Over and Under the Snow

Over the snow, the world is hushed and white. But under the snow exists a secret kingdom of squirrels and snow hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals that live through the winter safe and warm, awake and busy, under the snow. Discover the wonder and activity that lies beneath winter s snowy landscape in this magical book.

"Straddling the informative and the evocative, this lovely study of the ways animals spend the winter in a 'secret kingdom under the snow' combines Messner's (Sea Monster's First Day) graceful prose ('Over the snow, the fire crackles, and sparks shoot up to the stars. I lick sticky marshmallow from my lips and lean back with heavy eyes') with debut illustrator Neal's quiet, woodcut-like portraits of the snowy forest. A human father and daughter are tiny figures in a field of white, cross-country skiing past fir trees and glimpsing the occasional animal, while other creatures are visible in cutaway views below ground ('Under the snow, a queen bumblebee drowses away December, all alone. She'll rule a new colony in spring'). The rhythm of the girl's discoveries balances thoughtful discovery with moments of muted excitement, as when she skis downhill, then watches a fox pounce on a mouse ('His paws scratch away to find the mouse he heard scritch-scritch-scratching along underneath'). Unvarnished pages and an elegant layout enhance the sense of magic in a natural world just out of view. Includes an afterword and bibliography. Ages 4 — 8. (Nov.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.