Over and Under the Snow

Above the snow, a girl and her father glide on skis in a world washed in white. They see a story in the snow—of a deer on her way from a napping spot, or a bushy-tailed fox hunting for dinner. Below, a secret kingdom hides beneath the winter blanket. Cuddling deer mice and slumbering frogs, hungry beavers and tunneling voles, drowsy bears and busy squirrels.

The girl and her father aren’t here to stay—they’re headed home, to marshmallows and hot dogs, to blankets and beds. But the world under the snow is waiting. Dreams of summer feasts and warm ponds fill each mind as they snuggle deep and drift off to hopeful promises of spring.

Over and Under the Snow tells a story of slowness, patient cycles, and how the whole world bends to the changing of seasons. The narrative also shows how different insects and animals react to cold weather, some hibernating, some adopting a new way of living beneath the snow. Written by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal, and published by Chronicle Books.