SPIRIT OF THE SNOWPEOPLE

Celebrating the rhythms of the land, the villagers plant in the spring, tend in the summer and harvest in the fall. But winter’s idleness is hard, especially for the children. The adults create a “village” of their own—people crafted from snow and a few props. The children quickly join in, until the entire lake is surrounded by snowpeople of all shapes, sizes and types. They ice skate and sled, sing, dance and even fish. Word spreads, and visitors come to see the magical creations. When the approaching spring’s warmth melts the snow, the visitors grumble. But, as the villagers explain, the spirit of the snowpeople is in the cycle of life—the melting snow feeds the rivers and fills the clouds which then water the crops. Stevens’s magical illustrations capture the joys of a simpler time, and will have readers itching for the snow to fly so they can sculpt their own snowpeople. A beautiful tale on its own, with a deeper message of the connectedness of the seasons. (Picture book. 5-10)