Snow - Hardcover

Uri Shulevitz won a Caldecott Medal for his illustrated edition of Arthur Ransome's The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship, and has won numerous other awards for illustrating his own books. Not surprising, then, that he'd create such a lovely book as Snow, a touching story about childish hope, grumpy pessimistic grownups, and the wonder of snowfall. Will the snow come? (Oh, please?) In the first scene there is none, but the second has--if you can find it--a single flake. Then there are more--but they melt. And then, finally... joy! These are unusually subtle illustrations for a children's book: so many illustrators try to out-do each other with lurid effects and excessive brightness, but many of Shulevitz's exquisite panels are close to monotone. He paints whole cityscapes in a dozen shades of gray, with small human figures who you notice (at second glance) have coats of gray-green, gray-blue, or gray-brown. The adults have tiny Edwardian parasols or handle-bar moustaches. The abstract, atmospheric, folktale effect is heightened by a pared-to-the-bone text, just a few words per page. "'It's nothing,' said man with hat. Then three snowflakes. 'It's snowing,' said boy with dog." Snow perfectly captures the transformative nature of snow and the result is magical. Click to see a sample spread. Illustrations and text ©Uri Shulevitz, reprinted with permission from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (Ages 3 to 6) --Richard Farr

Uri Shulevitz is the author and/or illustrator of many books, including The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship by Arthur Ransome, a Caldecott Medal Book, and The Treasure, a Caldecott Honor Book. He lives in New York City.
Sean Schemmel is a voice actor whose work includes providing the voice of Goku in the English-language version of the Dragon Ball anime television shows and video games. He also provided voices in Speed Racer, Pokémon, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, among many other roles. He has narrated books including Justin Halpern’s Sh*t My Dad Says, Jack D. Ferraiolo’s Big Splash and, for Macmillan Young Listeners, Uri Shulevitz’s Caldecott Honor-winning Snow.