Snowflake Bentley: A Caldecott Award Winner

I didn't grow up in a place where it snowed, so I thought it was pretty much made of magic and was fun all the time, and never thought about the cold and all the unpleasant bits. Apparently, neither did Bentley. This book doesn't much go into the unpleasant bits----it's mostly about the magic that the main character, Snowflake Bentley, feels and sees in the snow and the snowflakes themselves. One could read into the story a little deeper, and use the "each snowflake is different and beautiful in its own way" angle as a parable for individualism, if that's your thing.What I find so pleasing, engaging and even magical is Bentley's childlike wonder combined with his mature determination. He loves finding out how the world works just for the sake of it----another great thing to instill in kids when they're itty-bitty. (My baby cousin's getting one. Can't wait to see how he likes it!)Although I liked the continuous story in the style/voice of the narrator, who steadily led us though the more picturesque, heartwarming story points; I found the "asides" containing (albeit interesting and relevant) facts sort of hard to fit into the continuous stream of Bentley's adventures. I don't know when to break the narrative and read them. Being a grown-up person, it's not difficult; but for a small kid who's reading it or being read to, they might not know when absorb what information. The facts included are really cool and interesting, though, and overall I'm glad they're there.The wintry design of the book, the illustraions, and the reproductions of the images of snowflakes that Bentley captured make for a cozy winter book, and an especially interesting one for kids who wish with all their might for real snow.

There is something for everyone in this book. It can be difficult to find a non-fiction story, particularly an autobiography, told in a way that will fascinate the very young. This book does just that - but fascinates the more mature reader as well - including grade school students and adults. The story of Mr. Bentley is told in a very charming way with warm and pleasing pictures, and easy to read and follow text. You could learn quite a bit just by reading the story line. But as an added bonus, there were side bars that added even more historical information - so you could go back and read that yourself if your little one was not quite ready to hear that level of detail. These captions were not intrusive - the way I personally find the Magic School Bus captions to be - but rather side bars that you could read (or not read) at your own discretion. One of the nice things about Mr. Bentley's autobiography - is that you can learn some history, you can learn some science, and you can also simply enjoy the story of a man who was passionate about what he did.

Read it to my class who enjoyed it. Did a few activities with it.

I love the illustrations in this book as well as the sweet biographical text. The author chose to include a few fun facts and quotes from Bentley along the margins. The layout of the book is pleasing and I found it to be informative but not overwhelming for a child reader. I made this purchase for a 9 year old girl, and though it took a few tries to pull her from her gifts with bling and batteries to look at this, I think she was happy for it.

It was entertaining and educational.

This is a great book for kids and adults alike.

Last week when PK-4 came to the library for story time, I had picked out "Snow Friends" to read. Because the weather had been cold, I had the little ones put their hands aside their faces, concentrate on snow, and say, Believe, believe, believe. We said that a few times, then went on with the story. Well, it happened, three days later, in north Louisiana where we get snow once every two or three years, just a little dusting. But it snowed and one child told his teacher that they believed and it happened.Willie Bentley was that way about snow. He was born in 1865 in Vermont, "in the heart of the snowbelt, where the annual snowfall is about 120 inches." As a boy he was fascinated with snow flakes, especially after his mother gave him an old microscope. "I found that snowflakes were masterpieces of design. No one design was ever repeated. When a snowflake melted...just that much beauty was gone...."When he was fifteen he drew over 100 snow crystals each year for three winters, dismayed at the number he was losing. When he was seventeen his parents bought him a camera, even as his father pooh-poohed his foolishness. Its lens could magnify up to 3600 times the size of the snowflake. It took two years finally to photograph a snowflake, but it was the beginning of a historic record. (Do you know that it was Bentley who documented and proved that each snowflake is uniquely different, something every school child knows.)Over the years he finally earned recognition for his photographs. Colleges bought copies for their collections, artists and designers bought his photographs for inspiration. As "the Snowflake Man,' he became world-renowned. When he was sixty-six other scientists--as Willie could be called--raised enough money to publish his book, "Snow Crystals," even now the first source people consult to learn about snow.Yes, neighbors initially laughed at a teen who wanted to take pictures of snow in Vermont. However, his life's work and reputation proved them misguided. After his death they erected a statue in his honor in the center of town. Forty years after that, they established a museum to honor "Snowflake Bentley."You, too, might giggle at the thought of a man so enamored of snow. I call it focus. Often the great contributors to making our world better or more beautiful are those who eschew scorn or laughter and keep right on working. There is an awe-filled lesson in these pages.Caldecott Gold 1999: Jacqueline Briggs Martin, writer; Mary Azarian, illustratorTo see his book, click on this title: Snow Crystals by W. A. Bentley

An interesting read for grade 3 students.

A great read, especially in the winter months. I enjoyed it as much as my kids! An interesting story and fascinating details about snow!

A very interesting book - my 3 year old is probably a bit young ... he lost interest quite quickly... I’ll save it for next winter

Wonderful true story of man who first photographed snowflakes

Heartwarming story