Snow by Uri Shulevitz

From the Publisher

A companion volume to Dawn and Rain Rain Rivers.

"It's snowing," said boy with dog.

"It's only a snowflake," said grandfather with beard.

No one thinks one or two snowflakes will amount to anything. Not the man with the hat or the lady with the umbrella. Not even the television or the radio forecasters. But one boy and his dog have faith that the snow will amount to something spectacular, and when flakes start to swirl down on the city, they are also the only ones who know how to truly enjoy it. This playful depiction of a snowy day and the transformation of a city is perfectly captured in simple, poetic text and lively watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations.

People Magazine

A snowfall defies the grown-ups, who insist it won't last, and blankets a small boy's town in splendor.

Book Magazine

...[A] gem — not to be missed.

Publishers Weekly

"This sparely worded, amply imagined story captures all the eagerness children feel about a snowfall," said our Best Books citation. "Prankish art begins as gray watercolor washes, with flecks of snow gradually changing a cityscape into a frozen fairyland." Ages 3-up. (Oct) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

In this companion to Dawn and Rain Rain Rivers, Shulevitz uses text as spare as a December landscape to cast a spell of winter magic. Despite predictions to the contrary ("`No snow,' said radio"; "`It'll melt,' said woman with umbrella"), a boy and his dog spy a single snowflake and rush outside in gleeful anticipation. Sure enough, one snowflake turns into two, two into three, and before long snow is "dancing, playing,/ there, and there,/ floating, floating through the air." In a lovely fantasy sequence that hints at the wonder children find in snowfall, a trio of Mother Goose characters climb down from a bookshop window to join the boy and his dog as they frolic through the city streets. A 1999 Caldecott Medal honor book winner, Shulevitz works a bit of visual alchemy as the tale progresses, gradually transforming the chilly gray watercolor washes with flecks of snow, until his cityscape is a frozen fairyland. Pure enchantment from start to finish. Ages 3-up.

Children's Literature

A boy and his dog look out the window at the gray city and are delighted to see one snowflake. "It's snowing," proclaims the boy. Nobody else believes the snow will accumulate. Grandfather, with his long dark beard and wire-rimmed glasses, looks very wise as he declares that "It's only a snowflake." A man with a tall hat and long overcoat decides the snow is nothing and a woman, marching along the street under an umbrella, expects the snow will melt. Even the radio and the television say, "No snow." The flakes dance and twirl in the air and then begin to stick. The snow falls and accumulates until the once drab city is transformed. The simple, lyrical phrasing has a faintly foreign flavor and the illustrations by the Caldecott winner capture the joy to be experienced in the first snowfall of the year.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-The skies are leaden over a Russian town, then one flake falls. Then another. Snow isn't predicted, but a young boy delights in the possibilities as his elders react with more skepticism. Uri Shulevitz beautifully captures the inner joy of a snowfall in this Caldecott Honor book (FS&G, 1998). Gentle background music increases the suspense as George Guidall reads the story with the perfect accent and expression. Shulevitz's gentle, yet detailed illustrations are scanned iconographically, and the close scrutiny makes it easier to appreciate their deceptive simplicity. This story allows viewers to feel again the childlike wonder that a good snowfall can bring. The audiocassette is clear and crisp, including the same music and narration as the video. The video treats an exceptional book with care and quality, creating an experience that all viewers will enjoy.-Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

People Magazine

A snowfall defies the grown-ups, who insist it won't last, and blankets a small boy's town in splendor.

Betsy Groban

...[A] picture book that young children in all climates are likely to relish. -- The New York Times Book Review

Journal Starred, School Library

Finally, another of Sandburg's Rootabaga Stories has been made into a picture book— and a fine one.

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