snow day

“Honk-honk-honk.”Thewildgeeflysouth

whencoldwindsbeginloblowfromthenorth.

Theredsquirrelstoresnutsandacornsand

tting

readyforwinter...andthefirstBIGSNOW.

ThisbookwonaCaldecottMedal.

THEBIGSNOW

BERTAandELMERHADER

“Honk-honk-honk.”Thewildgeewere

harvestmoonhadcome

goldweretheleaveson

themaplesandoaks,andthewindthat-blew

downfromthenorthwascold.

tailandthelittlestrabbitsat

onthewarmbrownearthofthevegetable

owatthefootofthehill,the

broadwatersoftheriverebbedslowlytothe

aredintotheskyattheflockof

wildgee.

“Youknowwhatthatmeans,”saidMrs.

couldn’tspeakbecauhismouthwasfullof

’tknowwhythegeewere

sthefirsttimehehaden

them.

“Thatmeansthatthecoldwinterdaysarenear

andyouwillbeneedingawarmcoat,”saidMrs.

Cottontail.“Eatplentyofcabbageleavesand

carrottopsandyouwillhaveathickcoatforthe

winter.”

Thelittlestrabbitnibbledanothertender

carrottop.

Thefatlittlegroundhog,wholivedinaden

justoutsidethegardenfence,lookedupasthe

lreadyputonhis

warmfurcoat.“Oh-oh,”hesaid,“it’snearlytime

formywinternap.”Whenthedaysgrewshort

andtoldhewenttobedandsleptsoundlyuntil

vedhimthetroubleofstoringfood

forthewinter.

nk,withhercheekpouchesfullof

eds,stoppedforamomentbesidethelittlestone

workedhardall

summerandhadstoredplentyofedsandnutsfor

thewinterinherhomedeepbeneaththerockpile.

”Brrrrr,”shesaid,“it’’stimeforme

toretire.”

Abluejayperchedonthetopmostbough

ofthesycamore,lookedatthegeeflyingin

theskyhighabovetheriver.“Well,well!It’s

laterthanIthought!”Heflewtothebigpine

treewherethecardinalswereresting.

“Aren’tyougoingsouth?”heasked.

“No,indeed,”repliedthecardinals.“We

winter.”

Songsparrowschirpedhappilyonthe

idnoattentiontothegee

intheskyfortheydidnotmindthecold

ewthatthemeadowgrass

wereheavywithedandsowerethebirches

andtheashtrees.

Abluebirdsatontheroofofhishou

edatafatrobinon

thelawnbelow:“It’shightimetogosouth,”

hecalled.

“Notforme,”ed

andpulledafinefatwormoutoftheground.

“I’mstayingherethiswinter.”

Highonthehillabrownwoodratstoppedto

lookatthegee.“Hey-hey,”hesqueaked,“there

theygo.”Heknewcoldweatherwascomingand

hehadcarriededsandnutstohisnestundera

g-neckedpheasants,roaming

throughthewoodland,

neverthoughtofleavingtheirhomeforthesouth.

Therewasplentyoffoodforthemonthehilland

theydidn’tmindthecold.

“Caw-caw-caw,”croakedthreeblack

crowsinthecornfield,asthegeeflew

ewwheretofindfoodduring

thelongwintermonthsandtheynever

wentsouth.

Everydayduringtheharvestason,thered

squirrelsandthegreysquirrelshadbeenbusy

storingnutsandacornsandedsundertheleaves

andlogswheretheyhopedtofindthemduringthe

urcoatswerethickand

rereadyforwinter.

Theprettywhite-footedwoodmou

flickedhislongtailashelookedatthegee

thatwinter

wascoming,buthehadworkedhardand

hadagoodsupplyofedsstoredawayin

dn’tbe

hungryinthemonthstocome.

Theshort-tailedmeadowmoudidn’t

heldno

nels,madebythe

moles,ledtosweetplantrootsandtothe

dhave

plentytoeat.

Shy,white-taileddeerbrowd

inthewoodsthatcoveredtheridge

oats

ofthedeersawtheflyinggeebut

theyneverthoughtofleavingtheir

woodlandhomewheretherewas

foodforall,growingsoplentifully.

Andtherewerehill-dwellerswhocameout

nkfamilywho

livedunderthewoodpiledidn’tcarewhich

rehappy

asplenty

offoodtobefoundifoneonlyfollowedone’s

no,andtheycouldsleepthroughthecoldest

wintermonthsintheirbedofleavesandsoft

grass.

