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Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac
This children's almanac contains a wealth of information about all twelve months of the year, including facts about gardening, holidays, and weather, along with true stories of Midwest farm life from the past.
- GenresHistory
64 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
About the author
Nancy Willard
107 books45 followersNANCY WILLARD was an award-winning children's author, poet, and essayist who received the Newbery Medal in 1982 for A Visit to William Blake's Inn. She wrote dozens of volumes of children's fiction and poetry, including The Flying Bed, Sweep Dreams, and Cinderella's Dress. She also authored two novels for adults, Things Invisible to See and Sister Water, and twelve books of poetry, including Swimming Lessons: New and Selected Poems. She lived with her husband, photographer Eric Lindbloom, and taught at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 29, 2026
Nancy Willard (text) and Jane Dyer (illustrations) are focusing with Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac (1997) on their respective rural Midwest family histories (with much of this being German Lutheran). And while I encountered and read Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac on Internet Archive, yes indeed, since I have found the combination of Willard's words and Dyer's artwork absolutely delightful, totally exquisite and as such also compulsively readable, I definitely do now want to (nay, I need to) own a physical copy of Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac for my personal bookshelves (for repeated rereadings, for poring over, but also because I really want to try out all of the featured rural cookery recipes of Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac and which is not really possible with an Internet Archive copy).
Part family photo album (and oh wow, are those black and white images visually delightful as well as highly educational, and most definitely, Jane Dyer's colourful illustrations are pretty much the same), part standard farmer's almanac, Nancy Willard’s text for Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac features a marvellous both engaging and also informational American farming and rural life themed melange of solid facts and folk wisdom and lore (how turning one’s apron over when there is a new moon guarantees good luck, that leaving Christmas decorations up past Epiphany, past January 6th is supposed unlucky, how walking around the block with a mouthful of water means that you will soon marry provided that you do not swallow said water, that pine needles facing to the west means snow, that if milk suddenly curdles for no reason during the summer, it often means a thunderstorm is approaching, that frostbitten feet need to be heated with tepid and not with hot water to name just a few of the many examples to be encountered in Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac).
Marvellously both verbally and visually educational, engaging, and as such also highly recommended is Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac and with the Voices section being the absolute icing on an already most delicious reading cake for me, with both my inner child and equally so adult I really appreciating the many quotes from Willard's and Dyer's families (about coming to America and also offering a superb peek back at a time when children milked the family cows before then walking to school). Five solidly and gloriously shining stars!!
And finally, I do NOT often post negativity regarding the specifics of other reviewers, but I do have to take major umbrage regarding the rather hateful words of one reviewer who claims that Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac somehow is anti German, that because Nancy Willard and Jane Dyer do not only focus on their family's German backgrounds in Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac but also show Jewish traditions, Native and African Americans etc., this somehow means that Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac and author and illustrator are showing that it is not acceptable to be of German background in the USA (and really, this is totally and utterly ignorance and hatred personified), and that there is absolutely NOTHING in Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac that is in any manner anti-German.
Part family photo album (and oh wow, are those black and white images visually delightful as well as highly educational, and most definitely, Jane Dyer's colourful illustrations are pretty much the same), part standard farmer's almanac, Nancy Willard’s text for Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac features a marvellous both engaging and also informational American farming and rural life themed melange of solid facts and folk wisdom and lore (how turning one’s apron over when there is a new moon guarantees good luck, that leaving Christmas decorations up past Epiphany, past January 6th is supposed unlucky, how walking around the block with a mouthful of water means that you will soon marry provided that you do not swallow said water, that pine needles facing to the west means snow, that if milk suddenly curdles for no reason during the summer, it often means a thunderstorm is approaching, that frostbitten feet need to be heated with tepid and not with hot water to name just a few of the many examples to be encountered in Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac).
