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WHEN
It
Starts
to
SNOW
illustrated by
Martin Matje
Holt, 1998
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*CCBC
Choice, 1999
*Braille
edition
*French
edition, translated by
Elisabeth Guinsbourg
*Japanese
edition, translated by Masayo
Koike
*Working
Mother, Best of '98
*Starred
review, Publishers Weekly
*Paperback
big book edition––14 1/2" x 17
1/2"
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| From
the book jacket: |
What if if starts to snow?
What
do you do?
Where
do you go?
So
begins this charming
question-and-answer story as
each animal––from the mouse to
the bear––tells us what it will
do and where it will go when the
snow starts to fall from the
sky.
Phillis
Gershator’s lyrical text and
Martin Matje’s imaginative
pictures make this an ideal
picture book for sharing in a
cozy classroom circle, or
reading under the covers when
the weather gets nippy.
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| A
little about the book: |
When I saw
Holly Meade’s final, sun-filled
illustrations for Rata-pata-scata-fata,
I fell in love with her work. I
asked her what she wanted to work on
next and she said, “Snow.” So I
tried to write a book about snow. My
first version wasn’t successful, and
Holly went on to create other books
(some featuring LOVELY scenes of
snow!). But I kept doing revisions
on the snow theme, and thus began my
connection with a wonderful editor,
Christy Ottaviano. She selected
Martin Matje to illustrate our snow
book, the artist’s first children’s
book in the United States. I had
hoped to do another picture book
with Martin, and one was planned,
but he died at a tragically young
age. His legacy includes so many
terrific books filled with artwork
uniquely imaginative, inventive, and
witty. I feel lucky to have had the
chance to collaborate with
him.
A special
song for When It
Starts to Snow is included
in the CD for kids titled "This Is
the Day! Storysongs &
Singalongs."
For using Snow in the
classroom, check out the many
suggestions in the blog
Speech
in the Schools.
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| From
the reviews: |
“In this engaging picture book about
the chain of events set in motion by a
snowfall, a cluster of animals respond
in rhyme to a boy’s question....
Gershator writes with a simple,
lilting eloquence....French artist
Matje inventively renders the winter
sky in the color of hot chocolate
tinted with whipped cream, a perfect
evocation of both the coziness and
chill of a snowy day. This striking
visual element provides the backdrop
for his boldly graphic
characterizations...everyone, even the
hulking bear, has tiny bright eyes
that peer out at the audience in comic
wonder. With words that roll off the
tongue, pictures of charming woodland
inhabitants and a dash of science,
this one will have readers raring to
go on a snow quest of their own.” Publishers
Weekly,
starred review.
“Matje’s illustrations lead the eye
from one scene to the next in a kind
of flow, out the door, over the ice,
to the pond, into the forest, and back
to the house....The text has a
rhyming, rhythmical pattern with
enough repetition to be read easily by
beginners. this is a charming book to
read aloud with the younger set, in
anticipation of the change from fall
to winter. The rhyming, repetitive
text gives a rolling rhythm while
reinforcing concepts of seasonal
change and animal behavior--such as
migration, coloration, and
hibernation.” Five
Owls, selected title
“In simple rhymes and soothingly
rhythmic language, common animals
describe, in succession, their
responses to falling snow.... Matje, a
French illustrator, makes his American
debut with uncluttered gouache scenes
of simply drawn creatures, seen
through a mild, fluffy snowfall.
Although the text is longer here, the
mood and simplicity of expression
recall Ezra Jack Keats’ The
Snowy Day (1962) and Ruth
Krauss’ The Happy Day (1949).”
Booklist
“The bright white snowflakes are
satisfyingly fat and ever-present, and
the child’s glee in the ‘brand-new
snow/coming down/coming down’ is
contagious....a cozily satisfying
lapsit for the toddler fascinated by
both snowflakes and animal noises.” Bulletin
of the Center for Children’s Books
"...another great title for looking at
how winter weather affects animals and
people differently. As a young boy
excitedly roams in the building snow,
he asks each animal he encounters
"What do you do? Where do you go?"
There's a different answer from
everyone, but all are looking for a
warm place to wait out the chilliness.
From the rooster crowing in the barn
rafters to the bear heading for his
den, everyone has a plan for when the
snow flies. And that includes our
hero, who is so thrilled by the
presence of the white stuff that he
can't sleep! This one's for the kiddo
in all of us, spellbound by the sight
of the whiteness building and drifting
just outside our windows."
Sprout's
Bookshelf
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