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Snow Music

The opening pages of this striking picture book are painted in watercolor shades of blue and white. "Everyone whisper," the story begins, with the word "peth" repeated over and over on the page. Read this aloud to a group of children, and hear their obedient chorus mimic the sound of the quiet nighttime snowfall that follows before the story launches into typical events of a bright snow day. Roaming animals make tracks on the pristine surface, while two children search for a dog that escaped through a door left open a moment too long. Cars travel through the slush, and a plow scrapes the road while casting its load of sand and salt. Eventually the bright sun melts much of the new snow, and the runaway dog is found. Clouds gather as the day ends, and as night falls, so does more snow. "Everyone whisper: fep fep fep..." This deceptively simple story is brilliantly designed, utilizing a combination of visual cues, artfully arranged typeface, and a clever aural component (along with the sound of falling snow, a dog collar jingles, the snowplow scrapes loudly, and a car radio is faintly heard through tightly closed windows). The result? Total immersion in this artistic rendition of winter day. Highly Commended, 2004 Charlotte Zolotow Award ©2003 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-8
Age Range: Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Nature/Environment Pets Seasons Wordplay

Publishers: Greenwillow, HarperCollins
Publish Year: 2003
Pages: 36
ISBN: 0066239567

CCBC Location: Picture Book, Perkins

Snow Music