Hypertext Book Review

Snowflake Bentley
By: Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Illustrated By: Mary Azarian

Summary:
Snowflake Bentley tells the true story of a young boy named Wilson Bentley, from a small farm town in Vermont, who was determined to capture the beauty of snowflakes. The problem was the snowflakes melted before he could sketch them. His parents sent their life savings on a camera with its own microscope. He worked winter after winter experimenting with the lens, sometime capturing a few snowflakes or even hundreds! Shortly after publishing his first book, Snow Crystals, he walked six miles home in a blizzard. He died of pneumonia two weeks later. Bentley’s images of snowflakes are his living gift to the world. The original images can be found in The Wilson Bentley Exhibit at The Old Red Mill in Jericho, Vermont.

Review:
Snowflake Bentley tells two stories in one. It has a narrative story telling about Wilson’s quest for capturing snowflakes, and it offers facts about Bentley. There are numerous extensions teachers can develop for students. This heart-warming account of a boy’s dream encourages perseverance.

(Image borrowed from http://www.jacquelinebriggsmartin.com/books/snowflak.html)