More snowflakes: Braille "Unique" Snowflake Pendant
December 2011 Book Club Selection
In contracted braille with skip lines
Ages 4-8
Most children are captivated by snow, but how many go on to make it their lifework?
From the time he was a little boy, Wilson Bentley loved snow. Yet snow was frustrating to him. He could pick flowers for his mother or net butterflies, but he couldn't hold on to snowflakes. Bentley tried drawing snow crystals, but they would melt too quickly. Then, as a teenager in the 1870s, he read about a camera with a microscope. His family were Vermont farmers, but they scraped together the money to buy him the camera. From then on, there was no stopping Bentley, who was nicknamed Snowflake. He spent winters photographing the intricate flakes. At first no one cared ("Snow in Vermont is as common as dirt!"). But Bentley found fame as a nature photographer, and even today his photo book of snowflakes is considered a primary source.
There will be so many uses for this book--not the least of which is simply handing it to children and letting their imaginations soar like Bentley's!
-Booklist, starred review
This picture-book biography beautifuly captures the essence of the life and passion of Wilson A. Bentley...The story of this man's life is written with graceful simplicity...An inspiring selection.
- School Library Journal
Awards
1999 Caldecott Medal Winner
Booklist Editors Choice
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon
NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children
New York Public Librarys 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing |
