"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." That boy was Willie Bentley, who lived in a part of Vermont where the annual snowfall is reported to be 120 inches. He was eager to learn, reading every volume of the family encyclopedias and keeping a record of the weather. He was especially fascinated by snowflakes. At 15, he began trying to capture the elusive snow crystals by looking at them under an old microscope and then drawing the beauty and individuality he observed. Bentley's passion about snowflakes was often misunderstood. "Neighbors laughed...'Snow in Vermont is as common as dirt,' they said. 'We don't need pictures.' Willie said the photographs would be his gift to the world." He felt called to photograph a leaf or spider web hung with dew. On the final page, Bentley's own words point out that although there were always others who would rise at dawn to milk dairy herds, his early morning work gave people something they otherwise would never have. Children may read either a story or a biography about this self-taught expert who developed his own technique of microphotography, because this book has two narratives. On the left and/or right side of most pages of the fiction, there is easy-to-read biographical information. Azarian's woodcuts, hand tinted with watercolors, serve as illustrations for everything in this intriguing picture book about a man who "loved the beauty of nature in all seasons." (Ages 4-9)

In this Caldecott Medal–winning picture book, the true story of Wilson Bentley and his singular fascination with snowflakes is rendered in rich prose and gorgeous artwork, perfect for the holidays, snow days, and everyday.

Wilson Bentley was always fascinated by snow. In childhood and adulthood, he saw each tiny crystal of a snowflake as a little miracle and wanted to understand them.

His parents supported his curiosity and saved until they could give him his own camera and microscope. At the time, his enthusiasm was misunderstood. But with patience and determination, Wilson catalogued hundreds of snowflake photographs, gave slideshows of his findings and, when he was 66, published a book of his photos. His work became the basis for all we know about beautiful, unique snowflakes today. 

This biographical tribute to a very special farmer is the perfect holiday gift or snow day read.