Meridian Magazine : : Print

Wintery Books for Snowy Nights
By Holly E. Newton

Winter, in many parts of the country, denotes snow, cold and ice. So, whether you prefer your winter weather cold or warm, here’s the perfect book list to celebrate winter.

This first book concerns an event I knew nothing about. Blizzard: The Storm that Changed America, by award-winning Jim Murphy, tells about the 1888 snowstorm on the East Coast of America that was so strong, so cold and so unexpected, that drastic changes were made after the storm finally blew over.

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This tremendous storm came about when two frontal systems hit the Northeast at approximately the same time and hovered along the East Coast for many hours. The forecasting system lacked technical knowledge and equipment, and the storm hit early Sunday morning when everything was shut down for the duration of the day.

No one predicted the magnitude of this storm. The temperature dropped quickly to zero, snow began to fall at an increasing rate as the day wore on, and the wind velocity was clocked at 75 to 85 miles per hour. Manhattan Island became virtually isolated. No one could get in — or out — due to all transportation becoming shut down. Trains derailed from the huge amounts of snow that fell in a short time. Boats and even ships were sunk or crashed into piers along with other water vehicles because of ice and high waves. Even the newly built Brooklyn Bridge was closed due to high winds.

People suffered and people died, but Murphy tells this little known natural catastrophe in his typical easy and interesting style. He brings in personal stories about families, people going to work, people trying to save others — and it all works. The authentic photos and newspaper drawings depicting the storm are sprinkled throughout the book, making this an excellent read for ages 10 through adult.

Murphy completed much research while writing this book, and it paid off. You learn not only about the Storm of the 19th Century, but life in the United States in the late 1800’s.

You may ask, “How did this storm change America?” Well, many things were changed for the better. I’ll list a few: trash was no longer allowed to just be thrown anywhere, streets were regularly cleaned off, cities had natural disaster plans put in place, subways were built, electrical lines were placed underground, and forecasting the weather changed from being the responsibility of the Army to the National Weather Service. This storm was so well documented and felt so real that while reading the book, it made me cold!

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Now how about an event that we do know about? Why Are the Ice Caps Melting? The Dangers of Global Warming, by Anne Rockwell, and illustrated by Paul Meisel, is a small-sized book that simply states the problems of our earth’s atmosphere and the consequences that are happening right now due to the warming problems on both ends of the earth. Even though this book is a leveled book for newer readers, the problems are well stated and tell how we can help, which make this book appropriate for all ages!

Do you remember waking up to a snow covered world and finding out it’s a “no school day”? Oliver’s Red Toboggan, by Paul Kortepeter, and wonderfully illustrated by Susan Wheeler, will take you back to the “good ol' days.” Oliver Rabbit is so excited to see the crisp new snow covering the ground and he can hardly wait to try out his new toboggan. But he doesn’t want to share it with his little sister. Oliver has some life skills to learn. The heavily embossed pages make the book not only look special, but feel special as well.

Snow is my Favorite and my Best, by award winning Lauren Child, features the famous siblings, Charlie and Lola. Child has once again nailed the storyline that makes all of the activities that go with snow (hot chocolate, snowmen, and so on) fit perfectly with her adorable illustrations!

Diamond in the Snow, by Jonathan Emmett, and wonderfully illustrated by Vanessa Cabban, finds Mole discovering a brilliant object sticking out of the snow. What could this be? You’ll soon find out as you read through this adorable celebration of winter. Even the jacket cover is sparkly.

The Snowmen Pop-Up Book, by Caralyn and Mark Buehner, has brought back this darling picture book, but with illustrations that jump off the page. These snowmen are so real, you’ll almost feel their frosty figures as they pop out.

Snow Globe Family, by Jane O’Conor, and illustrated by S. D. Schindler, is a clever story about a family enjoying the snow outside as well as their warm cozy house. But they’ve forgotten about the snow globe on the mantel. Meanwhile, the family that’s inside the globe remember when there used to be snow storms back in the day when it seemed the whole house would shake. But now, it’s pretty boring — until the baby from the real family picks up the globe and shakes it. What happens next? You’ll just have to read it and find out.

And lastly, The Big Snow, by Berta and Elmer Hader, is a picture book that begins with the birds flying south and ends with people shoveling snow and feeding winter birds. Here is a good ending to my list because it’s the 1949 Caldecott winner that’s still perfect for today’s children. Get ready for this year’s Caldecott announcement on Monday.

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