Snow Song

 

Written by A. K. Riley

Illustrated by Dawn Lo

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0235-0

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

October 2020

Looking outside on my own snow-covered landscape, I am reminded how varied this frozen precipitation can appear and feel and impact our lives. How snow is perceived is so dependent on experience and age and community and the attributes of the snow itself. While the cover of Snow Song suggests a playful story of the joys of being outside in the snow with friends, this picture book is so much more. It is a sensory experience of words and art, contemplative and serene, as well as playful and dynamic, and Snow Song is accordingly a lyrical exposé of being in a new place and finding a commonality through snow.

From Snow Song by A. K. Riley, illus. by Dawn Lo

Though A. K. Riley's evocative free verse speaks to the snow and its movement and form, Dawn Lo shows the reader a child who has just moved into a new home, boxes still to be unloaded and unpacked. Dressed in beret and scarf and green jacket, we accompany her from her new front stoop, down the street and to a park with woodland, pond, playground and more, within a world of snow.

Fine pearls of snow

Then a twirl of snow.

Around the eaves

A curl of snow.

From Snow Song by A. K. Riley, illus. by Dawn Lo

The words are all about the snow, the feel of the snow and the shape of the snow. The snow becomes the focus and the background. It's everything. It gives the child the context for making new friends and familiarizing herself with her new world, whether from outside and around her to inside and looking out.

So soft the snow,

Froths the snow

Upon the trees

And spangled streams –

Up to my knees!

From Snow Song by A. K. Riley, illus. by Dawn Lo

Snow Song may be A. K. Riley's debut children's book but her finesse with words is exceptional. While many newbie children's authors overload their stories with text, A. K. Riley is frugal with her words, packing immense power and sensation in them. Her words convey the visual, the auditory, the tactile and more of snow, giving the child voice and the reader consciousness. Similarly, artist Dawn Lo uses gouache, pencil crayons and Photoshop to create a fusion of colours and textures, taking the reader and the child from indoors through both urban and wilder landscapes, all in the pursuit of the snow experience. Still, feeling anomalous in her new environs, the child is tethered to her past and present through the snow, giving her a naturalness of action and feeling to pursue the newness of her situation. That familiarity instils boldness and ease.

I hope there is snow in your life and the freedom to experience it. Regardless, Snow Song will guide you with its own snow and the freshness of life that comes with it through the words of A. K. Riley and the art of Dawn Lo.