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Summary
Summary
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.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 4-Messner's charming tale tells the story of what goes on under the snow while a young girl is cross-country skiing. A variety of animals, including voles, bees, red foxes, and bears, are noted on her trek. Laura Knight Keating voices the story, embracing the child's delight at the secret kingdom beneath the snow. With a lovely tone, Keating gives choice words emphasis and reads phrases like "clouds whisper down feathery-soft flakes" with breathy wonder. Alliteration is used heavily in the prose, and the repeated "s" sound is sibilant and a bit grating, which slightly mars the reading. The author's note that follows is loaded with information about the subnivean zone-tunnels beneath the snow-and details about the animals mentioned. The disc includes a version with page-turn signals. This seasonal story has strong educational value for the very young.-C.A. Fehmel, St. Louis County Library, MO (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
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.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
An adult and child cross-country ski through a winter forest wonderland, beautifully rendered through Messner's spare, poetic words and Neal's block-print-looking mixed-media illustrations. The colors are particularly well chosen to represent the cool tones of waning winter light, with black trees, brown animals, and the red of a fox or scarf in sharp contrast to the icy grays, blues, and whites of the snow and sky. As the skiers move through the forest, they catch glimpses of activity below the snow in the pockets and crevasses that trap warmer air: a squirrel scurries through a crack, voles and shrews run past, and a mouse is revealed by the digging of a predator. Above the snow, additional observers with different motives join the humans as a horned owl, a red fox, and a hare wait patiently for signs of dinner. Cutaway illustrations display the less active inhabitants of the subnivean zone: the hibernating bears, bullfrogs, and even a lone queen bee. Profiles of the various animals at the back of the book provide further details on the ways in which they winter under the snow. A list of further reading includes books for children, websites, and a book for adults. danielle j. ford From HORN BOOK, Copyright The Horn Book, used with permission.
Kirkus Review
(Informational picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gliding through the woodland on skis, a girl and her father watch for signs of animals. A squirrel's tail flashes red as he disappears down a crack in the snow. A fox steps into view. Guided by her father, the child becomes increasingly aware of the secret kingdom beneath the snow, where voles pass through tunnels, bullfrogs sleep in mud, and a queen bee hibernates in the ground. A few appended pages offer more information about the animals mentioned and recommend books and websites for further reading. Neal's artwork, mixed media with digital elements, uses the white snow to isolate images of the people, animals, and trees within the natural setting. Cutaway views show what is happening beneath the snow as well as on its surface. Reminiscent of linocut prints, the illustrations have a retro look that suits Messner's precisely worded, effective story. A good choice for winter reading, this quiet but eye-opening picture book could heighten a child's awareness of the natural world.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