Marvellously both verbally and visually educational, engaging, and as such also highly recommended is Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac and with the Voices section being the absolute icing on an already most delicious reading cake for me, with both my inner child and equally so adult I really appreciating the many quotes from Willard's and Dyer's families (about coming to America and also offering a superb peek back at a time when children milked the family cows before then walking to school). Five solidly and gloriously shining stars!!
And finally, I do NOT often post negativity regarding the specifics of other reviewers, but I do have to take major umbrage regarding the rather hateful words of one reviewer who claims that Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac somehow is anti German, that because Nancy Willard and Jane Dyer do not only focus on their family's German backgrounds in Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac but also show Jewish traditions, Native and African Americans etc., this somehow means that Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac and author and illustrator are showing that it is not acceptable to be of German background in the USA (and really, this is totally and utterly ignorance and hatred personified), and that there is absolutely NOTHING in Cracked Corn and Snow Ice Cream: A Family Almanac that is in any manner anti-German.
October 28, 2024
A sweet book that a family put together with pictures of ancestors, stories remembered of yesterday-year, farming and seasonal antidotes, recipes, holidays and more. I loved the illustrations and the feel of the book!
It’s not really one to read through but a charming book to have on your coffee table to peruse, perhaps each month.
Ages: 6+
It’s not really one to read through but a charming book to have on your coffee table to peruse, perhaps each month.
Ages: 6+
December 9, 2019
A colorful trip through the year, with monthly points of interest, gardening advice, and other related trivia. An interesting read, and a visually inviting format.
It's fun to read a bit each month as the seasons spin by.
It's fun to read a bit each month as the seasons spin by.
September 2, 2020
It really does read like an old farmers almanac. Each month has four pages with items like: a poem regarding the month; dates and festivals for the month; a farmer's calendar (what a farmer would be doing that month); fun facts; a recipe and voices which are stories of people who lived in the late 19th century and early 20th century describing farm life. There are also 2 pages of pictures of farmers from the late 19th and early 20th century for each season. However, one thing to be aware of is if you are giving this book to a child (most elementary age children could probably read it) but some of the stories in this book might be too disturbing for a child. For instance there is a story about a family's experience during a tornado with ends with the line "I remember a baby was lifted up and found dead in a ditch." and another story about a farming accident with a horse with the story ending "...the teeth on the harrow opened up a big hole in that horse and tore the intestines out. They were just hanging on the ground."
Examples of some of the random facts in the almanac:
"Happy Birthday to You" was written by the Hill sisters, Patty Smith, Mildred, and Jessica, in 1893.
On January 28, 1887, snowflakes "larger than milk pans," fifteen inches across and eight inches thick, were reported falling near Fort Keogh, Montana.
Farmers were told that if you want your hens to lay through the winter months, hang a head of cabbage in the laying house. Additionally if you want to know what the weather will be, watch pine cones. They open in good weather and close when storms are on the way.
February is named for Februar the Roman goddess of health and healing. (Although a google search did not support this particular fact.)
Sharpen your scissors by passing the blades over a glass jar.
Poem by Emily Dickinson - Dear March - Come in - How glad I am - I hoped for you before - Put down your Hat - You must have walked - How out of Breath you are - Dear March, how are you, and the Rest - Did you leave Nature well - Oh March, Come right up stairs with me - I have so much to tell -
Postage stamps are authorized for use March 3, 1847
Johann Sebastian Bach is born March 21, 1685
Fannie farmer is born March 23, 1857 "She standardized cooking methods and published her first cookbook in 1896. The Fannie Farmer Cookbook is still in print."
Ireland is named for the warrior-queen Eire, who is said to have gathered an army against invading forces before 400 B.C.
Paril is named for Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love.
May is named for Maia, the Greek and Roman goddess of growing and plenty.
June is named for Juno the Roman goddess of marriage.
May 16th is St. Brendan's Day. St. Brendan was an Irish monk who, according to legend, made a seven-year voyage with his crew of monks and arrived in paradise. Christopher Columbus was fascinated by the maps and stories of this voyage.
