Snowflake Bentley

In this lovely picture-book biography of Wilson Bentley, a Vermont farmer who dedicated his life to documenting the beauty and diversity of the snowflake in his photography, author Jacqueline Briggs Martin and illustrator Mary Azarian have created a textually engaging and visually arresting work. Opening in the mid-19th century, when Bentley was a young boy who loved the snow, the narrative follows him through the years, as his desire to share his passion with others leads him to adopt and adapt the practice of micro-photography in order to capture the crystalline beauty of the snowflake. Of immense value to both scientists and artists, Bentley's work reached its fruition in 1931, when he published a monograph entitled Snow Crystals, show more which contained 2500 of his photographs.

It's not difficult to see why Snowflake Bentley was the Caldecott Medal winner in 1999, as Mary Azarian's woodblock illustrations, colored in with watercolor, are absolutely beautiful, perfectly capturing the rural charm of Wilson Bentley's world, and the appeal of the snowflakes he adored. I particularly like the two-page spreads featuring cool blue panels on the sides, with snowflakes falling, as these contrast nicely with the warmer hues in the central panels. The story itself is interesting, highlighting the life of a simple, self-educated man who followed his passion, and thereby increased the store of knowledge and scientific understanding available to others. Recommended to anyone who loves winter, snow, and snowy vistas, as well as to anyone looking for engaging picture-book biographies. show less

What is "biography?" Yes, it is the story of at least some facet of a person's life, but to my mind, it must make me interested in what the subject was interested in, or why the subject was interested in it. Good juvenile literature should open the universe to young minds. Martin and Azarian have done this.

Snowflake Bentley discovered as a boy that he was interested in the microscopic world of crystals--snow crystals--and he developed the skills he needed to show the world what had never been seen before.

This book is a nicely blended portrayal of a real person, with facts by Jacqueline Briggs Martin to substantiate the story beautifully illustrated by Mary Azarian.

I read this book several years ago and recently revisited it as part of my Caldecott honor readthrough. It's a highly informative book about Bentley, who found a way to photograph snowflakes. It's a great intro to STEM and how hobbies can have larger impacts.

This is a beautiful example of the way books come together with text and illustrations complementing one another perfectly. Snowflake Bentley is a biography of William Bentley, a man who loved snowflakes and figured out how to photograph them. Mary Azarian’s woodcuts add to the feel of the book and are perfect for the wintry Vermont setting. The image of Bentley walking through a blizzard is particularly moving.

In addition to illustrations and the traditional narrative, this book also has the interesting design feature of sidebars, in which facts are presented connected to, but outside of, the narrative flow. This allows the author to add more details without having to interrupt the story. It also provided the opportunity to create a show more side border on each page filled with snowflakes.

I would want preservice teachers to consider this book from a number of perspectives. First I would want them to consider it as a picture book. What are the qualities that make it successful, or not? Do they think children would respond to it? How do they see the story (including setting) and the illustrations work together?

I also think this book is a good one to think about biographies for children. This tells the story of a person but it does so focusing on one important aspect of his life, instead of trying to tell every detail. I think this could help preservice teachers think about how this idea can transfer to a memoir unit where children are writing about their own lives.

Finally, I would invite my audience of preservice teachers to think about how this book might fit into a discussion about people who may seem different. Martin notes that many people in Bentley’s town laughed at him and saw what he was doing as pointless. I got the sense that he was an unusual person. Could this help kids think about difference in a more appreciative way?

I also think the artwork in this book is worth its very own conversation, both with preservice teachers and with kids. It is integral in giving the story a certain feel and in telling the story, but many of the pictures can also stand on their own as works of art separate from the text. I think of discussions focused on art and how this book would fit in. show less

This informative book tells the story of Wilson Bentley who made astonishing progress in the science of capturing images of snowflakes and dew drops. This story helps readers understand the power of curiosity and the places curiosity can take you. The illustrations give the reader a sense of the rustic lifestyle Wilson Bentley grew up living and also helped the reader to picture some of the archaic items mentioned in the story. A story about a man who studied snowflaks has the potential to be rather dull but the combination Jaqueline Briggs Martin's writing style and Mary Azarian's artisitic skill makes this story an absolute delight to read.

This is a fascinating book, well-illustrated, about the man who first captured snowflakes to save. My nieces were enraptured.

However, it is a little wordy, and it can be hard to figure out (if you're reading aloud) what to do with the sidebars of information. (I personally ignored them. They're interesting on their own, but trying to integrate them into the story would've been impossible.) This is definitely a picture book for the older crowd OR for young children who read well above their grade level.

I love this! What an inspiring tale of a minor obsession. Bentley didn't do anything huge like start a revolution, but because he had supportive parents he did live the life he wanted to, and make a significant contribution to science and to art.

I'm not normally a fan of wood- or lino- cut work, but the illustrations here are a good fit for the story, and sufficiently bright and cheerful for me. The text is gracefully written, and the extra notes on the sides of the pages, are of interest to older readers, but can be skipped by the younger. I particularly like the very last page, with the quotation and photographs. And I like the descriptions of what, and how, he studied other bits of nature, like spider webs.

I'd appreciate a show more bibliography for further reading, but since there isn't one, I'll investigate further via Bentley's own texts, [b:Snowflakes in Photographs|348490|Snowflakes in Photographs|Wilson A. Bentley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388423569s/348490.jpg|338775] and [b:Snow Crystals|994292|Snow Crystals|Wilson A. Bentley|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328865312s/994292.jpg|639481]. show less