The Big Snow

by Berta Hader, Elmer Hader

When the geese begin to fly south, the leaves flutter down from the trees and the cold winds begin to blow from the north, the animals of the woods and meadows, big and small, prepare for the long, cold winter ahead when the countryside is hidden under a deep blanket of snow. They gather food and look for warm, snug places in the ground, trees, caves or thickets, where they can find protection against the icy winds.

It might have been hard for the birds and animals of the hillside to survive when the Big Snow came if their good friends, who lived in the little stone house, had not remembered to put food out for them.

Here, in many beautiful pictures, the Haders show how winter comes to the woodland as the busy animals make their preparations.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Nature, Fiction, Classics, Christmas

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1948

About the author

Berta and Elmer Hader were an American couple who jointly illustrated more than 70 children's books, about half of which they also wrote. They won the annual Caldecott Medal for The Big Snow (1948), recognizing the year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". They received the Caldecott Honor Book Award for Cock-a-doodle-doo in 1940 and The Mighty Hunter in 1944.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

We had a little snow dusting here yesterday, so I thought it was the time to read the book, The Big Snow. Every other page is a color hand painting and every other page is a black and white sketch. The art is really beautiful.

The story is simply animals are getting ready for winter and some fly south and others stay. A big snow then covers the land and the animals have to find food. It has a lot to do with which animals hibernate and which don't.

The kids thought this book was ok. They enjoyed the animals and got squirmy toward the end of the book.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story follows animals preparing for winter. Although the illustrations are beautiful there were many black and white pages and none as beautiful as the cover. This story felt more about autumn and the story wasn't amazing. Nice to look through.

Read on open library

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

* * * Read and reviewed with my niece Emma * * *

I was unsure how The Big Snow would go over with Emma. This slow-moving book about what animals do when winter approaches just might be too slow for this little rambunctious 6-year-old. I was pleasantly surprised to find my niece quite attentive throughout.

Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised. This is a Caldecott winner after all. Still, it's from 1949 and its pictures aren't as colorful or in-your-face-cheerful as the books kids are used to these days. Plus, I found this at the library in audiobook format, the sort where you follow along with the narrator in the book and turn the pages when the little bell rings. We'd only tried one before and it was too quick to judge how it went over. Seriously it was over in like 5 minutes. However, veteran reader John McDonough is fantastic. (See this sample his work on Gregory Maguire's Wicked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxrZN...) My concerns that his slow cadence and soft-spoken, Winnie-the-Poohish voice might bore Emma were unfounded. She got lulled into a trance listening to his comforting tone, just like I do whenever I listen to him read.

Although this was relatively long for reading time with Emma, we stuck it out through page after page about deer and rabbits and squirrels and chipmunks and raccoons and moles and mice and bluejays and bluebirds and cardinals and crows...you get the picture. Every page gives a slightly anthropomorphic take on what each animal is thinking when they see or don't see geese flying south for the winter. It's perhaps a bit ponderous and unnecessary to include EVERY DAMN ANIMAL in the forest, but like I said, we were captivated.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are very nice but the "story" leaves something to be desired. It is repetitive yet not informative enough (covering many different animals and whether they do or do not migrate for the winter, yet not saying *why* often enough) and is loooong -- *I* was bored, I can't imagine a child sitting through it being entertained, unless they were very interested in the animal illustrations. Too, it seemed a bit odd to me that the whole book is about how animals survive the winter in their own ways, yet at the end the kindly humans come and feed them? I know it was meant well, though (especially since the back cover blurb mentions that the couple is modeled after the Haders themselves, who loved their animal neighbors).


As a side note, any "Little House" fans out there might be interested to learn that Laura Ingalls Wilder met Berta (Hader) in 1915 when Laura visited her daughter Rose in San Francisco. Rose and Berta were good friends and shared a house at the time, and Laura liked Berta very much and called her "the little artist girl." I learned this by reading Laura's letters in West from Home: Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder, San Francisco, 1915 just last week (what a coincidence as otherwise I'd never have paid attention to Berta's name!) and you can read more here: http://beyondlittlehouse.com/2010/01/...

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Fall and all of the animals in the forest are preparing for Winter. Mrs. Cottontail, Mr. Ground Hog, Mrs. Chipmunk, all are gathering provisions, preparing their dens or nests and settling in for the Big Snow they know is coming.

