A Magical Winter

In a snow-blanketed woodland glen%E2%80%94the backyard of Michigan-based husband-and-wife photographers Sams and Stoick%E2%80%94wild turkeys spy something "blinding white and coming fast" through the trees. A red squirrel claims to know what it is: "Don't you know about the legend of the magical creature made of snow?" The animal actually turns out to be a white-furred deer. The various animals speculate about whether the deer might be made of snow, even consulting a snowman (one that looks just like the one in Sams and Stoick's Stranger in the Woods) about whether the animal will melt in the spring. The deer's mother eventually sets the record straight ("He is not made of snow... he is not going to melt"). Told mostly through the animals' dialogue, the story tends to meander, and a closing scene that shows the collapsed snowman all but melted away is an odd image to leave readers with. But children will appreciate the crisp nature photography, playful interactions among the animals, and striking strangeness of the white deer. Ages 4%E2%80%938. (Apr.)