The Snowflake : A Water Cycle Story

by Neil Waldman

With a double-page spread for each month, this book describes the journey of a single drop of water throughout the year.

Genres: Science, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Nature

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 19, 2003

About the author

Neil Waldman's paintings and prints are included in many prestigious collections around the world. His oils, acrylics and watercolors may be seen in the capital buildings of more than a dozen nations, and in numerous major corporations.

.....His works have garnered many awards and honours. Notable among these is a gold medal from the United Nations in a closed international competition in which Waldman was chosen to represent the United States. The world body selected his entry as the official poster for the International Year of Peace. Today it hangs in the halls of the U. N. General Assembly.

.....Waldman was commissioned by the American Brands Corporation to paint the portraits of twenty famous Americans for their centennial exhibition "The American Achievers". This collection traveled to museums, galleries and exhibit halls around the country, and was eventually published in a book of the same name. Waldman has designed postage stamps for thirteen nations, written and illustrated more than fifty books for young people, and won the Christopher Award, the National Jewish Book Award, the Parents Choice Award, the American Library Association Notable Award, and a host of others. In addition, he has illustrated the covers of seven Newbery Award winners.

.....In the Summer of 2006, Waldman created the Fred Dolan Art Academy in the Bronx, along with his long-time friend, Marc Broxmeyer. The Academy's purpose is to provide motivated Bronx teenagers with the skills necessary in the development of portfolios for entry into art college. To date, twenty-one students have graduated from the academy, all twenty-one going on to college with scholarships.

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the inside back cover of the book it says that, in addition to illustrating/writing many books, this author-illustrator has illustrated postage stamps for thirteen nations. I can see why and I thought that tidbit was fascinating.

The paintings here, one for each month of the year, follow a snowflake throughout the calendar year.

This book makes teaching the water cycle (freezing, melting, evaporating, condensing, and definitely traveling) beautiful and engaging, as well as informative.

I love the way the end encourages children to use their imaginations about where their water might have been.

The presentation is good, though it’s the paintings that really held my attention. I found them beautiful.

4 ½ stars

[Kelli Bratten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would read this book to my students in a first through third grade class during a water cycle/weather unit. It tells the story of a snowflake traveling and changing as water in the water cycle. This would also be great to use in integrating geography. The class could create a story for a snowflake and track where it went and learn about that place as they were "going there." Hopefully we would have a geography plan going already with another subject and we could travel to those places at the same time while learning the other subject. Also, they could write their own creative story about where they would go as a snowflake or water drop in the water cycle. Depending on what we were doing in social studies, they would have to integrate a person or place from that subject into their story.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. The colors are gorgeous. It is a non preaching way to get at the water cycle and all the parts throughout each month of the year.

I would pair it with Ice Boy if I were studying the water cycle.

[Mary Woods]

I chose to read the book "The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story," because I knew at some point I would need to teach this content to my students and I thought this book might be a great introduction. Prior to reading this book, I knew quite a bit about how the water cycle works thanks to previous science classes however, I was not sure how to introduce this level of content to young students. Throughout the book, there were fun facts about the water cycle to capture the reader's attention. The pictures that were shown in the book helped strengthen the argument that water travels all over the world because of the water cycle which made the book very interesting. Although the book was informational, the author made it feel as though you were reading a story. Throughout each step in the cycle, the book had a date which symbolized how long it took the water droplet to get to the next stage in the cycle. I found each of these elements to be very effective because they not only captured the reader's attention but informed them of interesting things to note about the water cycle that will better help them understand the whole concept. In the book, the transitions between each step in the cycle were a little confusing because it was not clear how the droplet got to the next stage, this, however, was the only element in the book that I found to be ineffective. This text did make me want to learn more about the content because it got me thinking about different ways I could teach the water cycle to my future students. I think it would be so fun to have them make their own storybooks about the water cycle. The most surprising information that I learned from this book is that the water you are cooking with, brushing your teeth with, drinking, etc. could have been anywhere in the world.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is extremely informational but yet entertaining at the same time! I enjoyed this book and felt as if it would be really beneficial for teachers to have in their classrooms. This book is not only very appealing, looks wise, but it uses all the appropriate and essential vocabulary words that are needed to fully describe the Water Cycle. I enjoyed how it explained the Water Cycle in different steps in different months! It shows the entire path and roads the water takes ALLLLL the way to the water coming from a faucet in a little girls home!

Very cute and a book I would strongly recommend teachers using in their classroom!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story begins with a single snowflake and throughout the months of a year its journey is traced. The water cycle is depicted in lyrical verse accompanied by watercolor paintings that highlight the subtle changes in season from month to month and dial in to the individual parts of the snowflake's journey. I especially liked June's fog as the image perfectly captured the haziness of the fog enveloped in the warmth of the sun's rays.

This book is great for classroom use on a unit about the water cycle for grades 2-4.

