Product Description

Jane Drake and Ann Love, the acclaimed authors of Cool Woods: A Trip Around the World’s Boreal Forest, explore the fascinating, beautiful, and sometimes dangerous world of snow. They write about snow as a habitat, the significance of snow on the environment, snow’s impact on the people and animals who live in it, and snow stories and lore from around the world.

From the science of snow to the magic of a winter wonderland, this book is a comprehensive must-read. Not only is the information presented with clarity and brisk good humor, but with urgency. As the polar ice cap melts, we are becoming aware of its critical impact on all of the earth’s living creatures.

Illustrated with Mark Thurman’s detailed drawings and magnificent photographs from the authors’ own collections, this is a wintry treat to enjoy all year.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1300879 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-12
• Released on: 2004-10-12
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 10.31" h x .53" w x 8.31" l, 1.19 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 80 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7–This conversational text presents the natural history and the lore of snow and the creatures that live in it. From Kovakmiut terms for specific types of snows and drifts to snowy paw prints, avalanches, glaciers, the Ice Age, and much more, the scientific facts stand cheek by jowl with folktales and fun facts. Readers are told how snow crystals form, and how Snowflake Bentley and others have spent lifetimes studying their highly individual shapes. Small, full-color photos and some attractive artwork are sprinkled throughout. Team this volume with Joan Sugarman's Snowflakes (Little, Brown, 1985), Terence Williams's The Secret Language of Snow (Pantheon, 1984), and Sandra Markle's Exploring Winter (Atheneum, 1984) for a seasonal treat. Kenneth George Libbrecht's superb The Snowflake (Voyageur, 2003), from the adult department, offers an awesome look at the sublime glory of snow crystals.–Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 3-5. This enthusiastic hodgepodge of information and stories presents readers with a wide range of historical, meteorological, and scientific facts about snow. Avalanches, blizzards, glaciers, snow birds, snow mammals, and weather forecasting are among the many subjects covered. Supplementing the factual text are folktales from Native American peoples and Russia that feature snow at the center of the story. Illustrating the informational sections are attractive color photographs; less impressive color drawings accompany the folktales. The fact sections would have been better supported with diagrams, maps, and, in some cases, more relevant photographs. The section on Snowflake Bentley, for example, should have included a photograph of snowflakes, preferably one by Bentley himself. The format and supporting illustrations are a bit lacking, but this will still find an audience among young browsers and teachers seeking supplementary materials for elementary science units. A glossary concludes. Ed Sullivan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Jane Drake and Ann Love are sisters and co-authors and have shared a life-long interest in the environment and the wild. Their writing for children has always had a natural history/environmental/action focus. They are interested in making children more observant of the natural world. Together they are the authors of many award-winning books including The Kids Winter Cottage Book. They have been shortlisted for numerous awards including the Red Cedar Award, the Norma Fleck Award, the Hackmatack Award, and the Silver Birch Award. Ann Love is one of the founding members of Pollution Probe. Both Jane and Ann are married with three children each and live in the Toronto area.

Mark Thurman is an artist, illustrator, author, and teacher who enjoys writing and illustrating picture books and conducting workshops for students and teachers. He has over thirty books to his credit. He was co-creator and illustrator of the “Mighty Mites,” a scientific cartoon in Owl magazine. Mark Thurman lives and works in Toronto.