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The Snowman and the Snowdog
The Snowman and the Snowdog
Reviewed by: Barbara Merritt - Scarborough School Department, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: December 5, 2014
Review
Raymond Brigg's wonderful snowman is brought back to life in this book. Billy moves to a new home and finds a photograph there of a young boy standing next to a snowman. He decides to build a snowman of his own and also creates a snowdog. AS in the original story, the snowman, and, in this story, the snowdog come to life and set off flying through the sky on a great adventure that eventually ends at the North Pole where Santa gives Billy a special present. It turns out to be a dog collar which Billy puts on the snowdog when they return. The dog magically comes alive while the snowman sadly melts away. There is some confusion as Billy finds the box with the picture under a floorboard, the snowman and dog spring abruptly alive, and they all race off. The sudden appearance of a live dog in the house on what may or may not be Christmas is also a little strange. All in all, though, young children will probably be enchanted. One other note, it is not really clear who did the illustrations. Kirkus calls this book a "travesty."
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Audus, Hillary
Illustrator: Briggs??, Raymond
Illustration Quality: very good
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: picture book fiction
Genre: adventure, fantasy
Audience: preschool, grades k-3
Binding Type: Choose Binding Type
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9780385387149
Price: 17.99