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    Over and Under the Snow
    Over and Under the Snow
    Over and Under the Snow
    Ebook36 pages11 minutes

    Over and Under the Snow

    By Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal

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    About this ebook

    Over the snow, the world is hushed and white. But under the snow exists a secret kingdom of squirrels and snow hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals that live through the winter safe and warm, awake and busy, under the snow. Discover the wonder and activity that lies beneath winter s snowy landscape in this magical book.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChronicle Books Digital
    Release dateDec 7, 2012
    ISBN9781452123981
    Author

    Kate Messner

    Kate Messner is a New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty books for young readers, including The Brilliant Deep, the Over and Under series, the History Smashers series, and more. Kate is the 2022 recipient of the Empire State Award for excellence in children’s literature. Her science‑themed picture books have been honored with the Green Earth Book Award and the Riverby Award for Natural History Writing and have been finalists for the American Academy for the Advancement of Sciences/Subaru SB&F prize for excellence in science writing. A former middle school teacher, Kate now splits her time between Lake Champlain and Florida’s Gulf Coast. Learn more at www.katemessner.com

    Read more from Kate Messner

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    Reviews for Over and Under the Snow

    4/5

    161 ratings20 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Simple, appealing text, beautfully designed and illustrated.
    • 4/5
      The title Over and Under the Snow illustrates this story perfectly. It tells the story of life above and below the snow. It is a story of perspective. Life above the snow is subdued. It's quiet. Below the snow life continues. Animals are busy going on with life and trying to stay warm. Some are hibernating. This book would interest kindergarten to fourth grade. Teaching ideas include adaptation, nature, animals, survival.
    • 4/5
      This book describes a piece of nature that I didn't even know existed, the winter world that exists between the snow and the ground below. Just proves that there is no book too simple to teach a guy like me. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      A close look at the snowy environment and what occurs between plants and animals. subtle and beautiful illustrations depict life in the snow.
    • 4/5
      A young girl enjoys a night-time skiing trip with her father in this gorgeous picture-book, while underneath the snow, in the subnivean zone, a host of wildlife is occupied with their own concerns, from sleeping to foraging for food. The snow-bound world seems still and quiet to the girl, but in reality, there is a wealth of activity taking place, just beneath her feet...A simple but informative text (augmented by an excellent afterword that discusses the animals mentioned) is paired with breathtakingly beautiful artwork in Over and Under the Snow, making for a book that is both entertaining and educational! Christopher Silas Neal's mixed-media illustrations are simply enchanting - I was reminded of Julie Flett's work, in Lii Yiiboo Nayaapiwak lii Swer: L'alfabet di Michif / Owls See Clearly at Night: A Michif Alphabet, which is a high compliment indeed - and I came away very impressed that this was his first book. I certainly hope that there will be many more to come! Kate Messner's text encourages young readers to appreciate the beauty of the winter woods, and to look more closely at the world around them. All in all, an excellent work of natural history for the younger picture-books set, and a beautiful work of art. Recommended to young animal lovers, and to anyone who appreciate lovely illustrations!
    • 3/5
      So so. Words don't feel like a child's voice. Interesting info about the animals but kind of dry. Illustrations are fine but nothing special.
    • 5/5
      Lyrical and informative text combines with serene and evocative illustrations for a compelling package. As the narrator and her father ski slowly through the woods, they see evidence of animals above the snow. When the father tells his daughter of the "secret kingdom" under the snow, the reader is presented not only with the goings-on above the snow, but with pictures and text that show how other animals adapt to the winter season. From the shrew and the vole making their way through tunnels, to the queen bumblebee and the bear drowsing in their underground spots, children learn how populated the seemingly quiet winter woods are. The muted palette of Christopher Silas Neal's somewhat retro illustrations adds to the peaceful and rhythmic text. The story on its own beautifully meshes with FCPS's kindergarten and first grade science program of studies, and Messner's backmatter, including notes on each of the featured animals and further reading, is icing on the cake. This title will be enjoyed by children, teachers, and parents.
    • 5/5
      This is a beautifully illustrated non-fiction text about live under the winter snow. A dozen animals including beavers, bullfrogs, bumblebees, and hares are mentioned. There’s also a nice appendix at the back for further information.
    • 4/5
      A journey over the snow while revealing the animals that hide underneath in the winter. The end reveals facts about those animals. I really liked this book. It is beautifully illustrated and informative with a feeling of adventure. This would be a great book to initiate a study on animals in winter.
    • 5/5
      Engaging story about the world that exists, quite literally, under our very noses in the winter deep. Retro feeling illustrations bring to life the carefully detailed nuances of hibernation, winter nesting, and cold-weather sleeping of North Country animals. Kate Messner's research shines through subtly and nuanced. She doesn't brow beat children with facts, but chooses to tell her story and let the facts illuminated the magic that is the forest in winter.

