White Snow, Bright Snow

When the first flakes fell from the grey sky, the postman and the farmer and the policeman and his wife scurried about doing all the practical things grownups do when a snowstorm comes. But the children laughed and danced, and caught the lacy snowflakes on thier tongues.

All the wonder and delight a

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child feels in a snowfall is caught in the pages of this book -- the frost ferns on the window sill, the snow man in the yard and the mystery and magic of a new white world. Roger Duvoisin's pictures in soft blue half-tones with briliant splashes of yellow and red emphasize the gaiety and humor as well as the poetic quality of the text.

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Illustrated by Roger Duvoisin

This 1948 Caldecott winner looks at the effects of a major snowstorm on the people of a town and on the farm. As the snowflakes begin the mailman puts on his galoshes, children play, a farmer feeds his stock, the policeman’s wife makes sure he does not get a chill.

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When winter really sets in, things look different – softer, rounder. Children make snow forts and have major snowball fights. The mailman puts on heavier clothes and high boots. The policeman succumbs to a cold. The farmer clears a path to his barn. And everyone waits for spring.

At first I really liked Roger Duvoisin’s illustrations, with a grey, wintery palette, interspersed with a touch of color here and there. But over the course of the book I grew tired of the muted colors. Even when Spring arrives his palette remains dark. The message of the book was happy, but I didn’t think the illustrations matched that mood.

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This is a wonderful story with great illustrations, the book takes us through winter and into Spring. There are several characters that this short story follows and how the snow and winter and changing seasons effects each of their lives differently- in similarly.

This classic book published in 1947 wraps me in a soft fuzzy blanket of nostalgia and makes me crave the good ol' days of clean white snow and sledding, rubber boots and all the neighborhood children playing together in the huge drifts. It takes me back to being snowed-in, warm fire in the

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fireplace, hot cocoa and the Postman whose name I knew bringing armloads of Christmas cards. The world depicted in this book does not include the sound of a snow-blower or a snow-mobile. It does not have Doppler radar to let me know it's going to snow. In this book we rely upon the ache in a woman's big toe and the fact that a farmer says it smells like snow. The rabbits know it and the kids search the grey sky waiting for the first snowflakes. This book takes us from those first feathery flakes through a really deep snowfall. We're there as the townspeople shovel themselves out. We're there as the grown-ups contend with the winter snow and the children revel in it. Eventually Spring comes and is greeted with as much gladness as the first snowflakes. The simple four color watercolor illustrations are just wonderful and made me yearn for the days when we didn't hurry from climate controlled houses to climate controlled cars to shopping malls with trees and fountains, for the days when we were on speaking terms with the weather. The writing in this book is so lyrical and gentle that it makes a perfect bedtime story and it is sure to warm the heart of the adult who's doing the reading. For example, "Then without a sound, just when everybody was asleep, the snow stopped, and bright stars filled the night. In the morning a clear blue sky was overhead and blue shadows hid in all the corners."

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This book begins with a poem about snow, and then the story is told, as the characters anticipate the snow’s arrival. In my opinion the descriptions are more beautiful than the pictures. The illustrations are made with India ink, and this doesn’t give the characters realistic coloring. Maybe

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the choice of media was to enhance the whiteness and brightness of the snow. Once the snow has covered the town, in its magical white blanket, the children come out to enjoy the day. The policeman’s wife is stereotypically the homemaker, tending to her husband’s cold while knitting him new a scarf.

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I think gorgeous and beautiful but not for storytime. Very dated. Farmer, mailman, policeman and wife all react differently and prepare differently for the coming snow.

This book has great illustrations but the storyline was a bit old-fashioned and didn't quite meet my expectations. I thought there would be more of an emphasis on the difference between adults and children as they reacted to snow. Cute, but not one I'll be adding to my library.

The illustrations are an important part of the story. They come together very well with the text. The main characters of this book include the rabbits, the children, the postman, the farmer, the policeman and his wife. It is written from narrative point of view. The setting is a common

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neighborhood. The story is told by the narrator. At the beginning, the temperature was getting colder and colder. You can tell it from people's reaction. I thought the story was really cute and I would recommend it as a read aloud for young children.

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Summary: This is a picture book that is based off of a poem that started in the beginning of the book before the true story begins. The story deals with a snow storm and then weather changes between winter and spring, something that every child gets to see and experience when growing up.

Personal

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Reactions: It's a pretty good story about the winter weather and how it changes. Not the biggest fan of it, but maybe kids can see how it looks when it does change.

Classroom Extensions: If I did put this book in my classroom I might have the kids drawl/sketch what hey will do when it snows. Tell me how big they can build their snowman's, or tell me what kind of choices will they help make if had a bad winter storm.

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A delightful 1948 Caldecott Medal winning book, harkens back to a simple time as the small town prepares for a snow storm.

Reading this reminded me of my childhood days and the delight of preparation and then the accumulation of snow.

There are gentle images of houses at night, surrounded by snow and

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twinkling lights in the sky. Lights reflect in the snow and "the automobiles looks like big fat raisins buried in the snowdrifts."

It is a rainy night and a joy to drink a cup of hot tea while reading a lovely picture book.

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Caldecott winner 1948
lyrical type text
a town revels in a snowfall, children delight, animals prance

I enjoyed the poetic lilt of this story. My favorite illustrations in this one are of the snow falling at night.

caldecott winner 1948
lyrical type text
a town revels in a snowfall, children delight, animals prance

White Snow Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt
Summary.
In the beginning of this book there is a postman, a farmer, a policeman and his wife all think its going to snow. Even the rabbits knew it was going to snow. The children were waiting for it to snow and when no one was looking the first snow flake

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began to fall. So the postman, farmer, the policeman and his wife all had to bundled up while they ventured outside. But the kids danced and laughed and had the time of their lives. It snowed and snowed it covered the whole town , some got sick and some played till they couldn't no longer. Until one day the sun came about and started to melt it all away.

Personal Reaction.
This book definitely hit home with all the snow. All the people in this book could tell it was going to snow just like people in my town did, but was almost sad to see it go but was soo happy to see spring come about.

Classroom Extension Ideas.
1. For this book I would read it to the kiddos around winter time and show them what a winter snow day was like and how the people enjoyed all the snow.
2. With this book I would show the kids how the weather can change and show them all the seasons we have for them to understand.

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The illustrations didn't charm me. I get that it's got a graphic design vibe, like a contemporary 'modern art' poster, and that it shows the contrasts between the warm houses and the cold gray sky, and between the adults' heavier reactions and the children's joy. But I just couldn't bring myself to

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actually like the art.

Otoh, the text is marvelous. I would love to read this aloud to children. For example, some of the sentences alliterate, some are very short & snappy, some are very long and roll along. Each suits the part of the story it tells.

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