The Big Snow

Written by Berta Hader and Elmer Hader

Narrated by John McDonough

The green leaves on the trees are changing to red and gold. A chilly wind blows from the north. Mrs. Cottontail and her littlest rabbit watch a flock of wild geese in the sky. "Cold winter days are near," she tells him. All through the woods, creatures of every size are busy. Squirrels are storing acorns and seeds under logs. The ground hog is growing a warm fur coat. The blue bird begins his long trip south. They must hurry-soon the big snow is coming. Berta and Elmer Hader have delighted youngsters for decades with this captivating tale of woodland animals preparing for the long winter. Birds flutter and four-legged creatures scamper from the page with John McDonough's sparkling performance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: May 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9781436188128

Reviews for The Big Snow

[gloriasidney · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Big Snow tells the story of how the animals who live in the woods prepare for the upcoming winter. The animals, after seeing the leaves fall and how fast the days begin to darken, know that it is winter time. The geese fly south looking for sunshine and clear sky while the rest who stay also start to get ready to the cold weather. Some animals growth thicker fur, others dig burrows under the ground to keep warm. The aspect that they all have in common is that the animals gather a lot of food for the whole winter. This book is amazing to incorporate into a science class when discussing the changing seasons. From a literary aspect this book would be great to use to show cause and affect and descriptive language. This book is a picture book but it is intended for lower middle school grades.

[jfe16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In this wonderfully-illustrated children’s picture book, the geese head south, the forest animals don their heavy coats, and winter comes to the woodland. But what happens to the animals when the Big Snow comes? A recipient of the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children, the appealing illustrations add to the charming story, certain to delight young and old alike.Highly recommended.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

All the creatures of the forest watch as the geese begin their migration to the South. This is the sign that they need to be well prepared for winter. Coats thicken, burrows are dug or warm caves found, stores of seeds and grain are secured. But when the big snow comes it is difficult for the squirrels, deer, cardinals, and other woodland critters to find food. But a couple living in a little house comes to their rescue, shoveling out a path, and spreading seeds, corn and bread out for their forest-dwelling friends. What a lovely story of nature’s effects on the animals of the forest. I can almost hear the snowflakes falling, faster and faster, until they cover everything. The illustrations are beautiful … showing the hustle and bustle of preparations, the delight in a first snowfall, the quiet serenity of a forest blanketed in white.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was a bit underwhelmed. It's way too long for lap-sit. Good for bedtime, as it would soothe the child to sleep? I did like the mention of all the different animals - compare for example white-footed wood mouse... short-tailed meadow mouse" of this book, vs. too many newer books that just say "mouse." I guess it would have been good to go with a science unit for school-children (even though it's not 100% accurate).

The black & white illustrations reminded me of some pictures I've seen by Robert Lawson, for example in Rabbit Hill. I did like almost all the pictures here - but I'm still waiting for an older Caldecott to 'wow' me."

[srthompson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hader shows how a forest of animals prepare for the winter. The illustrations are amazing. I think this book would be perfect for a first grade science class.

[sopoforic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Some animals leave for warmer climates when winter approaches, while others store up food or prepare in other ways. When a big snow comes and covers up all the food, the animals must rely on the kindness of an old man and woman who feed them to help them through the harsh winter.

The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader is a children's picture book which receive the Caldecott Medal in 1949. It tells of how different animals prepare for the coming winter, and how they survive after a big snow.

The art is charming. Some pages are black-and-white, done in pencil, while others contain watercolors. The penciled illustrations are quite detailed, and the watercolors are lovely, too.

Although the animals are ultimately secure, I think it's a little sad that all their preparation was for naught. It makes the deer, who believed that there would be food for all, growing plentifully, seem quite foolish. Then again, they are just animals.

The Big Snow is an excellent children's book, featuring many creatures, beautifully illustrated. Definitely recommended.

This review is also published on my blog.

[chantelle713 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Big Snow by Berta Hader

Nice book about various wildlife and what it mines to be prepared for the first snow

[whisper1_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

You just have to love the names of the authors of this 1949 Caldecott Medal winner. Berta and Elmer! The names and the story harkens back to a simple time when life was not rushed -- a time when there was leisure to observe nature and animals in preparation for the winter.The Haders lived in a home in the woods that they built themselves. This is a story of their observations of animals who did not go south, but remained, some slept through and hibernated, others had to be resilliant.The illustrations are beautiful. The story is simple and as quiet as the soft patter of raccoon's paws over the crusted snow.

[auntieknickers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I recently bought a fresh new copy of this for my granddaughter (who may not see snow for some time to come.) I confess to a lingering fondness for the realistic and simple illustrations of the past.

[thuvan0301 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a big snow. All the animals who did not like cold weather fly south. The animals who stay back did not care about the cold. But it was a big snow, and most of the animals ran out of food. there are old couple who generously scatter food for the animal. Because of their foods, most of the animals survive through that big snow.

[krf76 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I gave this book 5 stars because of the illustrations and the story. The pictures were very beautiful and the story was one that several ages could enjoy. It is not really good for the younger children because it it wordy, but the story could be told in fewer words. I think that it reminds me of a book that my grandmother used to read to me when I was little about the snow princess. You could use this book to introduce the winter season in your classroom. It is wonderful for telling children what the animals do in the winter. It could also be used as a unit topic. You could make a snow setting and create animals and their homes in the winter.

[caltstatt_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a cute story about winter season coming and how the forest animals prepare. Some animals leave for the South, some store food for winter and some sleep all winter when the cold snow arrives.This story could be used to help educate young children about animal behavior during the winter months.