Poetry Friday: Who’s Ready For Winter?

On a Flake-Flying Day: Watching Winter’s Wonders
by Buffy Silverman
Millbrook Press/Lerner Books, coming October 3, 2023
review copy compliments of the publisher

In 2020, Buffy Silverman took readers “puddle-sploshing” in On A Snow-Melting Day: Seeking Signs of Spring. Vivid photographs and a snappy rhyming text earned this book recognition as an NCTE Notable Poetry Book for 2021.

Then last fall, we wandered through forests and meadows, pausing at ponds to witness animals and plants in On a Gold-Blooming Day: Finding Fall Treasures, a 2023 CLA/NCTE Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts, and a Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year for 2023.

Lucky us! This year readers get to experience “winter’s wonders” with more gorgeous photos, and Buffy’s evocative rhymes in On a Flake-Flying Day: Watching Winter’s Wonders.

I missed getting to share “Snow-Melting” with students in 2020, but every one of my after-school kiddos loved “Gold-Blooming” last fall. I can’t wait to share “Flake-Flying” in a few months! Reading these books with small groups gathered close allows for time to study and talk about the photographs, to track the rhymes, and, when a question comes up, verify facts or vocabulary with the informational back matter and/or glossary. In a regular classroom setting, teachers could create a seasonal text set for each book using the titles listed for “Further Reading.” And in writing workshop, the books would make fantastic mentor texts for studying creative ways to hyphenate words as well as ways to craft leads and endings.

My favorite rhymes in ON A FLAKE-FLYING DAY are the ones that start the book off: “On a feather-fluffing, seed-stuffing, cloud-puffing day…” My favorite photo is the frosty-topped cedar waxwing practically posing with a berry in its beak:

And my favorite fact is that dragonfly nymphs prowl for minnows and other aquatic insects below the frozen surfaces of winter waters. (Dragonflies are amazing in all the stages of their lives!)

I asked Buffy to tell us a little bit about her process. I wondered if the photos came first, or the words. Here’s what she had to say:

Although I enjoy taking photographs, I’m really not a visual thinker. The words always come first for me–and then I hope that there will be a way to illustrate them! With this book I followed the pattern from ON A SNOW-MELTING DAY and ON A GOLD-BLOOMING DAY. In each of the books there are four sets of refrains (On a feather-fluffing, seed-stuffing, cloud-puffing day…) followed by three pairs of rhyming sentences (Weasel whitens. Cardinal brightens…) In each of the books I included sights and sounds from a field, a wetland, and a forest, and ended with a child outside, enjoying the season. Basically the books are the nature walks I would want to take with a child or other reader!

Lots of us in the Northern Hemisphere are looking forward to winter’s relief from this summer’s heat. Pre-order ON A FLAKE-FLYING DAY now so that come October 3, you will be guaranteed snow, ice, and frost…if only between the pages of Buffy’s newest (fantastic-as-the-other-two) book! Thank you, Buffy, for giving me this opportunity to help you spread the word, and thank you, Millbrook Press, for the review copy!

Amy has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup at The Poem Farm.

Those of you who were curious about what I had in mind for my poem last week, it was a combination of literal (a traffic jam of cars) but also metaphorical (life changes following retirement). I had loads of fun hearing what pictures the poem made in your minds and I’m SO glad I chose not to add an image!

22 thoughts on “Poetry Friday: Who’s Ready For Winter?”

  1. Thank you for this preview of “On A Flake-Flying Day.” I love “Snow-Melting” and “Gold-Blooming,” and am excited to know about Buffy’s close look at winter. Now I’m wondering what she will come up with for summer…

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  7. Like the first two, I’m sure this is another one from Buffy that invites us to look more closely at a season, Mary Lee. I’ll be sure to get this one, too!

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  8. Mary Lee, wonderful review! I love the line that you highlighted: On a feather-fluffing, seed-stuffing, cloud-puffing day … I just want to say it over and over again. Can’t wait to read Buffy’s book!

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  11. Thank you, Mary Lee, for this wonderful review and for highlighting how you could use ON A FLAKE-FLYING DAY in a classroom–it makes me so happy to imagine you sharing ON A GOLD-BLOOMING DAY with kids. And thanks to all of you for your encouraging comments–I appreciate them!

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  14. Buffy’s book sparkles brightly around your supportive words. Mary Lee. You’ll forgive me if I pass on winter wonders having just emerged from its ice cold clutches. Spring is slowly surrounding me…

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  15. Hooray for Buffy! I love her work…photography AND writing. The idea for the structure she’s created is brilliant…just what kids need to find rhythm and rhyme in a poem. That cedar wax-wing IS posing. I’ll bet all sorts of creatures pose for Buffy when she’s out walking. I will definitely order this book for my public library and then check it out to read with my ESL students. It’s just the right length and just the right complex text for my students.

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  21. Thank you, Mary Lee, for sharing this latest in Buffy’s series. I love the bits you shared. All of those -uffing words are fabulous! She has such a way of bringing beautiful images and sounds together. And now she – and you – have me thinking of our long and lovely winter ahead! xo, a.

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