The Snow Man: A True Story
by Jonah Winter; illus. by Jeanette Winter
Primary    Beach Lane/Simon    40 pp.
10/23    9781665932394    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781665932400    $10.99

This nonfiction picture book spotlights the decades-long data collection project of billy barr, a contemporary citizen scientist who spells his name using all lowercase letters and has spent over fifty years living alone (not counting a skunk and pine marten) in the Rocky Mountains. To pass the time, barr began observing and measuring his natural surroundings: snowfall and snowpack, animal hibernation, wildflower blossoms, and more. After years of recording in his notebooks, he shared patterns he noticed with a scientist he knew who studied climate change. “These measurements proved that the earth was getting warmer.” Now, his data is used by climate scientists around the world, and he continues to live in the mountain wilderness and collect and record data using a computer. The account unfolds chronologically using a straightforward, line break–filled text. barr’s name and specific location are not revealed until the concluding author’s note (and brief bibliography), keeping the story focused on his process and impact rather than on the “man on the mountain” himself. Illustrations are set against plentiful white space in Jeanette Winter’s trademark colorful, painterly style reminiscent of folk art. A variety of perspectives, including double-page landscapes, offer readers opportunities to connect with the setting and join the protagonist in tracking changes in it over time. The Winters here celebrate how a long-term commitment to a personal project can become an informational resource that inspires future study and action.

From the November/December 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.