Counting on Snow

by Maxwell Newhouse

Overview

Maxwell Newhouse, folk artist extraordinaire, has created a unique counting book. The premise is simple. He invites children to count with him from ten crunching caribou down to one lonely moose, by finding other northern animals - from seals to wolves to snowy owls - as they turn the pages. But as the animals appear, so does the snow, until it's a character too, obliterating light and dark, sky and earth.

A gorgeous exploration of the isolation and the beauty of northern winter, Maxwell Newhouse has created a deceptively simple picture book that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780887769856
Publisher:	Tundra
Publication date:	11/23/2010
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 7.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

MAXWELL NEWHOUSE is a highly accomplished folk artist whose work has been widely exhibited in galleries across Canada. He has illustrated Laura Secord: A Story of Courage by Janet Lunn and Emily Carr: At the Edge of the World by Jo Ellen Bogart. He has also written and illustrated several books including the acclaimed The RCMP Musical Ride, Let's Go for a Ride - a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award in Children's Illustration, The House That Max Built, and The Weber Street Wonder Work Crew.

Editorial Reviews

In this petite counting book, striking oil compositions feature groups of animals in an increasingly snowy Arctic. On the flip side of each page, Newhouse portrays the same animal ensembles in mid-movement, as though exiting the tableaus. Alliterative gerunds describe each scene: a sculptural tower of rocks is a perch for "8 ravens raving" amid snow flurries, and on the following page, the flock lifts off. In another spread, four white hares huddle before withdrawing into the storm, and when a single moose, "silent in the falling snow," disappears, the next frame is filled with only flecks of blizzard white. A sparse and lovely meditation on winter wilderness. Ages 2–5. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 1—Newhouse begins with "10 caribou crunching" and counts backwards to "1 moose, silent in the falling snow." In between, other animals that inhabit the upper reaches of Canada are featured. The paintings are dark, featuring black and grays, occasionally relieved by sapphire blue. The animals are closely intertwined, making it difficult to ensure an accurate count. Snow slowly begins to fall, further increasing the difficulty of seeing the animals as separate and distinct. Perhaps this was Newhouse's intent, requiring children to focus closely, but the likelihood is that they will be frustrated instead. Better counting books abound, as do books featuring these particular animals.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

School Library Journal

A quiet Arctic counting book takes readers from "10 caribou crunching" and "9 muskoxen mingling" down to "2 snowy owls swooping" and "1 moose, silent in the falling snow." Dramatic oils contained within frames against glossy white pages present each group of animals with minimal descriptive text on recto; turn the page and the same group is presented, wordlessly, in a slightly different attitude (in a comical touch, the caribou all present their rumps to readers, but Newhouse wisely does not overplay this joke). As the countdown proceeds, the snow begins to fall, getting heavier with each panel until it nearly obscures the animals; the effect of the snow over the five wolves, for hares, three polar bears and two snowy owls—all white to begin with—is spectacular, and readers will feel the chill. Lovely and, thanks to its small trim, intimate. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews

As the countdown proceeds, the snow begins to fall, getting heavier with each panel until it nearly obscures the animals; the effect of the snow over the five wolves, for hares, three polar bears and two snowy owls—all white to begin with—is spectacular, and readers will feel the chill. Lovely and, thanks to its small trim, intimate.” - Kirkus Reviews


“A sparse and lovely meditation on winter wilderness.” - Publishers Weekly


“Newhouse’s sensitive portrayal of the stark Arctic landscape creates an atmospheric chilliness that perfectly captures a winter evening north of the 49th parallel. Original without being gimmicky, Counting on Snow should come with the purchase of every crib in this country, as it has all the makings of a Canadian classic.” - Starred Review, Quill & Quire


“Folk artist Maxwell Newhouse has created a beautifully simple counting book with a twist. The book begins with ten crunching caribou on a green plain. As the numbers of animals decrease, the snow begins to fall. By the end of the book, the page is heavy with snow. A lovely introduction to numbers and the animals of Canada.” - ForeWord Magazine

From the Publisher