Theraccoonsfollowedtheirpaththroughthe

,too,knewthatwinterwascoming.

Whenthedeepsnowcoveredtheland,they

wouldclimbintotheirsoftbedinthehollow

trunkoftheoldwillowtosleepuntilthecold

dayspasd.

thefirstsnowblewdownfromthenorth.

Whentheroundwintermoonbathedthe

hillsideinsilverylight,themiceandthe

skunks,theraccoons,andthedeerleftwell-

markedtrailsintheearlywintersnow.

…..ThenthenightafterChristmastherewas

arainbowaroundthemoon....Thewiowls

owaroundthe

RE.

“Hoooooooooooooo,”thesadtrillingcallofthe

screechowlwasheardupanddownandacross

thehillside.

eycloudsquicklyfilledtheskyandblottedoutthemoon.

Abeautifulsnowflakefellthroughtheair.

Thentwoflakesfloatedsoftlytoearth,

followedbythree,

thenfour.

Thesnowflakesfellfasterandfasterandfaster.

Millionsofsnowflakesfellfromthesky.

nowcoveredthebranchesofallthetrees.

Ablanketofsnowcoveredthemeadows,thehills,thevalleys.

Thesnowwasheavyontheroofsofthehousandbarns.

Thesnowstoppedfallingontheeveningofthe

ainthebigsilverymoonro

swingednoilesslyfrom

gelstirred

inthesilentsnow-coveredland.

Thentheskunkfamilydugtheirwayupfromtheir

iffedand

sniffedbutalltheirsharpnossmelledwassnow.

Sotheycrawledbacktosleepagainintheirsoftden.

Theraccoonsscrapedthesnowaway

fromtheentrancetotheirhomeinthe

aredinwonderatthesnow.

Thentheyhurriedbacktosleepuntilspring

intheirsoftwarmbed.

Atdawn,thejaysshooktheirfeathersand

rrows,

thechick-a-dees,thecardinals,andalonely

robinscrambledoutfromtheirsheltersand

flewfromtreetotree,tryingtofindaplaceto

lookedinvainfortheedgrassinthe

snowcoveredeverything,

eventheedsofthebirchesandtheashtrees.

Thejaysandthecrowstookwingtohunt

sflewnorthingreatcircles

andthecrowsflappedslowlysouth.

Thedeerhuddledtogetherinthedeep

ofsnowcoveredthebushesand

deerwerehungry.

tailandthelittlerabbitswere

hungry,meoutfromtheirnests

undergroundtohuntforfood.

Snow,snow,nothingbutsnow—and

thebirdsandtheanimalsofthehillwere

veryhungry.

Thenthesunroabovethehills,clear

rpeyesofthejayssaw

alittleoldmaninabrightredcapcome

lyshoveled

apaththroughthedeepsnow.

Hewasfollowedbyalittleoldwoman

tterededs,and

nuts,andbreadcrumbs,torightandtoleft.

Thecryofthebluejaychoedoverthe

hillside.“Food,food,food,”theycried,again

birdsonthehillheardthe

happycall.

“Caw-caw-caw,”croakedthecrowswhen

theysawthelittleoldwomanputpansof

foodbackofthehou,andthelittleoldman

draghayfromtheshedandscattercornon

thesnow.

“Food,food,food,”theycalledandtheir

crieswereheardbythedeerinthewoodland

irrelsheard

themtoo,andracedthroughthetree-tops.

Thesnowhadcoveredtheirhiddenstoresof

skunkfamilyandtheraccoons,deepintheir

longwintersleep,didnothearthecrows’

armburrowundertherockpile,

a

eclodhereyesagain

todreamofthespringdaystocome.

Alltheotheranimalshurriedas

fastastheycouldthroughthesnow

tothelittlestonehou.

Thecardinals,the

sparrows,thechick-a-dees,

andthelonelyrobinflewtothe

banquet,chirpingandsinging.

Thehungrypheasantsinthe

woodsheardthegladtidings

andjoinedthehappythrong.

Thegroundhogdidn’twakeupuntilthecond

edupthroughthesnow

wasshiningbrightly

andthereonthesnowthegroundhogsawhis

shadow.

“Oh-oh,Iknowwhatthatmeans,”hesaid.

“Therewillbesixmoreweeksofwinter.”Andlie

hurriedbacktohisdentosleepuntilspring.

longcold

winterforthebirdsandanimalsonthehill,but

thelittleoldmanandthelittleoldwomanputout

thatwastheendoftheBIGSNOW.

END