Cynthia Rylant’s lyrical descriptions of the sights and feelings evoked by falling snow blend gorgeously with the rich and beautiful world created by Lauren Stringer’s illustrations, in which a young girl, her friend, and her grandmother enjoy the many things a snowy day has to offer.
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From Library Journal
A young woman whose marriage has not so inexplicably ended?it's clear that she is not very good at commitment?packs up her two cats and heads north, ending up in a snowbound cabin. Yes, she's about to exorcise all her demons, but it's not every coming-apart novel that features talking cats. Vinnie is prone to lecture our heroine, but he's devoted and reliable?he even struggles to devise snowshoes for himself. Sophie is the expressive one who makes up exquisite dances. Out in the blinding white snow to get provisions, the woman encounters an extremely obnoxious polar bear that she has apparently conjured up herself?her "worse nightmare," ready to take her back through her childhood. As those memories leak from an injury in her thigh, we see a little girl who has slowly had the life knocked out of her?until finally a mysterious visitor, somehow resembling a better version of the heroine, comes to the cabin to tend her. This debut by a playwright/actress may sound precious, preposterous, and obvious, and it is; but it's also intriguing, imaginative, and compulsively readable.?Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
“An acknowledged master of “spare” and “poetic,” the Newbery Medalist delivers, her words drifting and blowing and coming ’round to the children who “love the snow better than anyone else does” in the end.” –Kirkus Reviews
“Snow is not an uncommon subject of picture books, but few have both the grace and exuberance of this lovely collaboration of Rylant’s evocative words and Stringer’s entrancing paintings.”--Booklist, starred review
"Rylant and Stringer (previously paired for Scarecrow) celebrate winter wonderlands in a cozy, lyrical tribute. . . . Like snow, the ending achieves a perfect silence."--Publishers Weekly
". . . hymned in Rylant's gentle, rhythmical prose . . . the shining star of this book is really illustrator Lauren Stringer's art, in small panels and double spreads, hallucinatory vivid in pastel shades of pale blue, white, and rose. The acrylic paintings blend the richness of oils with the airiness of watercolor. Stringer's snow is dream snow, childhood's magical snow, which, as Rylant reminds us, is the best-loved snow."--Boston Globe
"Rylant and Stringer (previously paired for Scarecrow) celebrate winter wonderlands in a cozy, lyrical tribute. . . . Like snow, the ending achieves a perfect silence.."--Publishers Weekly (10/6/08)
(Publishers Weekly )
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Format:Hardcover
In the dead of winter, her marrige over, a young woman leaves the city with her two cats and drives north with little more than a few cans of Spam and the vague hope of reinventing herself from ground zero. Outside all is white, but inside, her live begins to unfold before her in vivid color. Wishes can come true in the cabin - but will Vinny the cat's one special wish finally help the woman find her way to a true sense of peace? A very surreal book, sometimes confusing, but never dull. The two cats - clever, talkative Vinny, who claims to have had thousands of past lives; the innocent, quiet dancer Sophie - and a dull witted yet loyal polar bear named Simon provided the humor, and the woman was a powerful, inspiring character. Unusual, but worth reading.
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
I'm usually a good judge of which books I'll love, but not this time. My friend warned me that Snow quickly disolves into psychobabble, but was worth reading for the cat antics. Right she was! Perhaps I didn't feel well the day I began reading this annoying book, but within the first 20 pages, I hated it. It was hard to finish, but I was intrigued with the unusual talents the cats displayed, and I kept hoping the story would become less uncomfortable to read. It just had no flow. The subject matter did not bother me, but the way it was written did. I hardly ever read a book I don't want to finish, but this one was a struggle. To the author's credit, I found Vinny and Sophie the cats very charming. Perhaps Ms. Howie's next book will be easier on the nerves.
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Vivid imagery in this book places the reader alongside the author, to understand the probing questions, to feel the painful discoveries, and to applaud the healing insights she discovers in her struggle to find her true self. While the story line is fairly "heavy", the development of the "plot" is imaginative and delightful, making this a very enjoyable reading experience. One can almost believe in the actual existence of talking and dancing cats as well as Spam-loving bears - they come to life as observers of the world around them, offering support and insight when they are most needed. If read straight through in one sitting, the reader could overlook some of the profound truths as they are revealed. Betsy Howie demonstrates extraordinary insight into woman's truggle with the true meaning of life, love, and happiness in this ever-changing world. I could easily identify with the woman in the story, and thus found answers to some of my own questions and struggles. I await in eager anticipation for further books by Betsy Howie!
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Isolation repairs a split personality.
Lots of people beat stress by turning to large bodies of water. They swim, they fish, they daydream on these waters. Read more
Published on Mar 9 1998
5.0 out of 5 stars
Once into it, a wonderful and uplifting read.
Betsy Howie's Snow took me a few pages to get into -- she starts without providing the context upon which we readers tend to depend. Read more
Published on Feb 23 1998
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