White Snow, Bright Snow

White Snow, Bright Snow is a beloved children's classic.  The story opens with the townspeople predicting snow.  Even the children watched the sky for signs of snowflakes.  Then, silently, the snow begins to fall.  The children of the town play and laugh as the snow builds and builds.  The story illustrates the trouble that the snow creates for the adults, but the children continue to play.  Then the season changes to Spring.  Instead of waiting for the first signs of snow, the children of the town are now waiting for the first sign of Spring - the robin. 

The illustrations are quite simple.  Most pictures consist of black, red, yellow, and white.  The simplicity of the illustrations coupled with the simplicity of the text create a relaxed and content mood.  In each illustration containing snowfall, the background is black, similar to the actual color of the sky when snow falls.  In contrast to the color of the pages when the snow has fallen.  In those illustrations, white is the primary color.  This shows the playfulness and purity of the children playing in the snow.  The illustrations in White Snow, Bright Snow capture the playful youth and the cynical adult, by contrasting white and black. 

As a teacher, I would use this book to teach a lesson on metaphors.  White Snow, Bright Snow is full of descriptive wording.  For example, "Automobiles looked like big fat raisin buried in snowdrifts."  "Houses crouched together, their windows peeking out from under great white eyebrows."  In this lesson, we would first practice creating metaphors.  I would then have my students write a short story incorporating metaphors.  This children's book would be a fun way to introduce this lesson on writing creative stories. 

White Snow, Bright Snow. ISBN-10: 0688411614. Alvin Tresselt. Roger Duvoisin. 1947. Caldecott Medal. Age 4-8. Contemporary Fiction.