Mark Cassino

Photographer Marc Cassino explores his passion for snow in this debut picture-book, written together with physicist Jon Nelson. From the origin of snow crystals in tiny specks - of dust, ash, even pollen - around which are built ever more complex structures of ice, through a discussion of the different types of crystal possible - star-shaped dendrites, plate crystals, column crystals - The Story of Snow has everything a budding young scientist needs to know about this cold white stuff! The show more book even includes an afterword providing instructions on catching snowflakes, in order to examine them.

Informative, engaging, and very, very beautiful - I loved Mark Cassino's up-close photographs of snow crystals! - this is the kind of science book that even those readers resistant to science will enjoy! I was particularly struck by the fact that snow crystals owe their existence - like pearls - to the introduction of tiny particles into otherwise "pristine" environments, demonstrating (for me, anyway) yet again that imperfection leads to great beauty. Highly recommended to all snow lovers, and to all young readers with an interest in science! show less

I am a science nerd, though not a very well educated one. So, this book thrilled me. All throughout the book there are photographs of actual snow crystals (magnified of course.)

The book tells in detail how snow crystals form, and I found the information fascinating. At the end, there’s a project about how to catch your own snow crystals, which could make for a fun and educational activity.

I also highly recommend the book Snowflake Bentley. Reading the two books at about the same time show more would allow each one to enhance the experience of the other. show less

Description:
This book tells the story of how a snowflake is formed, beginning with the temperature and moisture levels at the cloud level and concluding with how multiple snow crystals form together to make a snow flake. The book includes a flowchart that shows how a snow crystal begins as a spec that develops as more and more water vapor sticks to the spec. The book also includes many up close pictures of snow flakes and concludes with a section on how to catch and view your own show more snowflakes.

Personal reaction:
This book provides a simple yet informative view into how a snowflake is created. The book is fully of quality pictures of up-close snowflakes and uses diagrams to make the development of the snowflake more comprehensible for the young reader.
I also like how there is a "how-to" at the end of the book as this invites the reader to take learning into their own hands and to make observations on a naturally occurring phenomenon.

Keywords/science topics:
snow, water vapor, gas, liquid, frozen (ice), shapes, weather

A couple of uses:
- During a weather unit, read this book to the class and then discuss where in the world it is most likely to snow and why.
- Use this book to introduce a discussion on the three states of water.
- After introducing this book to the class and discussing the geometrical patterns of snow crystals, use geometric blocks to create and mimic the hexagonal pattern of snowflakes. show less

A great book that teaches children about how snow crystals form and why it snows in certain parts of the world. Sometimes seasons and weather changes can be confusing for young children so this is a good informational book for kids. I also noticed that the illustrations caught my eye because of all the wonderful painted snow and winter depictions. I would implement this in my classroom by reading it right around Christmas time when it is chilly and possibly snowing outside.