Earlier this week, we had our first snowfall of the winter in Washington, D.C.! While it happened later in the season compared to snow storms during my childhood in New Jersey, I was excited to see the area blanketed in white. As a child, I loved making snowmen, but I remember feeling frustration at never rolling a perfectly-round head or body or at only finding symmetrical sticks to make the arms. My snowmen never looked as perfect as the ones in storybooks. I think it would have eased my childhood angst to see real, imperfect snow people that kids have made through history—as well as some an impressive, aspirational snow sculpture carved by professional artists! We hope the children in your life—both those living in a wintery wonderland and those looking at green grass outside—can find some inspiration in these snowmen from the Library’s collections.
A Snowman With Something to Say
Have you ever tried including a message in a snowman? During the Great Depression and World War II, photographers across America captured slices of life through government-sponsored photography projects. One photographer captured this photo in a rural school in Mercer, North Dakota, in 1942. The snowman’s button’s spell out “U.S.” while a flag exclaims a misspelled “Hurray U.S.”” as “Horray U.S.”
Ask the children in your life what message they might want to share with their neighbors, particularly during this challenging time. Have them collect stones to spell out the word, phrase, or acronym they want their snow person to say. Then put their thoughts on display, just like this snowman!
No snow? No problem!