      End notes give us more information about the creatures in the story. The first and second graders that I read the book to all wanted to know more.

    • 5/5
      While a great book for talking about the season of winter, it doubles to talk about descriptive words, prepositions, alliteration. Just listen to the words: "Over the snow I glide, past beech trees rattling leftover leaves and strong, silent pines that stretch to the sky. On a high branch, a great horned owl keeps watch. Under the snow, a tiny shrew dodges columns of ice; it follows a cool tunnel along the moss, out of sight." Wonderful contrast structure throughout of over and under, delightful use of imagery, and delicious use of language (all those sibilant s's).
    • 4/5
      Good science, with clear end notes. Lucid text and appealing pictures. Bravo. More, please?
    • 5/5
      Snowy banks filled with hidden life hide within the pages of Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner. As a young girl and her father ski across the fields of packed snow she discovers that there’s more to the winter than simple white wintry landscapes. From bears to mice to bullfrogs the number of animals hiding beneath the surface are almost too many to count. Follow along on this young girl’s journey into a magically real world hiding just under your feet.Over and Under the Snow has been a delightful story to share with not only the Turkeybird, but Littlebug as well. They both love discover the animals hidden beneath the layers of snow and then flipping to the back of the book to learn more about them in the animal guide listing. For the Turkeybird it’s definitely all about the learning aspect of it. He’s in a stage where he wants to soak up every little bit of knowledge he can about things and adding the magic of the snow made it even that much more interesting for him. As for Littlebug she just loves the fun of finding all the animals hidden in the snow. Now, if only we lived near the snow again!Kate Messner clearly is an author who loves nature and sharing that love through brilliantly written books for children of all ages. In Over and Under the Snow Messner brings to life the hidden world resting just beneath our feet during the snowy wintry months. Begin sharing and teaching about these fantastic creatures at an early age by introducing the magical journey of a little girl and her father. Our family has loved discovering our “favorite” animals at winter time and thanks to Messner’s additional reading sources that are listed in the back of the book our discoveries will continue happening. Over and Under the Snow is an excellent addition to any young reader’s library and one that will be loved by the entire family!My original review was posted at There's A Book.
    • 4/5
      Snowfall changes everything. Animals go underground to keep warm. But what does it look like down there? And what do the animals do?This little picture book explores this idea with beautiful illustrations and simple text for young readers. Lovely.
    • 5/5
      A very unique story that shares a boys adventure of cross country skiing over the secret world of hibernating animals of the winter. The story share the secret life under the store as the reader gains a perspective of what life is like under the snow.I love the illustrations and context of the book, as the main character cross country skiing brought back childhood memories of completing the same outdoor winter activities. The illustrator does a wonderful job of capturing a hardwood scenery with white birch trees creating a winter wonderland. This is great story in general as young children do not realize how much life is occurring under the snow.I would use this story with my students to explore hibernation and the winter season.
    • 5/5
      A quick and wonderful read with lots of educational information for little ones. They were thoroughly entertained with this short story.
    • 4/5
      Mommy loved it, 6 year old boy said it was good, but he also said he was bored! Go figure.
    • 4/5
      So nice to think about all aspects of the world and how they intersect -- and these books are particularly good at including all the senses as they portray the visible and hidden worlds.
    • 5/5
      A great book to create conversations and teaching moments with little. Reads well!
    • 4/5
      Nature at it's best...reminds me of "Owl Moon" when father and daughter wander about in and appreciate nature together. Great winter storytime book or evening storytime read.

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    Over and Under the Snow - Kate Messner

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