Best in Snow

Discover the wonderful world of snow with this companion to the celebrated Raindrops Roll!

With gorgeous photo illustrations, award-winning author April Pulley Sayre sheds sparkly new light on the wonders of snow. From the beauty of snow blanketing the forest and falling on animals' fur and feathers to the fascinating winter water cycle, this nonfiction picture book celebrates snowfall and the amazing science behind it.

“This striking photo essay engages curious readers as the world of snow is revealed in all of its frigid manifestations. Be it a shivering, huddled squirrel or a cardinal posing as a vermilion exclamation point within a maze of snow-laden branches, the frost-flecked forest creatures gazing forth from Sayre's compelling compositions contrast perfectly with the stark descriptions. "A freeze. / A breeze. / A cloud. / It snows." The economically precise language entices and beguiles in a rhyming progression that accompanies a series of photos that range from dark gray clouds to drifting snowflakes to a brittle pane of ice fractals. The photos are stunning. Two red-winged blackbirds are captured in midair, about to land on a feeder; snowflakes on a red squirrel's coat stand out in a double-page-dominating close-up; individual drops of water are captured melting from ice-encrusted fir needles. Stealthily introduced science concepts unfurl amid a visual symphony of meteorological splendor. The appended science facts perfectly accompany each line of poetry reproduced from the body of the text, harmoniously blending the author's twin disciplines of science and creative writing. A lesson-enriching bibliography is also provided. Adult companions of young explorers will find in Sayre's latest nature study an ideal vehicle for early STEAM curricula and activities at home or in school. (Informational picture book. 3-8)”

Sayre follows Raindrops Roll with an attention-grabbing tribute to snow, pairing striking photographs with snowflake-delicate verse. Squirrels, deer, and other animals make cameos ("A freeze. A breeze./ A cloud. It snows./ Snowflakes land/ on a squirrel's nose"), but it's Sayre's images of feathery ice crystals, pine needles caked in dripping icicles, and riverscapes blanketed in white that capture the essence of winter's magic. An enlightening closing spread addresses a range of topics about snow (such as why snowflakes sometimes "plaster one side of a tree branch but leave the other side bare"), offering some scientific heft to balance the artistry and poetry of the preceding pages. Ages 3-8.

--Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

April Pulley Sayre (1966-2021) was the award-winning author of more than fifty-five natural science books for children and adults, including her award-winning photo-illustrated books Being Frog, Raindrops Roll, and Best in Snow. Sayre's books received an abundance of starred reviews, have been dubbed ALA Notable Books (Raindrops Roll; Rah, Rah, Radishes) and won a Geisel Honor (Vulture View). Learn more at AprilSayre.com.

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