Friends in the Snow by Daniel Postgate and Sam Childs
| Friends in the Snow by Daniel Postgate and Sam Childs | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Jo Heffer
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| Summary: Many children have very active imaginations and that is particularly true of Lucy. When she asks her dad to paint her walls white, she sees a big white monster in the middle of it. The monster does not know what to do with himself in this white, white world though, so Lucy has to lead him off on a magical adventure. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: November 2012 |
| Publisher: Scholastic | |
| ISBN: 978140715399 | |
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When Lucy’s dad offers to paint her bedroom walls, she is adamant that she only wants them to be white. He is a little surprised by her choice thinking that just white is a little bit boring. However, Lucy jokes that it’s not just white because there is actually a white monster hiding in the white snow. Her dad agrees and before long she has a freshly painted bedroom. The only problem is that, when she tries to go to sleep, she wishes that she hadn’t mentioned the monster because he keeps her awake with his grunting and growling. She asks him to go away, but he replies:
There’s nowhere to go...
There’s nothing but white.
Lucy has no choice but to lead him off to try and find something in the white. Before long, a king penguin appears. He’s not very happy though as his kingdom is only made up of white. Luckily, the monster makes a wish that makes a rocket appear in the white. As it went whoosh:
a thousand, thousand stars sprinkled down onto the white. Where they landed, a tree or a bush or a stream or a rock fizzled and popped into life.
The penguin is quite delighted with his new kingdom and is determined to give the monster something in return. However, the only thing that the monster wants is friendship. Maybe, now that he is happy, Lucy will be able to get to sleep in her very white room.
Friends in the Snow is a charming picture book about a small girl’s imagination and how special it is to have friends. It’s quite a simple story but one that I am sure will appeal to many small children with active imaginations themselves. The characters are quite cute and this is borne out by the whimsical illustrations. There’s a particularly endearing one of Lucy hugging both the monster and the penguin and this is also the illustration on the front cover. The illustrations are not very colourful but you wouldn't expect them to be in such a snowy themed book.
The story is quite straightforward and is told in simple language. There are some examples of good description though, especially when the new kingdom is being created. There are not too many words on any page and the text is scattered over the pages with some words that are bigger and bolder for emphasis.
Overall, this is an enjoyable read and one that is sure to fire up children’s own imaginations. It also makes a nice cosy book for bedtime.
Why not also take a look at Penguin by Polly Dunbar
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You can read more book reviews or buy Friends in the Snow by Daniel Postgate and Sam Childs at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Friends in the Snow by Daniel Postgate and Sam Childs at Amazon.com.
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