Snowflake Bentley (by Jacqueline Briggs Martin)

This is an excellent choice for introducing biographies to young readers, especially because it is a life story of an inspirational subject who exhibits tenacity. Any child who has cut a folded-paper snowflake will appreciate Wilson Bentley's infatuation with the beautiful and intricate designs of snow crystals. Plainspoken as a Vermonter's speech, Jacqueline Martin's text is also lyrical. Fact-filled sidebars highlight specifics of Bentley's life and his discoveries.

Mary Azarian uses hand-colored woodcuts to illustrate Bentley's life, and a Vermont winter is skillfully captured. Country touches bring the past to life. As beautiful as these illustrations are, more examples of Bentley's photos would have been welcome. Strangely, in a book emphasizing the near uniqueness of snowflakes, each sidebar is decorated with the same set of snowflake designs.