White Snow Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt

White Snow Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt
White Snow Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt

today’s children storybook summary is

Title White Snow Bright Snow

By Alvin Tresselt

Illustration by Roger Duvoisin

Storyline: It is late fall and people are going about their business like usual, the postman delivering the mail, the farmer stacking wood, the policeman watching the streets, his wife cleaning the house. But the fall won’t last much longer. The winter is coming, everybody says it. Just by looking at the sky the postman can tell that it’s going to snow, the farmer says he can smell it, the policeman says it felt like snow and his wife’s big toe hurt which always meant snow. The rabbits are taking cover and the children are waiting with excitement. And, “just when no one was looking” it started to snow. Flake by flake the snow conquered the ground, the houses, the whole landscape.

From now on, there’s no way back. It is winter. People dug up their boots and shovels, they buttoned up their coats and made sure they have cough medicine in the cabinet. And the children enjoyed the snow making snowmen and snow forts. The policeman caught a cold and his wife took care of him. Day after day, with everything covered in white, bright snow, the winter faded away like a dream. Soon, just as no one was looking, the spring snicks up, melting the snow and the snowman, worming the ground, bringing life. Once again, the postman enjoys the sun while delivering the mail, the farmers lets his cows out, the policeman gets better and his wife is looking for snowdrops and crocuses under the lilac bush, while the children are looking for robins.

Characters: Postman, policeman, wife, farmer, children and rabbits

Illustration: Roger Duvoisin is the illustrator of this book. His depictions are very schematic though his points always get across. He had chosen gray and white as the background, symbolizing the fall and the winter. On these settings, we see the characters that have red faces, yellow clothes, black coats. We see yellow houses and brown roofs, and bright colored windows. It is the contrast between the stillness of the white and the heaviness of the gray, and the joyful of red and bright yellow that makes the illustration very dynamic.

Medal/Awards: Roger Duvoisin received the Caldecott medal for the illustration.



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