Diez maneras de escuchar la nieve

by Cathy Camper, Kenard Pak (Illustrations)

Un d�a nevado, una visita a la abuela, tiempo cocinando juntas y un espacio para pausar y descubrir el mundo a tu alrededor se re�nen en este libro perfecto para leerse y compartirse en un acogedor d�a de invierno.

Una ma�ana de invierno, Lina despierta al silencio. Es el sonido de la nieve --el tipo que se ve suave y brilla luminosa con el sol del invierno. Pero mientras Lina camina hacia la casa de su abuela para ayudarla a cocinar la receta familiar de warak enab, ella sigue escuchando.

Mientras Lina pasa hombres de nieve y cruza aceras congeladas, descubre diez maneras de poner atenci�n a lo que de otra forma habr�a pasado desapercibido. Con ilustraciones maravillosas por Kenard Pak y la considerada representaci�n de la vida de una familia �rabenortemericana moderna por Cathy Camper, Diez maneras de escuchar la nieve es una exploraci�n escalonada sobre contemplaci�n, empat�a, y sobre lo que descubrimos cuando el mundo guarda silencio.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Nature, Food, Fiction, Cultural

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 13, 2020

About the author

Cathy Camper is the author of the award-winning Lowriders in Space graphic novel series, the picture book Ten Ways to Hear Snow (2020), Bugs Before Time, and a forthcoming 2021 picture book, Arab Arab All Year Long. Lowriders to the Center of the Earth won the Pura Belpre Award for Latino Illustration in 2017. Her art work has been featured in Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People, by Amy Sedaris. She is a graduate of VONA/Voices writing workshops for people of color in Berkeley, California. Cathy’s a librarian in Portland, Oregon, where she does outreach to schools and kids in grades K-12.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the one hand, this is a count-to-ten book, of course. And then it is about paying attention to nature, how it gets quiet when there is a blanket of snow: What do you hear? How does snow make a sound when you step on it, throw it, shovel it. The quiet of snow is also a sound.

Then this is a book about Lina going to (Lebanese) Sitti's (Grandma's) place in an assisted living facility and making warak enab (stuffed grape leaves) with her (and yes, we see how to do it). And we learn Grandma is slowly losing her eyesight, but is aware of the snowstorm because with the waning of one sense, she gains greater sensitivity with other senses. She knows that sound outside is particularly muffled from the heavy snowfall.

Lina has fun with Grandma, imagining the warak emab as mustaches, or cocoons or little sleeping bags. And appreciating the sound of silence with Sitti. Sweet, with lots of space for the images to breathe, appropriate for a picture book about paying close attention.

[Jasmine from How Useful It Is · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book for my toddler's bedtime. The story was written in two languages: English and Lebanese. Readers followed Lina. She woke up and a snow blizzard had happened outside. She hiked through the snow at a distance to visit her grandma. During the hike, she noticed the different sounds to hear snow such as the sound of shoveling snow and the sound her boot made as she walked. She went to tell her grandma since her grandma couldn't see well and would rely on hearing to enjoy the snow. Pretty illustrations.

Thank you Dolly Parton's Imagination Library for the opportunity to read and review.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great picture book for elementary school aged kids. Did you know snow makes sounds? See if you can guess them while you learn a little bit about Lebanese culture.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely picture book that evokes the stillness of a snowy day.

After a blizzard, Lina notices that the world seems quiet. But as she makes her way to her grandmother's place, she realizes that there are all sorts of different ways to hear snow: the sound of boots crunching, the sound of a snowball hitting her, the sound of mittens dripping as they hang on the radiator to dry. She comes up with nine on her own, and with the help of Sitti, makes it an even ten.

The story is lovely, featuring a modern Arab-American family. Lina enjoys making stuffed grape leaves with Sitti, and one of her first thoughts after seeing the blizzard is wanting to know if her grandmother is okay.

I'd recommend this book to those looking for strong picture books about family, traditions, winter weather, and mindfulness.

Quotable moment:

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lina wakes up one winter day to find that the world is covered in white. Concerned for her sitti, or grandmother, with whom she is supposed to make warak enab (stuffed grape leaves), Lina sets out through the snow, discovering many different ways to hear that cold substance as she walks to her grandmother's house. Once there, she discovers that sitti, whose eyesight is failing, has her own ways of hearing and appreciating snow...

