Review: The Snowbear by Sean Taylor

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Snow comes in the night, and Iggy and Martina make a snowbear. But then a sledge ride takes them deep into the woods. How will they get back home again? The Snowbear is a spellbinding story about the magic of snow and the power of a child's imagination. With a simple text and beautiful illlustrations, it will be read again and again. Themes of friendship, loyalty, and bravery make it a great choice for story time, as a bedtime read or on car trips. Children will love the crisp, wintry setting brought to life by Claire Alexander’s art. 

MY TAKE:
There's so much to love about this book.

First of all, there's the story. We don't get snow in my country, but my son and I enjoyed the story anyway. (He's seen snow in books before so it wasn't a foreign idea to him.) I liked how the story played out. Some may find the plot twist a little predictable, but I liked how it gave you (the adult) that Did-it-really-happen feeling while kids will mostly find it cool and plausible. The ending was A+ too. It feels hopeful and beautiful.

I really liked the illustration style of this book. Maybe it was because of the topic, but it reminded me of the cover (both front and back) of The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes. The media used looks a lot like a mix of colored pencils and watercolor, which are my two favorite coloring materials because I love the look they produce. The effect is something soft and somehow nostalgic, which is so fitting for this book.

MY SON'S REACTION:
By now, I've gotten really good at picking books I know he'll like, and as I expected, he loved the book.

He really liked the bear, and he empathized easily with Martina and Iggy who appeared to be close in age to him. Plus, the length of the text and the placing of the line/paragraph breaks were just right for him.

His favorite scene was easily the one where they were sledding downhill. His next favorite scene was the one with the wolf.

Overall, I think he liked the illustration style as well. He took time looking at the pages, which he doesn't really do when the illustrations aren't to his taste.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

And maybe he was right about that. 

RATING:

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