The Natural World Responds to Changing Seasons in First Snow in the Woods

Several years ago, my aunt introduced me to the awe-inspiring artistry of Carl R. Sams and Jean Stoick when she gave me a copy of their first book, Stranger in the Woods, for Christmas. Firmly set in winter, it shows the reaction a variety of woodland creatures have to a snowman set up especially for them to enjoy. The second, a springtime tale entitled Lost in the Woods, follows the plight of a fawn who has been left alone by his mother, much to the concern of the neighboring creatures. Both are notable for the outstanding wilderness photography within their pages, and First Snow in the Woods is no different.

First Snow is a winter tale, but it is also rooted in autumn. Most of the book involves the whisperings that snow will soon arrive; the flurries don't fly fast and furious until the climax. While the book is subtitled "a photographic fantasy," there's a lot of factual information to be gleaned about the seasonal habits of various animals. Owls seek warmer climates, chipmunks gorge on berries, dragonflies die. Although the story is not as focused on a particular character as Lost in the Woods, a fawn again interacts with the world around him, wondering about the changes that are occurring and asking questions. It seems this could be the same fawn as in that book, but as none of the characters have names, that remains unclear.

The photography is remarkable, vibrant and breath-taking. My favorites pictures include a deer standing shoulder-deep in a field of goldenrod and a glorious spread of geese flying in an inky sunrise as mist rises off the pond below them. Lively prose accompanies the illustrations, giving the animals more distinct personalities. Among the other animals that appear are a woolly bear, a monarch butterfly, a hummingbird, a squirrel, a woodchuck, a painted turtle, a raccoon, mice, a chickadee, a snowshoe hare and a robin, each responding to the alterations in the weather in a unique way.

"All things change," the doe explains to the fawn, and we see that although some of these changes can be sad, many are beautiful. There is a slightly elegiac tone to this book that isn't present in the first two, but the hazy sense of joy and new beginnings is what will remain as the final page turns. First Snow in the Woods is a nature lover's delight.