. t f f P
. k a e u Sq
! h c n u r C
YUKO OHNARI
KOSHIRO HATA
TRANSLATED BY
EMILY BALISTRIERI
YUKO OHNARI (Author) & KOSHIRO HATA (Illustrator) are a married creative team behind several picture books published in Japan and Downpour, a companion to this book, also published by Red Comet Press. Yuko Ohnari also works as a manga artist and writes essays and children’s songs. They live in Tokyo, Japan. EMILY BALISTRIERI’s translations for children include Eiko Kadono’s Kiki’s Delivery Service and Shaw Kuzki’s Soul Lanterns. In 2023 he was a finalist for the PEN Translation Prize with his translation of Tomihiko Morimi’s The Tatami Galaxy. He also translated Downpour, the companion to The Voice of the Snow.
The Voice of the Snow This edition published in 2026 by Red Comet Press, LLC, Brooklyn, NY Yuki no koe © 2025 Yuko Ohnari / Koshiro Hata Originally published in Japan as ゆこのこえ / Yuki no koe Publication rights for this English edition arranged through Kodansha Ltd, Tokyo. Translated by Emily Balistrieri English translation © 2026 Red Comet Press, LLC All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Library of Congress Control Number: 2025944763 ISBN (HB): 978-1-63655-203-3 26 27 28 29 30 TLF 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Red Comet Press is distributed by ABRAMS, New York Manufactured in China
RedCometPress.com
YUKO OHNARI
KOSHIRO HATA
TRANSLATED BY
EMILY BALISTRIERI
RED COMET PRESS • BROOKLYN
Morning. It is so bright outside my window that it woke me up . . .
Snow! It snowed!
Everything’s white.
Snowy mornings are quiet. Quiet.
The car and the trees in the yard and the potted plants and my tricycle—it’s like they’re all sleeping under a fluffy blanket of snow.
I get dressed and go outside. I can see my breath white in the air—hahh. Everything is bright. The road has disappeared and instead there is snow like cream.
When I take a step, my boot sinks lightly, and the snow says,
. f t f f Pf
. a k e u q s , Pfft
. k a s u e k , q a e u s q , f t f p , Pfft The snow is laughing! That makes me happy.
, t f p , t f f f p , t f
Pf
, k a e u q , s k a e u sq
ff, pff-ha f f f f f f pff-
!
Look, look! Look at all the holes my feet made!
When I pull the snow blanket off . . .
. . . the tree opens its eyes and springs up!
I gather snow . . .
Huff-puff, huff-puff. And each time I huff-puff, the snow at my feet says,
Cre ak- e ak, cre ak- e ak,
cre ak- e ak, c re ak- e ak.
k. a e f f f p u u h , f f . k r p a u C a f f e e r k- e ak, cre ak- e ak, c Huf f, huff-puff. Cre ak- e ak, cre ak- e ak, p u f f f Hu cre ak- e ak, cre ak- e ak . . .
Wake up, everybody! It’s morning!
C r u m b , c r u m b,
c r u m b.
C r u m b l e , crum
b l e.
Pock, pock, p
ock.
It’s sooo cold!
S p r i n k l e - s p r i n k le-s p r
in kle . . .
My voice gets sucked into the snow, and then it is silent.
S h h h h hh
hh
hh
hhhh .
Oh. The snowflakes are listening closely . . .
. . . to hear my voice.
Hey, snowww! Fly away! Fly away! The snowflakes scatter and dance.
prinkle -sprinkle! k s , e l i n r Sp
Let’s play! Let’s play! When I walk in a deep spot—
tho omf, tho omf, tho omf . . .
The snowflakes laugh—
pfft, kfft, squeak, squeak— and cling to my boots.
So soft! A snowy bed!
When I flop over . . .
Crunch, cre ak- c r e ak- c re ak, h a . . .
I can hear snowflake whispers in my ears. They sound delighted.
When I lie down, distant sounds vanish. All I can hear is the snow right next to my ears. It’s like the snow is talking only to me.
I’m listening to your voice, snow.
We can hear yo,ur voice. We re listen ing closely.
The sound of someone laughing. The sound of someone walking. The sound of a car’s engine. The sound of Koro the dog barking. The sound of a bird’s wings flapping for takeoff . . .
The snow is listening to them all.
On a quiet morning when the snowflakes are listening closel y . . . I can hear the voice of the snow!
A quiet snowfall. A listening heart. This tender sensory journey invites readers to hear the world in a whole new way.
RedCometPress.com Cover Illustrations © Koshiro Hata Printed in China
$18.99 US / $24.99 CN / £13.99 UK
A A Publishers Weekly BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR!
ISBN 978-1-63655-203-3
A “A joyful and refreshing
multisensory experience.” –The Horn Book, starred review
9 781636 552033
51899
WINNER 2025
Kodansha Picture Book Award WINNER 2025
Japan Picture Book Award