#3- Over and Under the Snow

3) Over and Under the Snow

Written by: Kate Messner

Illustrated by: Christopher Silas Neal

Scholastic, Inc.

2011

36 pages

Picture Book

            This book was not originally on my list that I wanted to blog, but today’s weather (SNOW! Madness!) is inspiring. I also think it is a great informational book that reads just like a story. The book is about a little girl and her dad who go on a skiing adventure together. Throughout their trip, her dad tells her about all the different forest animals who burrow under the snow for the winter. They look at the tracks of animals that live on top of the snow during the winter, as well. As they get home that night and the little girl gets under the covers of her bed, she thinks of herself as one of the animals burrowed comfortably beneath the snow. The end of the book has a directory of all the animals that were referenced in the story and a small informative paragraph on each one.

           

            The illustrations in the book are done in very natural colors. They take up every page, with the words in the story arranged in an area of negative space. I really enjoyed how the whole book was comprised of pictures. The images are cartoon like, but also look like shapes cut out of paper. You can tell that there was a lot of thought put into each page.

            I would recommend this book for any elementary school student. While it is a small book, I think even older grades would benefit from the “glossary” at the end of it. This book would be perfect for a science lesson about the habitats of different animals. Another good science lesson to do would be a unit on forest animals, using the glossary at the end to do some sort of research. It is also a great book to set out in a unit during the winter season for students to read during free time. I would suggest this book to any educator who wants to teach their students how to read for information.