Volume 1 Number 11
August 25, 1995
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Snow Watch.
Cheryl Archer. Illustrated by Pat Cupples.
Toronto: Kids Can Press. 56pp, paper, $9.95.
ISBN 1-55074-190-X.
Grades 3 - 6 / Ages 8 - 11.
Review by A. Edwardsson.
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excerpt:
A snowflake that lands on your glove has just finished a journey that
started with a speck of water in the clouds above you. Imagine if you
could look inside a cloud and follow that journey from the very beginning.
Adults and children have different views on snow. The former dread the
shovelling and dream of heading south to escape it. Children, on the
other hand, are fascinated with it. Snow Watch encourages
their interest, providing a multitude of facts and activities involving snow.
During the ten years she worked as a park naturalist, author Cheryl
Archer conducted winter workshops and school programs for children. This
book contains a variety of child-tested experiments that kids can conduct
by themselves -- children could dip into this collection at any point and
be hooked.
Each section of Snow Watch begins with a lively
factual introduction (``Can you imagine having snow on the ground for
nine months of the year? That's what it would be like if you lived in the
Arctic.") The conversational style draws the reader through the text and
encourages further questions.
Archer prefaces each experiment with a short list of common
household equipment needed, poses several questions to direct the
activity, and then follows each experiment with an explanation of the
process. The index breaks the study of snow into topics (for example,
``Glaciers," or ``Plants in snow") that cover two to four pages each.
Illustrations by Pat Cupples, whose other works include
Weatherwatch and Discover: Mysteries of the
Past, adorn each page. Although the pictures often form a
backdrop for the text, this is not a distraction. The delightful
watercolour illustrations are lighthearted, yet accurate; the children
and adults portrayed are from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and are neither stereotyped nor too cartoon-like.
Other snow books available often concentrate strictly on the
technical information. This book, with its interactive approach, will
appeal to a variety of grades and would be a useful addition for
elementary schools. It could be used to enhance the curriculum and would
also interest leisure readers.
Highly recommended.
A. Edwardsson is in charge of the Children's Department at a branch of
the Winnipeg Public Library. She has a Bachelor of Education degree and a
Child Care Worker III certification, and is a member of the Manitoba
branch of the Canadian Authors' Association.
Copyright © 1995 the Manitoba Library Association.
Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is
maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
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