Beautifully descriptive, in both word and picture, and just the sort of book you and your kiddos will enjoy. It's worthy of it's medal.

Ages: 4 - 8

Cleanliness: nothing to note.

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Geese flying south overhead prompt the forest animals to run through their winter plans: migrating, hibernating, foraging, etc.

Nice pictures and informative, but too dull and flat for me.

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, yes, yes (and a million times over so to speak), Berta and Elmer Hader's artwork for their 1948 picture book The Big Snow is aesthetically, is visually spectacular and as such also (at least for me personally) very much deserving of the 1949 Caldecott Medal, with both my inner child and also adult I really and hugely enjoying the Haders' detailed and realistic animal illustrations and how their black and white pictures for The Big Snow generally focus on minute details while their colour spreads zero in on atmosphere and visual emotionality, and not to mention that when in The Big Snow autumn has suddenly turned to full fledged winter and there is lots and lots of snow everywhere, Berta and Elmer Hader's illustrative snowscapes are both an aesthetic treat and equally showcase not just winter's visual beauty but also also winter's potential dangers and threats (and in particular for wildlife, for non hibernating and non migrating animals).

However, even though the illustrations encountered throughout The Big Snow are (and as already shown and described above) absolutely lovely and indeed so marvellous visually speaking that they rate with five stars (and totally shiningly, totally and utterly solidly so), as to what the Haders have penned for The Big Snow, sorry, but their featured text, their presented story, it leaves quite a lot to be desired (and indeed both for my inner child and also for myself as an adult reader, and with similar if not actually pretty much the same textual complaints regarding The Big Snow). For The Big Snow is textually speaking annoyingly repetitive and that the rather large gathering of anthropomorphic animals continuously chatting like humans in a very tediously similar if not exactly the same manner and also being called Mrs. Chipmunk, Mr. Groundhog and the like, this just does nothing at all for me (except making me roll my eyes and also getting pretty hugely bored rather and majorly quickly).

And furthermore, I equally do tend to think that there is also not really enough relevant factual details on hibernation, migration etc. being provided in The Big Snow either, with Berta and Elmer Hader of course showing whether their depicted and presented animals migrate, hibernate or stay put during and for the winter, but without really explaining or even alluding to the reasons why, and also (and hugely problematically for me) also not mentioning that certain birds for example, like the presented in The Big Snow Northern Cardinals sometimes do not migrate but sometimes actually do, so that some of the Haders' non-fiction information for The Big Snow on hibernation and migration is not altogether factually true or rather might be only the case in certain areas of the USA and Canada but not in others. And yes, the for and to me factual holes in Berta and Elmer Hader's text and combined with a story that has tended to drag on and feel more than a trifle tedious, this makes me not really want to recommend The Big Snow for its story, for its narrative and to solely consider the illustrations as worth mentioning and lauding (and that my three star rating for The Big Snow is in fact ONLY for the absolutely wonderful and all encompassingly visually delightful illustrations).

[Rosemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are wonderful.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

How should I describe this book? The Big Snow is cozy, perfect for reading out loud on a cold day in winter, one of the final days of autumn, or when spring is around the corner. It reminds me of some early Walt Disney nature specials that made the viewer feel like part of the scene alongside the animals.

As The Big Snow begins, winter descends on the creatures in the woods while they all prepare in their own different ways for the bitter cold and snowiness that is sure to come. When a major blizzard hits, the animals are all ready for it, and patiently wait out the end of the season with a yearning cached away in their memories for the warmth and new life of spring.

I couldn't have expected much more from Berta and Elmer Hader as writer or illustrator than what they have delivered in this volume. The Big Snow is a distinguished picture book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend, and a solid recipient of the 1949 Caldecott Medal.

[Book Concierge · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the creatures of the forest watch as the geese begin their migration to the South. This is the sign that they need to be well prepared for winter. Coats thicken, burrows are dug or warm caves found, stores of seeds and grain are secured. But when the big snow comes it is difficult for the squirrels, deer, cardinals, and other woodland critters to find food. A couple living in a little house comes to their rescue, shoveling out a path, and spreading out seeds, corn and bread for their forest-dwelling friends.

