The Big Snow by Bertha and Elmer Hader (1949)

The Big Snow by Kathrine Milhous (1949 Caldecott Medal Winner)

Just like The Egg Tree, this book is rather lengthy compared to today's picture books, but don't hold that against this tale. The story follows all the different creatures of the forest as they decide what to do for the winter. You get excellent illustrations and a fictional look into the minds of these animals. How will the winter impact their choice of homes. We get to see animals that migrate and nonmigratory animals.

After the choices are made, we get to see how a big snow negatively impacts these animals. How are the food sources diminished because of the falling snow? How will the animals survive?

The answer turns this tale from a fiction to an autobiography of sorts. An older couple cleans up the sidewalk in front of their house and then provides food for all of the animals. I'm guessing that this is something that the Haders did most winters. Although the couple doesn't participate in the celebration, they do imagine the joy the animals feel from the offering.

This book definitely won't work for very young children, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it be very effective at the 3rd or 4th grade level. If it were a bit longer and used some bigger words, this book might possibly be eligible for a Newberry Medal today.