Snow Music

by Lynne Rae Perkins

What does it
take to make
snow music? A boy and a girl.
Neighbors.
A squirrel, rabbit,
deer, and bird.
Also neighbors.
A dog.
Lost and then found.
And snow falling. Peth.
And melting. Drip.
And falling again.
Peth.
Peth.
Peth.
You can listen.
You can also sing along.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Poetry, Christmas, Music, Animals, Kids

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Lynne Rae Perkins is the author of several novels, including her most recent Newbery Award winning book, Criss Cross. She enjoys working in her studio, being with friends, watching her kids grow, and watching her husband, Bill, chase their dog around town.

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love, love, love the part when the boy is asked why when he catches up with his runaway dog he’s asked why he calls the dogs a good boy and he answers so he’ll be glad to come home: So many people scold dogs at the wrong time this might help stop that. By the time the boy found this dog if he’d been angry the dog would have had no idea why. This alone is enough for me to really like it and give it 4 stars. Otherwise, interesting illustrations and story, although the sounds didn’t really remind me of snow as much as I think they were meant to do.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The quiet HUSH of a snow-covered winter's morning is broken by all sorts of sounds as the search is on for escaped dogs, and acorns that were buried last winter. A nice reminder to look around and notice your surroundings - no matter the weather.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that deserves a second or third look to truly appreciate and understand what is happening. It's a perfect example of the complexity of picture books and why they deserve to be used and examined in the classroom just as much as novels, short stories, and poetry.

I love the music and rhythm of this book along with the sensory details and onomatopoeia. It's a book that makes me remember the beauty and quiet of snow rather than all the things I dread about it: the cold, the slush, the corrosive salt on the roads. When reading a book like this, I forget about all those inconveniences and only see its beauty.

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book about snow, a dog, and the beauty and sounds that come with it all!

[Gillian Getlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it snows, it may feel silent. But in Snow Music, you realize that there is music all around when snow falls. It starts with the whispered sounds of snowfall, then shows the main character's dog running out, and the chase begins. But the elements of snowfall are all around during the search, surrounding the characters with music.

In this picture book, the illustrations and text weave together beautifully to imbue the audience of the sensations and sounds of snow fall. The text moves through the page depending on what is written, with dialogue moving with the characters, placed near their positions on the page, and descriptions of the snow music spaced or flowing in accordance to its sound. The wonderful writing and illustrations give the reader a genuine experience of snowfall, bringing sound to a seemingly silent event.

I would connect this book to A Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. It would be very fun to compare and contrast the different portrayals of a snow day, exploring the similarities and differences in text and illustration.

"Quick, and as quiet as a bunny on a road. Swift, and as silent as the shadow of a crow.
Clouds crept in and started to snow."

[Michelle Ty · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was confusing to me. Book was about a kid that was trying to find his dog, that ran out as soon as he opened the door. With the child trying to find his dog, there were little other side scenes that the author wanted to portray. As I was reading, the text seemed to be all over the place, and I honestly had no idea what the story was suppose to be about. Page to page, it talked about other things, like there was little side stories to the main story. Showing a deer one time, then squirrel, and then a bird etc. I could not tell who was the main character reading this, until the 3rd time I read it. The illustrations was phenomenal though. Loved the artwork because that is actually what caught my attention to picking up this book. The illustrations was delicately done.

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the illustrations in the book are so beautiful. The story itself is a bit uneven. It starts with snow falling on a picture book town. Animals in the woods and children and dogs in their beds awaken to a world covered in white. The boy's dog runs out the door and it's time to go looking for him. In the next pages we see animals in the snow. I particularly like the page with the dog. Two sounds simultaneously occur - the huff, huff, huff of the dogs breath, and the jingle of its tags. A car and snow plow go by and there is supposed to be some music, but it seems a bit confusing. Soon the snow melts and another snowfall covers the world in white again.

[Beverly Kennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honor book
This story takes place in a snow globe, where a young boy opens the door to look at the snow and his dog runs out the door and disappears. As the boy follows to retrieve his pet, the story includes sound words for all the events that occur around him. (trucks, cars, music, snow crunching, etc.)

This book is written in simple phrases and easy to understand concepts, which make it a good first reader for Kindergarteners and Frist Graders. It would also be a useful tool for teaching sound words, possibly for poetry lessons, in grades 1-3.

[Debbie Hoskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely a good example of a picture book being like music. A nice, read-aloud it even has a part where you can sound like a car radio. Like a true picture book, the words and pictures are married together. Excellent pacing of both words and illustrations. The watercolor illustrations are beautiful and the illustrations look like Lynne Rae Perkins' home, which is in the state of Michigan.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with another reviewer who stated that while the illustrations in this book were simply beautiful, the story was uneven and all over the place enough to the point that I questioned where and what the author was actually doing with the story.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely exploration of what kinds of things kids, dogs, and a deer experience when they wake up to a snowy day. I'd like it even more if I could appreciate music... I love how some of the musical sounds are described using art that looks like a sheet of music ready to play. Some parts are like concrete poetry, too; my favorite there is the squirrel bounding about looking for a lost cache.

I see that another reviewer marks it as a mentor text, and I like that. There's a fair bit going on here besides 'story' that a class or family could draw inspiration from.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the concept and imagining the various snows from a snowy day.

Ages: 3 - 6

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[Andrea Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story that is told in the form of a song. I used to read this in the daycare with my students because they loved rhyming stories or songs. It tells about how the elements and objects around a young boy contribute to the snow music.
I gave the book 4 stars because it is great for read alouds to inhibit literary elements students will later use. I forgot another book I read that has the same concept, it was just a little better.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

the art in this book is so beautifully evocative. the sounds too, but the "fep fep fep" for snow probably sounds better when there's more than one person whispering it, lol. but i love the text mimicking the trails of the animals, the sense of quiet, and especially all the animals - including a little human one - cozy in their nests.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful quiet picture book that I missed when it first came out. My Bookends partner, Cindy, asked me to check it out and I'm so glad she did!

Truly perfect winter-in-Michigan book that celebrates the quiet symphony of a snow covered world.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first page immediately draws you in, having the reader make the literal sounds of snow. The illustrations are positively transformative. The minute we finished it, we flipped back to the beginning and read it again! Excellent to read to elementary school students.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a teacher, I appreciated the whimsical illustrations, the emphasis on the sounds of snow, characters ranging from a boy and girl to a deer and a lost dog. It’s tender, beautiful, magical. This book invites children to dive into the story.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting, poetic book about snow. The illustrations are lovely, and the text is placed on pages in a unique, different way to add to the poetic feel. It’s a fairly quick read.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sounds that animals and machines make in the snow. Lovely illustrations.

[RWaggoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat pictures. Creative idea of putting on page the sounds of a snowfall. A little tricky for me to read aloud though (how do you pronounce “peth”?).

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit odd but teaches kids there's music everywhere

[Suebee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh my word, this book was so disjointed. Returning to the library right away.
I wanted to like it based on the gorgeous cover art, but reading it aloud to my 3 boys was grueling.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

The text is somewhat hard to follow, but the illustrations are incredible! Beautiful book.

[Mellanie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really pretty book with a cool premise.

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this book 📖 to read to a HeadStart group. It was not good. The little kids did not grasp the concept of the book. The colors were great but the story was not.

[Jillian Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations... but, I didn't understand the purpose of the story. Too many subplots going on- missing dog, the music of snow, wild animals, melting snow, etc.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know they were in a snow globe the entire time. I didn't know!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snow Day February 1, 2021

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful book of the sounds and music we experience of winter in a Central Albertan city!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read aloud.