Indiana has a town named Moonville and another called Starlight
For good luck: when you catch sight of the new moon, bow to it three times.
Walk around the block with your mouth full of water. If you don't swallow it, you'll be married within the year.
Madame Dolphe is the first woman to perform on a tightrope in the United States on June 1, 1819
June 23 Midsummer's Eve is celebrated in scandinavia by building bonfires on hilltops. In the far north, the sun does not set at all. According to legend, fern spores gathered on Midsummer's Eve will make you invisible if you wear them in your shoe. It is also said that a girl who gathers seven wildflowers on Midsummer's Eve and places them on her pillow will dream of the man she will marry.
Gardeners in ancient Greece wrote messages to the mice, requesting them to leave their gardens.
Put old tea leaves on the soil around your roses to increase their fragrance. Plant parsley near roses for the same reason.
Author Susan Warner is born, July 11, 1819. Her book The Wide, Wide World was the first novel to sell one million copies in the United States.
Poet Emma Lazarus, whose words are inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty, is born, July 22, 1849.
To determine how far you are from a storm's center, count the seconds between the time you see lightning and the time you hear thunder. Five seconds equals one mile.
"A Vision of Handsome Lake" Seneca
The day was bright when I went into the planted field
Alone I wandered in the planted field
It was the time of the second hoeing
A maiden appeared and clasped me about the neck saying
When you leave this earth for the new world above we want to follow you
I looked for the maiden but saw only the long leaves of corn twined round my shoulders
I understood it was the spirit of the corn speaking she the sustainer of life.
Harriet Quimby passes the Aero Club test and becomes the first licensed woman pilot in the United States, August 1, 1911
August 3, 1492 Columbus sails from spain
August 4, 1697 Susanna Wright, pioneer from Pennsylvania, scribe and physician to the consestoga is born
Gail Borden patents the process for condensing milk August 19, 1856
Mt Vesuvius erupts and destroys the cities of Pompeiit and Herculaneum on August 24th A.D. 79
Elizabeth Ann "Mother" Seton the first American Roman Catholic saint, is born in New York, August 28, 1774
"On Saturday night I lost my wife, and where do you think I found her? Up in the moon, singing a tune, and all the stars around her."
September 6, 1837 Oberlin becomse the first college to admit women on an equal footing with men.
September 16, 1630 Shawmut Massachusetts is renamed Boston.
Labor Day was proposed in 1882 by Peter McGuire, president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners
Exposing your potatoes to teh light turns the skins green. Green potatoes are poisonous. Boil them and use the water as an insect killer in the garden.
October 1 1847 Astronomer Maria Mitchell discovers a comet.
All Hallow's Eve, Night of the Dead, last day of the Celtic year. On this night, the Fairy Court rides at midnight. It is also the eve of the Druid feast of Samhain, Lord of Death, when the dead are thought to appear at midnight.
October Dreams Show you the Future
Dream of marigolds - success.
Dream of holly - something less
Dream of pansies - be content
Dream of roses - heaven-sent
Dream of daisies brings a birth. Yours the sweetest love on earth.
Until a female calf gives birth for the first tiem, she is called a heifer . After that first birth, her birthdays are recorded and she is called a cow.
November 9, 1731 Benjamin Banneker; almanac publisher is born. He made the first clock built in the United States.
Topaz for faithfulness November flower Mums. The Blackfoot call November Beaver Moon.
Onions are helpful to those with coughs, colds, and influenza. Eating an onion every other day will help to clear your complexion. To break up a cold, roast a lemon, fill it with sugar, and eat it hot before retiring.
December 7, 1873 Willa Cather is born
December 10, 1830 Emily Dickinson is born.