[Rachel Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so grateful for this book, because it fills a big gap in my nonfiction picture book collection. Told in story form, this book describes the water cycle through the form of a snowflake. Perfect for winter, this book is great for analyzing word choice (which is outstanding), as well as the study of nonfiction text structures, the water cycle in science, and sequence. Some students may get confused about the snowflake in a few parts, but the teacher/parent reading it can guide them to the actual scientific facts. On order for my MS library, for sure.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

These blue, white and purple toned page bleeds take us through a year full of different forms of water. Through informative text boxes we go month by month following a snowflake. Snowflake take us through a snowflake's journey and it shows us the different forms of a water a snowflake can transform into. It includes vocabulary words that are related to the water cycle. It is a great book because it is written in a story format but it has facts of water in it and it is a clear explanation of the water cycle.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow a water droplet month by month from January to January as it changes form and moves throughout the water cycle. A snowflake that melts into a mountain stream eventually becomes the water a girl washes her face with, part of the ocean, and evaporates into a cloud. My young children were interested throughout the cycle and learned about the various forms water takes in a concrete way appropriate for 3-5 year olds.

[Ruqayya Jarad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story, by Neil Waldman
The journey of a water drop throughout the year, over the twelve months the water starts as a snowflakes that melt into a droplet, goes to the ground, waters the farms, evaporates and becomes part of the clouds and rains down. It shows the full circle of a drop of water. It is a good read aloud book for complex topic in simplified text so that children can easily understand it.

[Chris Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and effective, The Snowflake follows a drop of water (a bit of an oversimplification that I'm willing to look past) as it moves through various stages of the water cycle. Waldman avoids anthropomorphism and illustrates the drop's journey from January through December with beautiful water color paintings. Perfect to support a lesson on the water cycle.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follow a droplet of water through each month of the year. I begins as snow on a mountaintop, becomes groundwater, irrigation, fog, storm cloud, rain, and finally comes out in a little girl's faucet.

The idea of the last page is fascinating, but does raise age-of-the-earth concerns for creationists.

[Tiff · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is very poetic, yet factually, or realistically, it is more abstract than factual to present to a child. I think it is a good introduction to snow, but not necessarily a book to show kids how to talk about the topic. Essentially it is a book of all the months in the year, following the cycle of a water droplet.

[Melinda Miller]

Illustrator: Neil Waldman
Publisher: The Millbrook Press, Inc., 2003
Summary: The author follows the stages of a water droplet throughout the calendar year. He takes you through the journey water goes through as it goes from condensation, to evaporation, to a snowflake.

[Kim Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the water cycle. The Snowflake explains it perfectly and with beautiful language. This book could easily be used in Language Arts to demonstrate and teach word choice, focusing on verbs. A great companion to The Snowflake would be Stars Beneath Your Bed the Surprising Story of Dust.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible, book that provided much discussion about the journey of a drop of water through the year. The illustrations were perfect and the text and back matter provided much material for discussion. Some of it was quite amusing - "Tyrannosaurus Rex spit!"

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very beautifully watercolor illustrated book that teaches the water cycle in a very unique way: following a snowflake over the course of a year. It really shows the circular nature of the water cycle in a creative and imaginative way, not with traditional diagrams and pictures.

[Melissa Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful children's book that explains the water cycle using pretty pictures and a cute story.

[Thais · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will use this book every year to teach Water Cycle; how to visualize non-fiction books; and as a visual example of beatiful watercolor scenes. Fabulous for a 4th grade teacher!

[Myles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it because it had different parts of the water cycle that I did not know and wanted to learn.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really lacking in the solid science of evaporation and condensation for being a water cycle story.

[Su No-kwon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grade: 1-2
Topic: water cycle

[Lee Huntington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. I would read it in conjunction with the Great Gray Bridge. Evolutionary perspective at the end can be easily skipped.

[Marci Christensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. Not my favorite, but some of the artwork is pretty.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story of the snowflake shares how the lifecycle works and what it's like from a snowflake's perspective.

[Lena Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story" is a beautifully illustrated children's book that teaches young readers about the water cycle. The book is written by Neil Waldman.

The story follows the journey of a snowflake named Crystal, who starts her life high up in the clouds. Throughout the book, we see how Crystal transforms into a water droplet, flows through a river, evaporates back into the sky, and ultimately becomes a snowflake once again. Along the way, she meets various other characters such as a river, a plant, and a young boy, who help her on her journey.

The setting of the story is mainly outdoors, with scenes taking place in the sky, on mountains, and by rivers. The illustrations are beautifully done by the author himself and are detailed, vibrant, and full of life. They help to bring the story to life and make it easy for young readers to follow along.

Overall, "The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story" is an excellent resource for parents and teachers who want to introduce children to the water cycle. The setting is engaging, and the illustrations are stunning. The book is a must-read for anyone who wants to teach young children about the importance of water in our world

[Grace VanKirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each month details a different part of the water cycle, which is a very cool method. The author show students fog, snow, drops of water in the pipes, and the ocean. The text is relatively short and sweet. The pictures are muted and cover the page. Overall, this book is informative rather than entertaining.

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars because it was very informative and educational. I liked that the author split different aspects of the water cycle into the different months. However, I do not think the text was particularly engaging for me. Therefore, I do not think it would engage students. I might read this book to a class because of its educational content.

[Megan Minehart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is perfect for an elementary/middle school science setting. This book focuses on the 12 months and how one snowflake has traveled, transformed, and survived those 12 months. This book is perfect for teaching the water cycle throughout the months of the seasons, and especially keeps students on edge wanting more and more information. The author did a job well done, and definitely kept me interested! The illustrations were great, but minimal, I think the illustrator could of further captured the audience's attention through more in-depth illustrations.

[Jessica Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very cute book. It would be a good book for kindergarteners or 1st graders to read during their silent reading time. The author did an amazing job keeping the book colorful and engaging to the reader.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book about the water cycle!!