The Books

Snow (Rylant)

by Cynthia Rylant
Illustrated by Lauren Stringer

One Potato Review

Hypnotic, living up to its title. This combination of Rylant’s words and Stringer’s illustrations perfectly captures the ephemeral magic of a snowstorm, especially from behind the windows of a schoolhouse (or work) when – whatever our age, or disappointments – the world seems determined to change. You could be lying on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean and this would be evocative. Here is a picture of something worth running into and out of – for games and hot chocolate – and the girl in the story is depicted enjoying these deliveries with her grandmother, a not insignificant bonus: 

“And the snow,
while it is here,
reminds us of this:
that nothing lasts forever
except memories.

“And while the snow
is here
this brief moment,
let us take a walk
and see how beautiful
the world is….”