Snow and Ice: Canadian Winter Weather. (Canada Close Up). Nicole Mortillaro. Markham, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2005. 60 pp., pbk., $6.99. ISBN 0-439-95746-X. Subject Headings: Winter-Canada-Juvenile literature. Canada-Climate-Juvenile literature. Grades 1-4 / Ages 6-9. Review by Patricia Fay. *** /4

excerpt:

Atlantic Canada, especially Newfoundland, gets more freezing rain than any other area in Canada. This is because Newfoundland has milder winters, with temperatures from 0°C to -7°C. The moist and fairly mild air from the Atlantic Ocean often brings rain, but when it reaches Newfoundland, the cooler land temperature freezes the precipitation as it hits the ground.

Winter weather in Canada is always a topic of interest. This easy-to-understand book for younger readers explains winter phenomena and includes true stories, winter facts and safety tips. The topics that are covered are: Canadian climate, snow and rain, ice storms, blizzards, winter wonders and extreme weather. The chapter, “Snow and Rain,” has an excellent diagram that shows how precipitation can fall as rain, freezing rain, sleet or snow, depending on the temperature of the air it falls through on its way to the ground.

     Some unique weather conditions are explained. An example is “snow rollers” which are layers of snow rolled up by the wind…they look like hollow logs. Another rare storm is called a “weather bomb” which is a storm that gets strong very quickly and brings high winds and lots of moisture. Nova Scotia had a weather bomb in February of 2004.

     The book has a table of contents and a glossary, but no index. The print is large, and photographs, diagrams or text boxes containing a weather fact, more information or safety tips, break up the sections of text. All of the illustrations have excellent captions.

     Snow and Ice would be a good choice for libraries that require information on Canadian weather at younger reading levels.

Recommended.

Patricia Fay is a teacher-librarian at Beaumont Elementary School in Winnipeg, MB, who has experienced quite pleasant weather in Newfoundland!

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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