Over and Under the Snow

I have a really cool book for you guys today. We all know about what animals over the snow are doing in the winter, but what about under the snow?

This story follows a little girl and her father on a cross-country skiing trip. They see deer eating bark, foxes pouncing on prey, that kind of thing. But in the illustrations, we can see animals under the snow--a bullfrog hibernating in the mud, for example. And the father explains that after a snowfall, the snow that's closest to the ground melts, leaving space for little rodents to run around and hide in. It's called the subnivean zone, and I had no idea that it existed.

This is a great book for winter. I think that it would appeal to kids in a wide range of ages--the illustrations make it possible for younger kids to see what the animals are doing above and below the snow, and the storyline gives more details for older children.

Over and Under the Snow
Written by Kate Messner and illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
Age range*: 3-7
My rating: 4 stars [out of five] 

*Age ranges are very flexible.