Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

September 24, 2001
Robert Frost's Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening with Susan Jeffers's 1978 illustrations plays up a festive family atmosphere. Jeffers warms the snowy b&w scenes by accenting coats, blankets and birds with muted colors. A frosty vellum cover evokes a wintry feel.

November 12, 2021

PreS-Gr 3-Frost's familiar lines become the backdrop for a man's evening of reminiscence in the snowy woods. Walking beside his horse into a realm of tall, blue-shaded tree trunks, the red-bearded man carries a book under his arm. The book's title, My Life's Stories, is key to each of the swiftly changing scenes. As he embraces a ghostly gray-haired man and woman walking through the trees, the view shifts to a family scene of a boy holding open a book while speaking excitedly to two adults. Back in the woods, two more transparent figures appear to interact with the narrator at other life stages. A young man is apparently a good friend, and a young woman with flowing black hair stays for scenes of marriage and pregnancy. With promises to keep and miles to go, man and horse head out of the woods into a glowing moonrise. Unlikely to resonate with children, the evening of sentimental recollection may well appeal to older readers and adults who are already fond of this beloved poem. VERDICT This well-crafted blend of poem and memory may find a use in poetry classes and book groups.-Margaret Bush, Simmons Coll., Boston

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 19, 2022
Lynch illustrates Robert Frost’s classic poem with moody, snow-filled watercolor and gouache landscapes. As the book opens, a lone, white-presenting human figure astride a gray horse stops mid-path to look upon the edge of woods filled with coniferous and deciduous trees (“Whose woods these are I think I know./ His house is in the village though”). The lines generally continue two per spread, but pause with a close-up of the subject, pictured with blond tendrils escaping beneath a broad-brimmed hat while crystalline flakes cascade. A tender moment with the horse, whose breath is visible in the apparent cold, brings coziness to otherwise frigid, largely solitary scenes. Later, as the verse slows, imagery shows the skirt- and boot-clad rider relishing the snowy surrounds. Rendered in a palette of blues and greens, Lynch’s illustrations artfully match the quiet, building depth of Frost’s work. Ages 4–8.