THE POWER OF SNOW

Snow descends mathematically.

We intuitively understand that when snow falls, huge numbers of snowflakes combine to form a white cover. This book demonstrates that there’s also a mathematical way to regard snowfall: Consider snowflakes falling in pairs, then multiply them exponentially. The book starts with two snowflakes, which increase in number over the course of the story. At the bottom of each page, a caption shows the base number 2 with an exponent—for instance, on the page labeled “Eight flakes twirl,” the caption reads “2³ = 2 to the third power / 2 x 2 x 2 = 8.” It all culminates with 2 to the 14th power, or 16,384 snowflakes. The correct number of snowflakes is depicted on each page, and when the numbers are manageable, readers may actually count them in the artwork. The text is delivered in simple, lively verse. Younger kids likely won’t get the math, not having learned multiplication yet, but they’ll appreciate fun vocabulary like swoosh and sashay. Older kids who’ve studied multiplication will understand more and appreciate learning how to multiply the same number repeatedly. The lush, textured illustrations, created from cut pieces of painted-paper collage, then assembled digitally, capture nature at its wintry best. Two children—one light-skinned, one brown-skinned—are depicted playing in the snow. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Cool! Snow really has the power to wow—and teaches math, too.