CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 1999
By Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Illustrations by Mary Azarian
New York: Scholastic, 1998
30 pp.
Age: 5+
Interests: snowflakes, snow, biography, science, scientists, photography, nature
Also about W. A. Bentley: My Brother Loved Snowflakes by Mary Bahr
In the days when farmers worked with ox and sled and cut the dark with lantern light, there lived a boy who loved snow more than anything else in the world.
A biography of W. A. Bentley, born in 1865 on a farm in Vermont. He developed a fascination with snowflakes and became determined to learn more about them and make a record of snowflake patterns. In his teens he drew hundreds of snowflakes, until he heard of a new microscope-camera. His dedicated parents spent their savings on the camera and he embarked on a new career of experiment and study. Neighbours laugh at him, but in time Willie’s photographs were in demand at universities all over America and his book Snow Crystals is still a seminal work on the subject.
A beautiful story about a scientist and artist pursuing his vision despite all obstacles. His accomplishments are astonishing and his legacy lives on, as the most famous son of Jericho, Vermont. Further details about “the Snowflake Man” are given in informative sidebars, and on the last page there’s a photograph of Bentley along with some of his photographs and a marvelous quote from him about his work.
Illustrated with wonderful woodcuts, hand tinted with watercolour paint, evocative of the primitive art of rural New England.
An inspirational tale for aspiring scientists, nature lovers, photographers, artists, poets, or anyone looking for their own path to work that they love. Highly recommended.
one of Wilson A. Bentley’s photographs
Rarest Kind of Best 