by Moe Zilla

Created on: March 06, 2010

"When Snow Lay Soft on the Mountain" is a beautifully-illustrated book - but its text feels just as lavish. Patricia Hermes describes "the damp, rich earth" as a girl sees the signs of spring on a snowy mountain at night. There's coyote pups playing, and a deer pawing in the moonlight. She sees flowers blooming under fallen leaves, and a dark winter night. "Above them, stars hung so low they seemed to tangle in the branches of the cottonwood tree."

Leslie Baker illustrated one of my favorite children's book - All Those Secrets of the World. But in 1996 she teamed up with Hermes for this heart-tugging story about a brave little girl. There's beautiful illustrations of the shadowy snow at night, and it's accompanied by Hermes' very poetic text.  (For example, Hermes begins the book with the phrase: "On nights when the moonlight lay soft on the mountain...") But the book's poetry is appropriate, since it describes the stark natural scenes of the mountain - and how they reflect the emotions of a little girl.

The little girl is named Hallie, and she collects smooth stones from the stream - and then wishes on them. Hallie's life is first glimpsed through the details of her wishes, like warm weather, a new dress, and - her most secret wish - a porcelain doll head. Gradually Hallie's sad life is revealed - her mother died years ago, so there's no one to sew a body to go with the doll's head. And her father, struggling to earn money, may not be able to afford such a lavish gift.

Hallie's life has been filled hardships, and bad weather is just one of them. First the heavy winter snows come early, and then "came the influenza that carried off so many neighbors to lie beside Mama in the graveyard." Her aunt Belle arrives - bringing medicine and a warming quilt.  As her father tosses feverishly in bed, "Snow came again softly to the mountain."

The girl worries that the doll is lonely - but mostly, because the girl is lonely. The nights grow colder and longer, approaching "a Christmas without dreams or wishes." Normally her father gives her an orange for Christmas, but this year he's been too sick even for that. The only joy comes from brightening colors in the illustration, as "December gave way to January and January to February..." But the girl is blind to the joys of spring now, since her father isn't with her to point them out.

She dreams that the doll waits for her on her bed - but of course, it's only a dream. Or is it? The doll's head is there - complete with a cuddly doll's body. "They knew," Hallie whispers. "Papa and Aunt Belle. They knew my secret wish!"

"Happy birthday," whispers her father.

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