SNOW AMAZING

A super-sized snow celebration by the authors of Cool Woods: A Trip Around the World’s Boreal Forest (2003) includes weather predictions, snow formation, animals in winter, and bits about blizzards, avalanches, and glaciers. There are thumbnail sketches of historic and modern snow studiers, disaster stories, folktales, invented diaries, and tips on saving the environment. They include plenty of delightfully odd facts, too, e.g., “gray jays’ saliva has a glue-like quality, allowing them to stick seeds high up in trees, well above the snow.” There’s some questionable science, such as: “We have winter because the sun has farther to travel to reach north in winter than it does in summer. And that makes the north colder in winter.” It’s not the distance from the sun, though, but the angle of rays that’s important. Drawings by Owl magazine artist Thurman add to the humor and break up too-dense blocks of text. Includes glossary and index, but no sources for folktales or facts. Over-packed, but fun for browsing. (Nonfiction. 10-12)