December 23 1681 Colonists repeal the ban on Christmas festivities
In Scandinavia farmers include birds and animals in the Christmas celebration. Traps, snares, and nets are removed so that even fish and wild creatures can enjoy the season. Cattle and horses receive an extra portion of oats or barley and the farmer's greeting: "It's Christmas Eve, good friend. Eat well."
Pinatas were first made, not in Mexico, but in Italy, in the fourteenth century. They were called "pignattas" and were shaped like ice cream cones. The word for the shape was "Pigna"; hence their name.
If Chrismas Day on Thursday be, A windy winter you shall see.
Examples of some of the random facts in the almanac:
"Happy Birthday to You" was written by the Hill sisters, Patty Smith, Mildred, and Jessica, in 1893.
On January 28, 1887, snowflakes "larger than milk pans," fifteen inches across and eight inches thick, were reported falling near Fort Keogh, Montana.
Farmers were told that if you want your hens to lay through the winter months, hang a head of cabbage in the laying house. Additionally if you want to know what the weather will be, watch pine cones. They open in good weather and close when storms are on the way.
February is named for Februar the Roman goddess of health and healing. (Although a google search did not support this particular fact.)
Sharpen your scissors by passing the blades over a glass jar.
Poem by Emily Dickinson - Dear March - Come in - How glad I am - I hoped for you before - Put down your Hat - You must have walked - How out of Breath you are - Dear March, how are you, and the Rest - Did you leave Nature well - Oh March, Come right up stairs with me - I have so much to tell -
Postage stamps are authorized for use March 3, 1847
Johann Sebastian Bach is born March 21, 1685
Fannie farmer is born March 23, 1857 "She standardized cooking methods and published her first cookbook in 1896. The Fannie Farmer Cookbook is still in print."
Ireland is named for the warrior-queen Eire, who is said to have gathered an army against invading forces before 400 B.C.
Paril is named for Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love.
May is named for Maia, the Greek and Roman goddess of growing and plenty.
June is named for Juno the Roman goddess of marriage.
May 16th is St. Brendan's Day. St. Brendan was an Irish monk who, according to legend, made a seven-year voyage with his crew of monks and arrived in paradise. Christopher Columbus was fascinated by the maps and stories of this voyage.
Indiana has a town named Moonville and another called Starlight
For good luck: when you catch sight of the new moon, bow to it three times.
Walk around the block with your mouth full of water. If you don't swallow it, you'll be married within the year.
Madame Dolphe is the first woman to perform on a tightrope in the United States on June 1, 1819
June 23 Midsummer's Eve is celebrated in scandinavia by building bonfires on hilltops. In the far north, the sun does not set at all. According to legend, fern spores gathered on Midsummer's Eve will make you invisible if you wear them in your shoe. It is also said that a girl who gathers seven wildflowers on Midsummer's Eve and places them on her pillow will dream of the man she will marry.
Gardeners in ancient Greece wrote messages to the mice, requesting them to leave their gardens.
Put old tea leaves on the soil around your roses to increase their fragrance. Plant parsley near roses for the same reason.
Author Susan Warner is born, July 11, 1819. Her book The Wide, Wide World was the first novel to sell one million copies in the United States.
Poet Emma Lazarus, whose words are inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty, is born, July 22, 1849.
To determine how far you are from a storm's center, count the seconds between the time you see lightning and the time you hear thunder. Five seconds equals one mile.
"A Vision of Handsome Lake" Seneca
The day was bright when I went into the planted field
Alone I wandered in the planted field
It was the time of the second hoeing
A maiden appeared and clasped me about the neck saying
When you leave this earth for the new world above we want to follow you
I looked for the maiden but saw only the long leaves of corn twined round my shoulders
I understood it was the spirit of the corn speaking she the sustainer of life.
