It was early morning when Ellie peeked out her bedroom window. Everything outside had turned white! Snow blanketed the ground, draped the trees, and sparkled in the soft light. It was the first snow she’d ever seen.

She hurried to get dressed, bundling up in her coat, scarf, mittens, and boots. With a little push, she opened the door and stepped outside. The crisp air nipped at her cheeks, but Ellie didn’t mind. She giggled as the snow crunched beneath her boots.

Her tiny footprints marked a path across the fresh, untouched snow. “Look at that!” she exclaimed, pointing to the shapes her boots made.

She stretched out her hand, and a delicate snowflake landed on her mitten. "It's like a tiny star!" she whispered. Ellie turned her face upward, watching as the flakes floated gently down. One landed on her rosy cheek, melting into a cool tickle.

In the yard, she swirled her arms to make pretend snow angels and rolled up little snowballs, stacking them into a wobbly tower. Now and then, she stopped to listen. The world was so still as if it was holding its breath.