FLURRY, FLOAT, AND FLY!

Compelling verse brings complicated science to elegant life.

Much as she did in her thunderstorm-centric Zap! Clap! BOOM! (2023), Salas hones her informational rhymes once more. This time her eyes are on snowstorms, which, as she notes, are so much more than “rain that freezes.” While down below two kids and their dog wait for a snowy day, “high above the winter land, / the jet stream flows—a narrow band. / Whose roaring, gusting winds divide / and pull in air from either side.” Water vapor adheres to dust, and snowflakes slowly form. With exquisite clarity, Salas’ gentle verse speaks to the poetic beauty of a first snow while gently leading readers through the very real science (“Ten miles up the jet stream flows”). A final, triumphant view of the children and their parent, joined by a group of others, as they all sled and build a snowman conveys the sheer fun of snow. Similarly, Fedele’s artwork, rendered in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil and edited digitally, excels both in its depiction of a joyful wintry romp and in its accurate renderings of the different types of flakes. Backmatter provides more context to the science of snow, making this an ideal companion to titles such as Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Mary Azarian’s Snowflake Bentley (1998). Most characters are pale-skinned.

Deft wordplay and lovely art blend for a tale of a most magical snowy day.