Snow?

By Jo Surman
Scribblers, 2022
Picture book, 32 pages, ages 3-6

Two curious little foxes ask their mother, “Why is your fur so warm and thick?”

“I am growing my winter coat to keep me warm for when the snow comes,” she replies.

“What is snow?” ask the little foxes. But Mother Fox is already asleep.

An adorably inquisitive tale.

So they scamper out of their den to ask other animals what snow is. All of the animals are too busy preparing for the snow, so they each give one clue. Snow makes food disappear. It’s very cold. It falls from the sky. It makes the ground hard.

The little foxes’ question is answered the next morning. But the other animals left out an important detail: snow is fun!

This cumulative tale is engagingly written, vibrantly illustrated, gorgeously printed, and a delight to read. Kids will identify with the little foxes’ curiosity and their tenacity in finding an answer to “what is snow?”

This would make an excellent read aloud and introduction to animal behavior, changing seasons, and hibernation. Kids will be so wrapped up in solving the mystery of what snow is that they will barely realize they’re learning.

The pacing of the story feels natural and is appropriate for the target age range. The one drawback for me, and the reason for the half star deduction, is the placement of the text. While a large font is commonly used for readability, in this case the font size was too large for comfortable reading. The text felt cramped and was close to the margins on some pages. A smaller font with more space between lines would have been easier for me to read. Though this was a minor inconvenience, it did not affect my enjoyment of the story. I would still highly recommend this book.

Snow? By Jo Surman gets 4 ½ stars from this reviewer.