Snow is Falling

I chose Snow is Falling, written by Franklyn M. Branley and illustrated by Holly Keller, because I was curious about what a non-fiction picture book for children might be like. I was surprised to find out that it was fun to read! It included a lot of resources that could be used by teachers as well. I really enjoyed that the author was able to teach young children about a scientific phenomenon. While reading it, I couldn’t help but remember think about the scientific videos I watched while in elementary school. This book is probably better than they were!
It tells a little bit about how snow is formed, but really focuses on why snow is good for people, animals, and the environment. The first few pages act as frameworks for the story. They set the mood, telling the reader that it is a cold day and that snow has been falling since the last night. This way, even young readers will be able to envision the scene. The pictures are often counted upon to supplement the text. For example, the text suggests that the reader use a magnifying glass to look at a single snowflake. Included on the same page are three pictures of snowflakes as if they are being looked at through a magnifying glass.
Some of the writing seems overly simplistic. For example, the last page is a sum-up of what has been learned throughout the book. It says “Snow gives us water for wells, streams, and rivers. Snow is good for plants and animals. Snow is good for people. It is good for you and me.” To me, this just seems to be a repetition of lines that have already been used in earlier parts of the books. Another line from the story is “It is always cold when snow falls”. Shouldn’t children already know this? Perhaps it is intended for a younger audience than I was picturing while reading it.
The pictures are not particularly exciting. They were not bad, but they were not wonderful either. They all depict scenes of snow, whether it is children playing in the snow or animals being kept warm underground by the snow. I would have enjoyed seeing more actual snowflakes or snow falling.
The best thing I thought about this book was that it could be easily integrated into the classroom on so many levels. At the end of a book, the author has included a list of experiments to try with snow, web site about snow, as well as other books written about snow. It could be used as part of a science lesson about weather where the teacher reads the book to the students and then they perform one of the experiments. It could also be integrated with a lesson on technology by visiting some of the websites the author lists. In conclusion, this book would be a great way to integrate literature into an early elementary science or technology lesson.