A Thing Called Snow

by Yuval Zommer

I n this follow-up to the holiday hit The Tree That's Meant to Be , a fox and hare discover the magic of a first winter snowfall.

Fox and Hare were born in the spring, but the seasons are changing and they hear snow is on the way. "What is snow like?" they ask all the forest animals, and each gives a different answer ("Snow is white, like your fur."). But their questions are soon answered when thick, fluffy flakes start to fall. SNOW! Young readers will share the magical feeling of a first snowfall as they see the two best friends marvel in nature's beauty.

This is a charming holiday story that feels instantly classic and yet fresh and new at the same time. With heartfelt themes of friendship, curiosity, and the wonder of nature, it's a story families will love cozying up with together.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Nature, Storytime, Christmas, Holiday

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

Yuval Zommer graduated from London’s Royal College of Art and has worked as creative director for many of the U.K.’s top advertising agencies. This is his debut picture book, inspired by the animals he came across on a trip to the zoo.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

The illustrations are lovely, it's a nice idea that a fox and a hare are friends and snuggle up to sleep together but the rest of the story is based in reality so this was an odd mix.

The text is lacking, the two friends are born in spring so don't know what snow is, they ask other animals what it is. This idea of a young creature asking what something is, is really over used as a storyline, it has to be good to get away with it. Lovely illustrations but uninteresting storyline.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel a bit Scroogey for not loving this. I know it's meant to convey the wonder of seeing snow for the first time, the anticipation of not experiencing it before though others tell you all about it... there's something rather captivating about Zommer's illustrations (though I, personally, find the eyes on the creatures slightly creepy). I'm sure this will be a fun read for many children. I just found the premise rather silly. Fox and Hare are about to experience their first winter, and Bird tells them "soon you will be able to jump, leap and bounce in this thing called snow!" So Fox and Hare run off looking for snow. Bear says snow is white like their fur... so they see some white flowers and wonder if that is snow. Caribou says, no, snow is cold, like their noses... so they find a stream and ask if the spray is snow. No, says fish, snow is fluffy, like their tails... so they find some clouds and ask if that is snow. Wouldn't they have seen all these things before, and known them as what they are, and most decidedly, not-snow? Ah well, many others have found it quite appealing and I wouldn't dissuade anyone from reading it if they are fans of Zommer's style.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning! Absolutely stunning!



Would love to own a copy.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll admit that the way the eyes are drawn is a bit odd, but overall I think this author’s illustrations are lovely.

[Lucia Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mooie zachte tekeningen. Vooral de landschappen vond ik erg mooi. Het verhaaltje is niet bepaald vernieuwend, maar dat hoeft ook niet.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable! Great for the storytime age set (preschoolers). A fox and a hare go about asking various animals what snow is and to describe it to them. It would be easy to follow up with a song asking kids to come up with their own descriptive words for snow. And the illustrations are cute! I like the slightly bedraggled fox and hare.

[Rachael Hodson (still skiing) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes, books are amazing just to look at. I loved the illustrations and cover of this cute little story about a fox and a hare who are searching for snow. The story is okay. Cute for preschool age but a little lacking in heart.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een mooi boek over een poolvos en een konijn die vriendjes zijn en willen weten wat sneeuw is! Ik vond het enorm zoet en lief geschreven en ik vond het top dat een konijn en vos vriendjes waren en de grootste plezier hadden samen. We volgen ze op hun reis om uit te vinden wat sneeuw is. Elk dier heeft iets nieuws te vertellen, en ja het werd een tikje eentonig, maar ik genoot nog steeds. Ik vond het lief dat twee van de dieren op zoek gingen naar ons duo om zeker te zijn dat ze niet verdwaalden (al deden ze dat uiteindelijk wel dus is het maar goed dat die dieren hen volgden).
De tekeningen zijn prachtig! Ah, nu wil ik ook sneeuw!

[Holly Pretzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely a comfort book, perfect for reading with hot chocolate and a warm blanket. When I looked at the illustrations, my first thought was how long they must have taken to create. There's so much charming detail to get lost in. If it's not made of cut paper, it definitely was influenced by that technique. A more grown-up version of Eric Carle. The words reminded me of Little Bear, gently guiding you through the story of how Fox and Hare find out about a thing called snow.

Now I have to find every other book created by Yuval Zommer. This one's a winner.

[BooksAsDreams (Tiffany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations reflect the wonder and curiosity of looking for snow. With the help of each other and support of friends along the way, Fox and Hare embark on a wondrous journey to find snow. I read this is an all-school read aloud (K-6), and the kids loved it!

[Iris Besseling · Rating 3 out of 5]

*2,5 Geen fan van de tekenstijl en het gekozen lettertype. Ook het verhaal was voor mij iets te simpel, mistte nog iets spannends of onverwachts denk ik.

[Shatiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molto bello! Lettura perfetta col tema dell'inverno.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hare and a fox are best friends who have never seen snow before. They find out it's white...and cold...and fluffy...but why can't they find it?

I love fall/winter illustrations that lean into brown tones and overcast skies. These pictures were nice across the board, while also giving a true "fall" feel.

[Vanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prachtig prentenboek over het einde van de herfst en het begin van de winter. Recensie geschreven voor Biblion.

Poolvos en Poolhaas zijn allebei in de zomer geboren. Ze groeien op in de herfst. Maar dan wordt het kouder. Winter, zo horen ze, komt er aan. En in de winter kan er sneeuw gaan vallen. Maar wat is sneeuw eigenlijk? Samen gaan ze op zoek naar iets wits, zachts en kouds.

Een mooie sfeervolle ontdekkingsreis die de schoonheid van de natuur benadrukt.

[Helen]

I loved this book.
The pictures are amazing

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follows the classic steps of a hare and fox going on a journey to find snow and talking to other animals along the way each giving another characteristic. Not the most surprising or creative story, but the 4 year old enjoyed it thoroughly.

Only issue was the anticipation/depiction of snow.
The illustrations are colourful and bright, but a couple times there are 3 double page wide triple stacked panels with gaps in-between. Because the gaps are not done with clear, straight edges, the child kept confusing the gaps for the missing snow which meant when the snow finally arrived, there was less excitement and she didn't point to it either because she expected it to be on the ground or because she didn't recognize the large, blue flakes as snow since one of the characteristics given was that it should be white.

[Wade Huggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Thing Called Snow is a book about fox and hare who were born in spring and they go looking for their first snow. The ask many animals about snow and where to find snow. This is a book based upon an unlikely friendship of two animals you wouldn't expect to be together. There is also a friendship and caring that develops between fox, hare and the other animals of the forest. The artwork is nicely done and would be appealing to elementary children. The book would be a good first snow of the year read aloud in class. The text is good and engaging but the book seems to end a little too abruptly.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fox and Hare are friends. Already, this is something I like. They were born in the spring and have never seen snow so when other animals tell them it's going to snow, they are trying to find it. Everyone they ask about snow tells them some part of the body they know that it's like. It sparkles like your eyes or fluffy like your tail sort of thing.

I love the nod to Picasso here. The fish had full on Picasso eyes. It's disturbing and cool at the same time. The artwork is good here.

When they wake up to snow, I didn't feel like there was much surprise. They went to excitement first, but it's okay.

Nice book.

[Patrycja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Szkoda, że autor/ilustrator za nic mieli jakąkolwiek zgodność z prawami natury - bohaterami są zajączek i lis, czyli jak rozumiem naturalna para przyjaciół w lesie, która już przed zimą ma białe futro...autor chce w książce misia więc jest miś, mimo że już dawno powinien spać w gawrze... autor lub tłumacz nie mogli się też zdecydować, czy opowieść ma być pisana prozą czy wierszem...no i po tytule spodziewałam się, że dzieciom ładnie się wytłumaczy, co to jest śnieg.. Ale nie...mamy jakäś infantylną definicję a la śnieżna kołderka. Szału nie ma.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fox and Hare were born in the spring, and best friends by autumn. Both of them are very curious about this "snow" all the tundra creatures keep talking about... and together they're off on a quest to find it! I love the beautiful colors and illustrations in this book, perfectly capturing the feeling that the cusp of winter brings.

[Cindy Overcast · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you describe snow? In this book, young friends Fox and Hare are hearing stories about this thing called snow and decide to take a trip into the forest to find it. This book by Yuval Zommer reminds us what it's like to be a child experiencing the first snow of winter with friends. See more of Yuval's creative work on Instagram and Twitter at @yuvalzommer.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with others that the storyline seems strange, as the MCs would have encountered all the things they confuse for snow before. I also couldn’t get past the eyes of the animals - found them creepy.

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really sweet book about Fox and Hare searching for a thing called Snow! Beautiful illustrations of many woodland animals which I love. Definitely a book for winter! We loved it! I highly recommend it to kids of all ages.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fox and Hare set out to find snow. They ask friends and learn about it as they journey farther from home. After spending the night away from their dens, they meet their friends coming to find them and everyone gets to experience snow.
Sweet and fun read.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fox and Hare search for snow.

As their first winter approaches, Fox and Hare learn that there will soon be something called snow. They ask the other animals about snow and search for something matching each description.

The Illustrations are a beautiful digital(?) collage.

[Erin Janda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I pick up this book with the intention of reading it aloud to our furbabies? Yes. Yes, I did.

This was a sweet story that felt perfect as we move closer to Winter. The illustrations were beautiful! I recommend this book to anyone with kids, human or otherwise.

[Meagan Snodgress · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m so sad I didn’t love this more! Zommer’s illustrations are a household favorite. I wish there was more information, definitely a lot more fluff than typical in these types of stories. It was still really cute and enjoyable, just not the living book we hoped for.

[Can Dragons Read? · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet illustrations of the forest and it's animals! A hare and a fox being besties is adorable. It's a kids picture book but sometimes you just need a simple palate cleanser in between books and this gave me something to put myself in the winter vibes while being unserious and fun.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very sweet story with beautiful illustrations but honestly I was disappointed with the way it wrapped up. I guess I just wanted a little more.

[Marie-Pier Dodier · Rating 3 out of 5]

En fraçais : Une chose que l'on appelle la neige.