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    Snowflake Bentley
    Snowflake Bentley
    Snowflake Bentley
    Audiobook14 minutes

    Snowflake Bentley

    Written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

    Narrated by Sean Astin

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Ever since Willie Bentley was a young boy, he was fascinated with snowflakes. He looked at them under a microscope and studied their icy crystals. He even drew pictures of them, finding no two snowflakes exactly alike. This is the story, told with grace and respect for the world's famous snowflake authority.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWeston Woods
    Release dateJan 1, 2003
    ISBN9780545787239
    Snowflake Bentley
    Author

    Jacqueline Briggs Martin

    Jacqueline Briggs Martin is the author of Snowflake Bentley, winner of the 1999 Caldecott Medal, and The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish, an ALA Notable Book, a Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book, Riverbank Review Finalist, Notable Social Studies Trade book and winner of The Golden Kite Award for Illustration. She grew up on a farm in Maine much like the one in this story. She lives in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.

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    Reviews for Snowflake Bentley

    4/5

    344 ratings42 reviews

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    • 4/5
      In this lovely picture-book biography of Wilson Bentley, a Vermont farmer who dedicated his life to documenting the beauty and diversity of the snowflake in his photography, author Jacqueline Briggs Martin and illustrator Mary Azarian have created a textually engaging and visually arresting work. Opening in the mid-19th century, when Bentley was a young boy who loved the snow, the narrative follows him through the years, as his desire to share his passion with others leads him to adopt and adapt the practice of micro-photography in order to capture the crystalline beauty of the snowflake. Of immense value to both scientists and artists, Bentley's work reached its fruition in 1931, when he published a monograph entitled Snow Crystals, which contained 2500 of his photographs.It's not difficult to see why Snowflake Bentley was the Caldecott Medal winner in 1999, as Mary Azarian's woodblock illustrations, colored in with watercolor, are absolutely beautiful, perfectly capturing the rural charm of Wilson Bentley's world, and the appeal of the snowflakes he adored. I particularly like the two-page spreads featuring cool blue panels on the sides, with snowflakes falling, as these contrast nicely with the warmer hues in the central panels. The story itself is interesting, highlighting the life of a simple, self-educated man who followed his passion, and thereby increased the store of knowledge and scientific understanding available to others. Recommended to anyone who loves winter, snow, and snowy vistas, as well as to anyone looking for engaging picture-book biographies.
    • 5/5
      William Bentley was thought to be an odd child. Why was he so interested and passionate about snow and the shapes of snowflakes when he lived in Vermont where "snow was as common as dirt?" We have to admire Bentley's endless quest to find a way to photograph snowflakes, winter after winter. Bentley became well-known as the world's expert on snow. He felt that his photographs were his gift to the world. His story is gracefully told by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and beautifully illustrated by Mary Azarian.Caldecott Medal---1999
    • 4/5
      This story is about a man who is fascinated with snowflakes. He is determined to try and figure out how to photograph snowflakes because he wants to be able to look at them even after they melt. He finally figures it out after several tries. He puts the flake on a black background and takes the picture. He gets very famous, and after he died, the town he was from made a memorial and statue for him! This book was an autobiography.
    • 5/5
      A biography about a farm boy born in 1865 on the Vermont with the fascination with snowflakes. Bentley spend most of his life studying ice crystals and how to capture them to prove that no two snowflakes are alike. When Bentley was 17 years old his parents bought him camera to photograph the snowflakes his spend winter after winter trying to photograph the perfect snowflake. Bentley spend his life doing what he loved.
    • 4/5
      This is a story of Wilson Bentley, also known as "Snowflake Bentley." Since childhood he was interested to know everything there to know about snowflakes. It gives an interesting look in the mind of a scientist. They are curious about the world around them. "From his boyhood he studied all forms of moisture." A turning point came in his studies when he got his first camera. Now he could photograph the snowflakes, which gave him a longer time to study them. Through his experiments he found interesting facts about snowflakes like no two snowflakes are similar. An insightful story, that shows Bentley's passion. People laughed at him for his ideas but he didn't care. It must have taken a lot of courage to keep up with his work in the face of other people's derision. Also he went to great lengths to collect data. He would stood in blizzards year after year to catch the perfect snowflake. However this shows his perseverance. Although he died a poor, misunderstood man, he was honored after his death when a monument and a museum were built in his honor.This informational picture book is a good read. The story flows without any interruption and the illustrations support the text. There are side bars throughout the book, that give in-depth information about his work. The last page has a quote from Wilson Bentley. There are also a pictures of him with his camera as well as the pictures of three snowflakes. The beauty and the intricate design of the snowflakes is indeed stunning.