A delightful story from Arab-American author Cathy Camper is paired with beautiful artwork from Korean-American illustrator Kenard Pak in Ten Ways to Hear Snow, which emphasizes the importance of both family love and having a mindful and appreciative approach to the natural world around us. The central idea embedded in the title here, of finding different ways to hear snow, as well as the fact that snowfall hushes everything, both really struck me, as I woke up this morning to find my house enveloped in a snowstorm. I liked the depiction of a modern, everyday Arab-American family in text and artwork here, and appreciated that, while the cultural details are specific, the human experience in the story - the love of grandparents and grandchildren, the awe at nature's beauty - is universal. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for lovely winter-time tales, as well as those seeking children's books featuring Arab-American families.

[Tatiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten Ways to Hear Snow is a lovely ode to cherishing the small things in life. Beautifully written with tons of onomatopoeia. Gorgeously illustrated. Inclusive without being preachy. And it reminded me, an adult, that there is more to snow than having to shovel and drive precariously in it. Highly rec'd.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pak’s illustrations are so pretty; the architecture in the line work; the palette…so tidy, and quiet. This is a picture book you can hand to a lover of design sans words. Fortunately, the words are also a pleasure to the senses. Camper captures the sight and sounds of snow brilliantly. I could recall each sound, each image resonated with the wintry clarity Lina was experiencing.

The story is a lovely one, warming in a picture book that successfully translates a crisp, cold day.

Lina is eager to help her grandma make warak enab, and to make sure her sitti (Lebanese for grandma) is okay after the blizzard. Sitti is losing her eyesight, and after experiencing the blinding sun on the snow, Lina wonders if its effect is akin to Sitti’s own way of seeing the world. She feels her sense of hearing sharpen. And on her way to grandma’s home, she begins counting the different ways she hears snow.

The sounds are encountered in ways that do not feel contrived. There’s even a playfulness as “Lina ran away fast from the seventh way to hear snow.”

I’m in love with the way Pak contrasts the white snow with the off-white interior spaces. The cool and the warm, the shift in textures. Lina belongs and moves comfortably in both, and in both homes. This is her world and she finds creative ways to interact in her spaces. Listening for snow, imagining the rolled grape leaves as mustaches.

Both types of play, the listening and imagining the rolls as grape leaf cocoons involve the presence of her grandma. And Sitti will participate in both much to Lina’s (and our own) delight; “little sleeping bags,” she imagines. “We look like a coupla tough guys,” she narrates. Sitti guides Lina in discover sounds 9 and 10. Once again, Sitti will prove a wonderful source of learning. I love how Lina is present for it.

Ten Ways to Hear Snow is brimming with familial affection, from her parent’s presence at the beginning to the grandma standing with her in the snow at the end, and the presence of a neighborhood alive with people in between. I love the juxtapositions of stillness and activity, of blanketing snow and the warming hearths. This is a cozy wintertime read that also inspires us to uncurl ourselves and go outside and practice listening. Be sure to pick it up, snuggle in, then go for that walk.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Tuning into the sense of hearing, this book follows a little girl named Lina as she experiences snow in different ways. She is on her way to visit Sitti who has low vision. By the end of the story, she discovers that Sitti's sense of hearing is heightened, too. The friendship between Sitti and Lina (grandmother and granddaughter) is delightful. They spend time working on a family tradition of making warak enab and enjoy each other's company. This is a debut book for the author! Congratulations! This book has won the 2021 The Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award in Wisconsin. Well deserved!

[Book Princess (Anastasia) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Тааакааа атмосферна дитяча книжечка! Про 10 способів чути сніг. Такі красиві ілюстрації. Після прочитання дуже захотілося, аби випав сніг, аби і собі послухати сніг.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully drawn, engaging tribute to grandmother-granddaughter relationships also includes a bonus introduction to Lebanese language and cuisine. Endnotes defining the vocabulary words and providing a pronunciation guide, along with descriptions of the Lebanese dishes and possibly a recipe or two, would have been welcome additions to this heartwarming story.

[Abby Johnson]

This peaceful picture book captures the feel and sounds of a snow day. When Lina awakens to find the neighborhood covered in snow, she wonders if her grandmother who has lost much of her sight even knows that it snowed. She thinks about how snow sounds - the sounds of people scraping their sidewalks, cleaning off their cars, or skiing through the park - as she walks to her grandmother's retirement home to help her with a cooking project. This quiet, thoughtful book celebrates the special moments that family members spend together and the joy in being mindful about the world around you.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always drawn into Kenard Pak's illustrations. They have a flat, layers-of-paper feel that still offers dimension and expression. My favorite page in this story is Sitti and and Lina using stuffed grape leaves as mustaches to act like tough guys. But the whole thing just bursts with charm. From the literal ten ways to hear snow that are full of onomatopoeia, to the diagram of how to stuff grape leaves, to the delightful relationship Lina has with her grandmother, this story offers a lot for a small storytime audience. The only thing missing is a complete recipe for stuffed grape leaves, but that's a minor lack.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed it, I think this book tries to be too many things at once. It's a counting book about the sounds that snow can make. That part is kind of fun. It's a book about a special relationship between a girl and her grandmother, which is so sweet. It's a book about cherishing a cultural cooking tradition, which is wonderful. However, the connection between these different things didn't line up for me.

[Juli Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a truly beautiful book about perspective, tradition, and listening. It will be a winter favorite going forward.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Lina woke up in the morning, snow had fallen and the street was quiet and hushed. Despite the snow, Lina headed out to visit her grandmother. She loved helping her grandmother cook and today was grape leaf day, when they would make warak enab. As Lina walked to her grandma’s, she heard all sorts of noises. There was her neighbor scraping her shovel on the sidewalk. There was the crunch of her own boots in the snow. A blue jay knocked a soft ploompf of snow down from a branch, a quiet sound. People swept off their cars, others scritched past on skis. Mittens patted newly-built snowmen. Lina reached her Sitti’s apartment and the two worked together filling grape leaves with lamb and rice. Lina could hear the snow melting off her mittens and coat. Her grandmother showed her the tenth way to hear snow, one you had to slow down to notice.

This picture book is beautifully cozy and warm despite being mostly set in the outdoors on a snowy day. The sense of discovery as Lina hears the snow in various ways is great fun. The marriage of a weather event and the use of one specific sense adds to the fun and the curiosity as Lina walks to see her grandmother. The Lebanese family and food is front and center here too, warming the beginning and end of the book with a glow.

Pak’s art moves from the cozy home setting out into the cold and then back into a different warm home. His characters are diverse with their neighborhood filled with people of different races. The outdoor light, filled with blues and whites, contrasts with the yellows, reds and golds of the interior settings. It’s a celebration of the beauty and sounds of winter.

This book encourages us all to slow down and listen. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young Lebanese girl wakes up to a world of snow. As she heads off on her way to visit her almost blind Sitti to make grape leaves, she focuses on the different sounds the snow makes.
The book is full of rich descriptive language and stunning illustrations. As soon as I read "No garbage trucks gulped trash across the street," I knew this book was going to be special. It lived up to my expectations. I connected to the many different sounds of snow from the scraaape, scrip, scraaape, scrip of the shovels on sidewalk, to the still quiet as the 10th way to hear snow. It almost makes me long for winter.
The only thing wrong with this book is that it doesn't include a recipe for the stuffed grape leaves.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten Ways to Hear Snow by Cathy Camper and Kenard Pak is a celebration of family traditions and the changing weather. Lina wakes up on the day she's to walk to her grandmother's to make warak enab (a dish similar to dolmas) to find it has snowed over night. As her grandmother is losing her eyesight, Lina wonders if she realizes it has snowed.

The act of wondering about how her grandmother might experience snow, Lina's walk turns into an aural exploration. On her way she stops to listen to different snow day scenes, noting each new way to hear snow.

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[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

It snowed during the night. Lina’s Sitti is losing her eyesight. Lina’s going to help her grandma make warab enab. On the way to her grandmother’s house, Lina listens carefully, and she discovers many ways to hear snow.

Lovely.

[Noor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading words my grandparents and parents say to me makes my heart warm. I also loved the added component of the food of the Arab world...some of my favorite.

Great for sequencing, description, onomatopoeia, and it serves as a mirror, window, and a sliding glass door.

[Alana "Loni" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely combination of family tradition, and noticing little things in the world around us!

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 5 out of 5]

“When the world goes quiet, we learn to listen.”

I hope this month we remember to listen. This book has a Snowy Day feel and not just because it is snowing. :)
Great little read with absolutely beautiful artwork.

[Kim Stock]

What a sweet story! I miss snow so much!!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful and sweet story about a girl visiting her grandmother, and one of my favorite things about snow - how it sounds (or doesn't). Beautiful artwork - I have to read every book Kenard Pak has illustrated.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teachers in grades K-2 will like this one and would make for a good story for a remote "snowday" in 2021.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story of a girl observing snow through her sense of hearing so she can describe it to her grandmother who is going blind.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sure it can be a counting book
Sure it can be a book about someone with impairments
Sure it can be a book about winter

How do you want to use it?

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Страхотна история за красотата на снега, смисъла на традициите и силната връзка между поколенията.

[Kenneth Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 stars for story line. 5 stars for using it as a way to stop and be quiet to observe nature around us. After reading this my 4 and 6 year and I sat in the back yard with eyes closed naming what we heard.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and message