Snow Song

Snow Song is a story that captures the joy children take in a world of snow. It brings back memories of the excitement one feels as a child when the first flakes fall. It reminds readers of the awe felt at seeing a silent, white polka dotted sky as tongues are stuck out to try to catch and taste snowflakes.

Snow Song is written in verse by A. K. Riley and tells the story of the celebration of snow and all the fun activities that can be done with this type of weather – tobogganing, ice skating, snowball throwing, and the joy of struggling to walk through deep snow. The poetic text plays with all kinds of adjectives and phrases that provide the adult reader with great opportunities for discussion with children of what the words mean. The text of the story and the illustrations work together to create the excited energy of children experiencing snow!

Dawn Lo’s illustrations in Snow Song are beautifully crafted. Most take a distant side view perspective, but there are great bird’s-eye view drawings that invite the reader in. Children blow out air and watch the white clouds their breath has become. Children lie on their backs and point up to the sky. Children walk with ice skates hanging by tied laces from their arms. Children sail on skates on an icy pond. Colourful toques, scarves, mittens, and earmuffs add colour to contrast to the snow’s whiteness.