    • 5/5
      What is "biography?" Yes, it is the story of at least some facet of a person's life, but to my mind, it must make me interested in what the subject was interested in, or why the subject was interested in it. Good juvenile literature should open the universe to young minds. Martin and Azarian have done this.Snowflake Bentley discovered as a boy that he was interested in the microscopic world of crystals--snow crystals--and he developed the skills he needed to show the world what had never been seen before.This book is a nicely blended portrayal of a real person, with facts by Jacqueline Briggs Martin to substantiate the story beautifully illustrated by Mary Azarian.
    • 5/5
      I would use this story to be able to describe character traits. The students and I would read aloud the story and then discuss our character in our story. We would go back to our seats to write down the character traits from the story and then discuss.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed Snowflake Bentley. I thought it was a really great story. I really enjoyed how on every page there was a fact about Wilson Bentley. For example on the first page it says, "Wilson Bentley was born February 9, 1865, on a farm in Jericho, Vermont." I thought these little facts made the story very personal. It made you feel like you were watching life story. I also really enjoyed the characters. I thought this book showed the importance of believing in someone. His parents believed that he could take photographs of the snow even if he couldn't. I think one of the main ideas in this story is to show passion for nature. Wilson desperately wanted to take a picture of a snowflake. Another main idea in this story is to never give up your passion. Wilson struggled to take a good picture of a snowflake but by the end of the story, he was able to take an amazing picture of a snowflake.
    • 3/5
      Snowflake Bentley shares the story of one individual’s true calling and passion in life. The informational text is accompanied by distinguished illustrations appealing to the historical time frame. The author did an astonishing job transforming an average topic, into an enjoyable read. This book had to power to take me back to my childhood, when I had more of an appreciation for the beauty snow. This book provides an escape for its audience, taking us to a place where we can too appreciate our passion in life. I will never look at a snowflake with simplicity in mind again!
    • 4/5
      From an early age, Wilson Bentley was fascinated with snowflakes and wanted to share the beauty he had discovered with the world. This endearing story of the life of Wilson Bentley, "The Snowflake Man," is beautifully told and is brought to life by the bright and colorful illustrations.
    • 4/5
      The hidden theme in this book I think is enjoying something and pursuing it in a positive way. The passion in this book was snowflakes and viewing snowflakes in different ways. This is an important theme for kid's to make sure they follow what they like and there dreams. This book has very good pictures and that is why it won the Caldecott award.
    • 5/5
      This is a wonderful and simple biography of Wilson Bentley. The pictures in this story the pictures are absolutely beautiful. This story is also very informative in an engaging way. It also has easy-to-read margins that tell facts about Wilson Bentley. For example “Willie’s mother was his teacher…” The main purpose of this story is to inform readers about Wilson Bentley’s life and accomplishments in an engaging way.
    • 4/5
      I liked this book for multiple reasons. One thing that I really liked about this story was the language. The author uses very descriptive language that shows how intrigued Willie is by snowflakes. She describes how Willie was catching single snowflakes and "studying the icy crystals" while other children were building forts and doing other typical snow activities. The author also states that Willie thought snowflakes were "masterpieces of design" and that "no one design was ever repeated". These descriptive observations portray the characters fascination with snowflakes. I also really liked the illustrations and other various text features in this story. For example, the writing on each page is on a side bar with a snowflake background which I found to be very appealing to the eye. The illustrations enhance this story by showing detailed facial expressions of the characters. For example, when Willie's father is listening to Willie talk about the camera that he wants, which would cost as much as his fathers herd of ten cows, you can tell by his facial expression that he is pondering the idea and considering getting Willie the camera even though it is extremely expensive. I think that these details allow the reader to really connect with the text and grasp a better understanding of the characters and how they are feeling. I believe that the big idea of this story is that it is important to pursue your passion and although it may not make you rich, it will make you happy.
    • 5/5
