A SNOW STORY

The lyrical story of an introspective farm boy who writes poetry in a wordless language. From time to time, in youth and throughout his long life, Johnny tramps out alone over the frozen lake's new-fallen snow. Why? To write poems with his boots, he explainsand, from time to time in ensuing seasons, ducks, fish, or otters will suddenly go crazy, swooping and dancing in a celebratory frenzy. Only Johnny has an explanation, though, of course, no one takes him seriously; still, year by year, his ``poems'' flow down the river to the sea, and dolphins ``still recite some of the best lines to this very day.'' Softened edges and blended colors create a serene mood in Stammen's spacious colored-pencil landscapes; subtly, these give viewers only a glimpse of Johnny's booted patterns in the snow. A fine companion to Bliss's Matthew's Meadow (1992) and other stories about communicating with the natural world. (Picture book. 7-9)