THE SNOW MAN

One man makes a difference, far from society, in a cool true tale.

When he is young, the man finds a remote cabin at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. There, he proceeds to spend the rest of his life. But being alone can be boring, so to pass the time he begins to record the snowfall, when the flowers bloom, when the animals emerge from hibernation, etc. As he grows older, he notices changes to the seasons, like the snow falling later and melting sooner. When he shares his copious notes with scientists, his data is embraced around the world as definitive proof that the world is growing warmer. The text is straightforward, ending with the final bittersweet observation that the man (whose real name is billy barr) will continue to measure the snowfall “for the time being.” Meanwhile Jeanette Winter brings her talents to bear on the beauty of snowcapped hills and barr’s own, inevitable, aging. Consider this a younger companion to I Begin With Spring (2022) by Julie Dunlap, illustrated by Megan Elizabeth Baratta, which also features a man’s meticulous notes on nature and their invaluable contribution to climate science. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A quiet, necessary consideration of how a single person can make an impact with patient observation.