What a lovely story of nature’s effects on the animals of the forest. I can almost hear the snowflakes falling, faster and faster, until they cover everything. The illustrations are beautiful … showing the hustle and bustle of preparations, the delight in a first snowfall, the quiet serenity of a forest blanketed in white.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

1949 Caldecott Medal

Favorite illustration: p. 30-31 Two page spread of the houses shrouded in snow.

Favorite line: p. 34 The sparrows, the chick-a-dees, the cardinals, and a lonely robin scrambled out from their shelters and flew from tree to tree, trying to find a place to perch on the heavy snow-laden branches.

Kid-appeal: My seven-year old loved this one and was her favorite of the stack we read (all 1940s Caldecott books). Great for animal lovers, and would be excellent in a teaching unit on snow/winter.

[Arline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a good book for the late fall. Then you could look outside for some of the evidence of animals getting ready for the winter. This book would be a good hook for a science lesson on weather, animals, migration and hybernation. Students could choose an animal from the story to research. You could focus on why an animal prepares for the winter one way and not another.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little author intrusion is a perfect sometimes.

I loved the illustrations. I loved how we saw every animal getting ready for winter. And how they wound up needing a little help all the same. Beautiful book and well worth the Caldecott medal. My only wish would be that all the pages would be in color and not just some of them.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and a simple story about animals preparing for the winter. Yes, it's really a more of an autumn story than a winter one.

[Chance Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long book about animals who do not migrate during the winter. Similar to "Over and Under the Snow," which I read today, except much longer. It's an older book, so it's interesting to see how older children's books used many more words. I think kids today would be bored with it, because it does drag, and there isn't much of a story at all.

[Alicia Burrows · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one had my animal-loving-sentimental-hearted five-year-old captivated. At the close of the book he exclaimed, “I LOVED it!”

[Aly Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Book summary
-Depicts through a story, how different animals live through the winter months. The personified animals prepare for winter by gathering food, preparing to hibernate, or fly south. The winter came, and a little old couple helped the animals that were still around for winter. They provided food, and the animals gathered to enjoy. They wait for the ground hog to see his shadow to end winter.

*Caldecott Medal

*Grade level, interest level, Lexile
-K-3

*Appropriate classroom use (subject area)
-Use while teaching about animals during a science lesson.

*Individual students who might benefit from reading
-Students that enjoy learning about animals would enjoy this book.

*Small group use (literature circles)
-Have students analyze what animals did what to prepare for winter. Talk about the differences and try to understand why each animal does it. Why do birds fly south?

*Whole class use (read aloud)
-Go through the book and then have students talk about the different ways an animal might prepare for winter.

*Related books in genre/subject or content area
-“White Snow Bright Snow” by Alvin Tresselt is a relatable book about winter and the snow that comes along with it.

*Multimedia connections
-Available as an audiobook or on a Kindle.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book summary: This is an award-winning book. This book is about how various animals usually woodland animals prepare for the winter. It also shows how they find food after a big snowstorm with some help from human friends. This book can be educational to children.
Grade level: 1-5. I probably wouldn't use this much for the young kids such as in kindergarten because there were lots of words on each page.
Appropriate classroom use: I think this would be a good educational animal book for the kids. I would show them the pages and have them tell me what kind of animal it is and then they can learn more on how those animals act in the winter. They could also do a worksheet or activity involving that.
Indv. students who benefit: Students who are really excited about nature and wildlife and want to know more.
Small group use: This could be done in literature circles so kids could one-by-one work on their reading skills.
Whole class use: The only way I would have younger students read this is to read aloud.
Related books: Other picture books or caldecott medal winners.
Multimedia connections: Available also in audio cassette.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadly the only thing that really seemed familiar to me about this book was the cover. Could this have been a bypassed book from my youth. It wouldn't seem right with my interest in being of animals, which this book is clearly about.

Anyway the book makes for a great read for parents to their children or even just for older children as they explore what a flock of flying geese actually means. Each animal is preparing to either leave or stay while their response will educate children on how the animals of the world around us prepare for a season of shorts.

At the same time the book explores the effects that a giant snow can have on making things so much harder for those animals that choose to stay or that don't leave as well as the helping hands that people can sometimes do although it is usually encouraged not to. Definitely a good book to be read and discussed while possibly also leading to homemade bird feeders for the season.