      A really great picture book biography for children. Illustration done in a wood cut style that was folksy and nice. The story was pleasant and the historical side bar info was good for answering questions and adding more detail. Especially fun to read in the thick of the winter. After seeing much snow it is always fun to think about no two snowflakes ever being the same!
    • 5/5
      Great piece of history!
    • 5/5
      Snowflake Bentley is a picture book biography about Wilson Bentley, who loved snowflakes, but could not capture their beauty or convince people that they were all unique until his parents purchased him a special camera as a young man. People often misunderstood him and thought that he was strange, but nothing deterred him from his love of and natural curiosity about snowflakes. Mary Azarian's wood-cut illustrations beautifully portray the text outlining Bentley's life and love of nature. In the classroom, this book would be great for the winter months, especially in a science lesson/unit about snow. Maybe students could even inspect or photograph snowflakes for themselves. This book would also demonstrate the value of all kinds of different interests and people.
    • 5/5
      A very informative and inspiring biography about W.A. Bentley, a man with a passion for snowflakes. The main idea focused on Bentley's obsession with snowflakes and his drive to capture snowflakes in their crystal form to show the world their beauty. This book showed what can happen when a person sets their mind on a goal and works hard to meet that goal. It also explores beauty and treasure from Bentley's perspective.
    • 3/5
      I liked the illustrations in this non-fiction book. They look as if they were drawn many years ago which is great because the book is about a man, Wilson Bentley, who lived many years ago. The book describes Wilson's many attempts to photograph snowflakes. Snowflakes were his passion.
    • 3/5
      Interesting story of a man who studies snowflakes.
    • 5/5
      A young boy shows great interest in the science of snow and the formation of snowflakes. He begins to photograph the snowflake images and discovers an amazing thing; the differences in snowflakes.
    • 4/5
      What a refreshing change to read a non-fiction Caldecott winner! I enjoyed learning about Wilson Bentley from this book, and the illustrations were really nice as well.
    • 4/5
      Simply told, gorgeously illustrated story of a man's obsession with observing, capturing and sharing snowflakes. I had seen Bentley's photos before but never knew the story of his life. It's a delightful story, on that makes me want to read a full-length biography of the man. Beautifully done.
    • 4/5
      A cute story based on the real life work of Wilson Bentley regarding snow crystals.
    • 4/5
      This is a cute book about Wilson Bentley, and his love for snow. A true story, Bentley spends his life drawing and photographing snowflakes in order to show the world what these tiny pieces of snow look life. This is a cute story based on history, and has historically accurate details about Bentley's life and discoveries.Teaching Extension: (based on Physics420 class at U of M)Have students read this story and then ask them if Snowflake Bentley is a scientist, explain.
    • 4/5
      Snowflake Bentley is a nonfiction biography about a scientist studying snowflakes. This text would be a great resource in a science classroom because it teaches students how the importance of asking questions, observing, and experimenting with scientific phenomenon.
    • 5/5
      "Snowflake Bentley" is a nonfiction biography about the scientist who first learned to take pictures of snowflakes. The illustrations in this book help make the story interesting and relatable, and feature beautfiully-drawn illustrations of a young Bentley, as well as real photos that were captured by Bentley's revolutionary snowflake camera. This book is a great addition to science curriculum and can teach children that "real" scientists do the same things that they do in a classroom setting - observing, experimenting, and trying new things.
    • 4/5
      The story of Wilson Bentley is a well written informational picture book. The book documents his journey to becoming a snowflake expert as he photographed the snowflakes throughout his life. The layout of the book is very consistent and easy for a young reader to understand. The sidebars of several pages give greater details of Mr. Bentley’s life story.
    • 4/5
      A brief children's chronology of Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley which was so well done that it brought tears to my eyes. Inspirational to think of the effort that one man did to bring beauty to the world through his photographs for no compensation. A true artist.
    • 3/5
      Interesting book about a man's interest in snowflakes and making images of them. Might bore some.
    • 4/5
      This is the story of Wilson Bentley and how he took pictures of snowflakes. Bentley loves the snow. He tries to preserve their beautiful images by drawing them, but they always melt before he is complete. Bentley's family see the importance of snowflakes to Bentley so they buy him a camera. He starts a photo collection which is published when he is 66 years old. Bentley helped make the discovery that no two snowflakes are alike. This book is unique because it also includes sections on every two pages that offers additional factual information about Bentely's life. The illustrations in the story are powerful and depict the story of Bentley's life.