{25 Days of Holiday Book Reviews}: Snowflake Bentley

Today's poster is the fabulous Miss Riley!  Riley is Britta's (yesterday's poster) oldest daughter.  She's cool, she's nice and best of all---she's a reader!  Riley is the gal that introduced me to Witch and Wizard by James Patterson.  She spoke so highly (and enthusiastically) of it that I knew I had to read it.  She also runs her own fashion blog, Future Fanatics in Fashion!  (Go check it out!)  She's writing today about a book that I think is oh-so-neat, Snowflake Bentley!

image from goodreads

Snowflake Bentley

by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and illustrated by Mary Azarian

Reviewed by Riley  

          Wilson A. Bentley showed interest in snowflakes even as a young child.  This 1999 Caldecott winning book written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin follows his amazing life story.  Mary Azarian’s illustrations convey the mood of the story with realistic details and cool, wintery colors.

          Wilson Bentley was the very first man to capture pictures of snowflakes.  His life story is almost as elaborate as the beautiful snowflakes he took pictures of.  In the story, we learn he is a fantastic scientist who took over 5000 photos in his lifetime (1865-1931).  He made one of the greatest snowflake discoveries: No two snowflakes are alike.  Many people thought they had to be all the same until he looked closer.  This is a moving winter story with an amazing man as the main character and an exciting winter read.

          I loved this book because it is a wonderful biography and also captures the drama and uniqueness of winter.  This book was read to me in 5^th grade.  That winter, I noticed the differences in snowflakes myself during a winter snow storm.  This book will be great for classrooms and for sparking other children’s imagination and observations of snowflakes. 

          Riley – writer of Future Fanatics in Fashion blog RileyGrass.blogspot.com

Thank you, Riley!  I love this and your blog!