[Skyla Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually kind of liked this book. This is all about these animals that live in the woods together and they are finding out that winter is coming. The book goes through how all of them prepare or don’t prepare for winter. Once winter hits it comes in a giant wave of snow, it covers all of the food the animals needed. But one day an old man and little old lady come out of their homes and lay out food for all of the animals that didn’t have any and thy continued to do that until the big snow was over and spring had arrived. I enjoyed the pictures of all of the animal, though i was confused on why some were in color and some were black and white and there was no pattern to it. But the pictures were very detailed and eye catching; you could see the shading and everything to make it look like feathers or fur or whatever else.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many Caldecott books with animals in them! Of the ones I've read so far, The Big Snow reminds me the most of Animals of the Bible, in that both feature very naturalistic drawings of real animals. The animals in The Big Snow can talk, however, and some of the illustrations are in color. I'll admit that more classically drawn pictures like this don't really grab my interest, but I also want to say that I love the page where all the birds congregate together on the snowy boughs of the pine tree. Nothing could evoke Winter more strongly!

[John Matsuura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Big Snow tells the story of all the animals in the woods who are getting ready for the winter. It starts out by following the geese south and then explains what each animal does for the winter. This book is a great way for children to learn about wildlife and how they prepare for cold weather and snow just like we do. The illustrations in this book were outstanding. The variations of different art styles is what really amazed me. One page would be drawn by what seemed to be pencil, while the next was a colorful watercolor landscape. Overall I found this book to be very pleasing.

[Kennia Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely book to read on a winter day, has a great story line of all the forest animals and how they prepare for Winter to come. The big storm that comes does not allow the forest animals to gain more food until a lovely man and woman begin to put out seeds and nuts for the animals. The rejoice and they can live through the winter thanks to the man and the woman. This story portrays great kindness and care to teach the importance of giving.

[Benjamin Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute and fairly detailed narrative about the habits of various wildlife during the winter months, and of the kindness of some people towards them. The illustrations capture the character of the animals beautifully. I was surprised by the number of animals depicted, and appreciated that aspect. I look forward to reading this book to our son.

[Baranie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book about animals in the winter. A perfect read for today since it ends on Feb 2- Groundhog Day and we put seeds out for our hungry animals in the snow.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caldecott Medal, 1949

Art Medium: Watercolor

Favorite illustration: page 25

Favorite line: "Snow, snow, nothing but snow--and the birds and the animals of the hill were very hungry."

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Caldecott winner, and one I really enjoyed.

This is a great book to read around the transition from fall to winter as it’s all about how different animals prepare for winter. It goes through a lot of Northeastern animals explaining which migrate, which hibernate, and which are able to be active during the winter. Then, of the active animals, it talks about their experience during a big snow and how some kind humans gave them seeds etc to help them through the storm.

I loved the illustrations, they were sweet and very detailed, enough to identify separate birds like chickadees and sparrows. My 3 year old also really enjoyed this one and liked identifying the animals that appeared on each page. My favorite element of the illustrations was a series of drawings of geese in flight spread across about a dozen pages showing their migration. Exceptionally beautiful work, you can tell the artist spent a lot of time observing the geese.

I can’t give it 5 stars for 2 reasons: 1) the section with the animals preparing for winter is very repetitive and I think could be boring unless a child especially loves animals or if the book is being used as part of a nature study. 2) the illustrations are mostly black and white with select pages in color, which is fine, but the selections of which pages are color I think is off. For example, one of the pages says “there was a rainbow around the moon … a rainbow around the moon meant more snow. MUCH MORE.” This is right before the big snow of course :) yet it’s black and white. What a missed opportunity for a beautiful moonbow. Then 2 pages later is a full page color illustrations of some houses buried in snow… which has nothing do with the animals and held almost no interest for us.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Big Snow is the 1949 Caldecott Award winner. This book is about animals and their habitats as they get ready for the winter migration and hibernation periods. Berta and Elmer Hader's illustration are good. I liked most of the color pages. The black and white pictures were just bland. I probably would have liked the book more if all the pictures had been in color or if the black and white ones were more outlined deeper or even pencil shaded. I like that aesthetic for black and white pictures. I think all of the pictures were probably originally done in watercolor or some similar medium.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great lesson on the animals of the forest and how they survive the winter months and cold snow.

[charlene.librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had forgotten what a sweet story this is with and by the Haders. The pencil drawings are detailed and accurate providing a fine contrast with the fully colored drawings and two-page spreads.