Harriet Quimby passes the Aero Club test and becomes the first licensed woman pilot in the United States, August 1, 1911
August 3, 1492 Columbus sails from spain
August 4, 1697 Susanna Wright, pioneer from Pennsylvania, scribe and physician to the consestoga is born
Gail Borden patents the process for condensing milk August 19, 1856
Mt Vesuvius erupts and destroys the cities of Pompeiit and Herculaneum on August 24th A.D. 79
Elizabeth Ann "Mother" Seton the first American Roman Catholic saint, is born in New York, August 28, 1774
"On Saturday night I lost my wife, and where do you think I found her? Up in the moon, singing a tune, and all the stars around her."
September 6, 1837 Oberlin becomse the first college to admit women on an equal footing with men.
September 16, 1630 Shawmut Massachusetts is renamed Boston.
Labor Day was proposed in 1882 by Peter McGuire, president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners
Exposing your potatoes to teh light turns the skins green. Green potatoes are poisonous. Boil them and use the water as an insect killer in the garden.
October 1 1847 Astronomer Maria Mitchell discovers a comet.
All Hallow's Eve, Night of the Dead, last day of the Celtic year. On this night, the Fairy Court rides at midnight. It is also the eve of the Druid feast of Samhain, Lord of Death, when the dead are thought to appear at midnight.
October Dreams Show you the Future
Dream of marigolds - success.
Dream of holly - something less
Dream of pansies - be content
Dream of roses - heaven-sent
Dream of daisies brings a birth. Yours the sweetest love on earth.
Until a female calf gives birth for the first tiem, she is called a heifer . After that first birth, her birthdays are recorded and she is called a cow.
November 9, 1731 Benjamin Banneker; almanac publisher is born. He made the first clock built in the United States.
Topaz for faithfulness November flower Mums. The Blackfoot call November Beaver Moon.
Onions are helpful to those with coughs, colds, and influenza. Eating an onion every other day will help to clear your complexion. To break up a cold, roast a lemon, fill it with sugar, and eat it hot before retiring.
December 7, 1873 Willa Cather is born
December 10, 1830 Emily Dickinson is born.
December 23 1681 Colonists repeal the ban on Christmas festivities
In Scandinavia farmers include birds and animals in the Christmas celebration. Traps, snares, and nets are removed so that even fish and wild creatures can enjoy the season. Cattle and horses receive an extra portion of oats or barley and the farmer's greeting: "It's Christmas Eve, good friend. Eat well."
Pinatas were first made, not in Mexico, but in Italy, in the fourteenth century. They were called "pignattas" and were shaped like ice cream cones. The word for the shape was "Pigna"; hence their name.
If Chrismas Day on Thursday be, A windy winter you shall see.
March 21, 2020
This book is a mess. No focus. It should have been about German Lutheran immigrants to the Midwest. That’s what the actual “voices” are. But the authors are all caught up in some idea of making their book more all-American or something so rather than giving us a slice of life at a particular time in a particular place, they just make a mess. One minute I am reading the German Lutheran grandparents stories and the next is a little tidbit about ... native Americans, the first black persons who did such and such, the first woman who went to some college back East, Jewish holidays... makes the book useless. It tries to be about everything and in doing so becomes about nothing. Just a book of miscellaneous random things you already know (follow the Big Dipper!) Or don’t care to know (when someone wrote the star spangled banner).
Dear authors,
Please redo this book. It could be lovely. It could be about something, about a people with a specific past and a specific heritage. It could be meaningful. Please take pride in your history. It’s okay to be German! I’d love to read about your experience.
Dear authors,
Please redo this book. It could be lovely. It could be about something, about a people with a specific past and a specific heritage. It could be meaningful. Please take pride in your history. It’s okay to be German! I’d love to read about your experience.
November 13, 2012
This is a beautifully illustrated almanac that goes month by month thru the year and includes tidbits of monthly information, quotes, and statistics. Enjoyable memories for anyone who lives on a midwest farm.
May 24, 2015
This was a grand book, references were so great.
September 6, 2024
Some very nice history.
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September 10, 2009J031.0Wil
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews