第一片雪花從灰藍色的天空中飄落，郵遞員穿上雨靴，農夫去倉庫取雪鏟，警察扣好了大衣，他的妻子檢查藥櫥里的咳嗽藥水，而孩子們則歡呼雀躍、手舞足蹈，用舌尖去捕捉飄落的雪花……故事描繪了從冬天初雪飄落，到春天冰雪融化、萬物復蘇的季節變化，以及小鎮居民舒緩、愜意的日常生活。



When the first flakes fell from the grey sky, the postman andthe farmer and the policeman and his wife scurried about doing allthe practical things grownups do when a snowstorm comes. But thechildren laughed and danced, and caught the lacy snowflakes onthier tongues.
All the wonder and delight a child feels in a snowfall is caught inthe pages of this book -- the frost ferns on the window sill, thesnow man in the yard and the mystery and magic of a new whiteworld. Roger Duvoisin's pictures in soft blue half-tones withbriliant splashes of yellow and red emphasize the gaiety and humoras well as the poetic quality of the text.

★ 美國先鋒的兒童書作家和繪圖。
★ 設計師阿爾文·崔塞特代表作之一。
★ 凱迪克金獎繪本、凱迪克銀獎繪本、德國青少年文學獎、美國插畫師協會獎得主羅杰·迪瓦森代表畫作。
★ 榮獲凱迪克金獎繪本，灰、紅、黃三種基礎色調勾勒出典雅溫馨的冬日氣氛。
★ 教會孩子用心和身體去感受自然界變化帶來的喜悅。
★ 流傳半個多世紀的經典繪本，帶我們走進溫暖的冬日，凱迪克金獎繪本



　　"Softly, gently in the secret night,
　　Down from the North came the quiet white."
　　"Drifting, sifting, silent flight,
　　Softly, gently, in the secret night."
　　These lines open the book and help create the magical mood ofnew-fallen snow.
　　The postman says that it "looked like snow." He "put on rubbers"to keep his feet dry. But during the storm, he "slipped and fell ina snowbank." The next morning, he "took out his high boots." Whenspring finally came, he walked slowly so he could "enjoy the brightsunshine."
　　The farmer said it "smelled like snow." He "went to the barn fora snow shovel." With it, he "dug a path . . . to the house." Thenext day, he used the path to the barn and "milked his cows." Inthe spring, he "let his cows out" of the barn for the first timethat year.
　　The policeman said it "felt like snow." He "buttoned up hiscoat." But he "got his feet wet." He "had a chill and stayed inbed" the next day. When spring came, he "walked in the park."
　　The policeman's wife said "her big toe hurt." She checked thecupboard to make "sure she had cough mixture." When her husbandreturned from work, she "put a mustard plaster on his chest." Whilehe is ill, she "knits a long woolen scarf for him." In the spring,she digs in her garden.
　　The children "watched" the snow start to fall. They "laughed anddanced." They even "dreamed" about playing in the snow. In thespring, they "watched for the first robin."
　　The rabbits "knew" the snow was coming. They "hid in their warmburrows" underground. During the storm they "hopped about as bestthey could." In the spring they enjoyed "hopping about in the warmworld."
　　Modern readers will probably be struck by the book's having acentral figure be an apparently stay-at-home wife with no childrenin sight. That was common in 1947, and makes the book interestingfrom a sociological perspective. How much our ideas of sexual roleshave changed since then! This story today would probably have thewoman be serving as a police officer.
　　How can you find joy in snow and the long, cold days of winter?If you live someplace warm, how can you enjoy the change of theseasons by visiting snow-filled fields? When I was a child growingup in Southern California, my father would load his pick-up truckfull of snow from the mountains and dump it on our front lawn. Theneighbor children and I would build snowmen and have snowballfights, until the snow melted. These were some of the happiestmoments of my childhood. I still wish spring came as soon after thesnow as it did then.
　　After you read this story, I suggest that you and your childdiscuss how each of you perceive snow coming, how to deal with it,and your feelings about winter and spring. Then, this book canbecome a tool to help you communicate your feelings. I suggest thatyou extend the conversation then to other physical situations thatyou both experience, so you can enjoy each other's subjectiveimpressions.
　　Look for the best in every moment!