes Snow so appealing is the purity of the boy with dog. In text and illustrations, Uri Shulevitz brings the spirit of a child brilliantly to life. Nothing and no one can convince the boy that it won't snow--not his grandfather, not townsfolk, not even a blaring boom box or a glaring television weather reporter. And readers are quickly convinced it is the boy's pure will that brings each flake. If the snowfall isn't enough, the boy's imagination brings to life Mother Goose, Humpty Dumpty, and the gang to celebrate.

Other choices

Uri Shulevitz is the author and illustrator of many other award-winning books, including the Caldecott Medal book The Fool of the World and The Flying Ship. Other books about the joy of snow include Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day and Alvin Tresselt's White Snow, Bright Snow, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin.

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