Snowmen At Christmas

Starred review from September 26, 2005
The roly-poly, free-spirited stars (and excellent sledders) of Snowmen at Night
are back, this time to celebrate Christmas, snowman style. Tree trimming, carols and ice cream are all part of the festive agenda—as is a visit from "the snowman Kris Kringle." Jazzy rhyming verse keeps a buoyant party beat as Mark Buehner's holiday lights and street lamps twinkle and glow like the real thing. Readers will smile watching these nimble and nattily accessorized snowmen dancing, decorating cookies and playing the fiddle before they settle back into place for Christmas, human style. Seek-and-find images on each page add to the excitement; a boxed set of both books doubles the fun. ($32.99 ISBN 0-8037-3108-6). Ages 4-up.

September 1, 2005
PreS-K. One of the more charming new books of the holiday season, this reintroduces the jolly snowmen (and women) from " Snowmen at Night" (2002)" ." This time they are enjoying the Christmas season, venturing out during the moonlit night (while children sleep) to gather in the town square. It's not what happens here (primarily a visit from a snow Santa and some carols 'round a tree) but the rich art that makes this special. As in the previous book, Buehner does magical things with light in his paintings. From the cover, where snow people frolic in the moody blues of evening to the scene of a city street where holiday lights cast a mellow glow to the quiet picture of a lightening morning sky, children will be enchanted by the hues of the acrylic artwork. The text is sprightly with a to-the-point rhyme scheme that only occasionally verges on singsong. Little ones, especially, will enjoy the celebration as the snow people relish their special night.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2006
On Christmas Eve, a boy wonders how snowmen celebrate the occasion. In this companion to "Snowmen at Night", he imagines that the snowmen, women, children, and a snow dog gather in the town square for tree-trimming, treats, games, dancing, singing, and a visit from the snowman Kris Kringle. The subdued rhyming text is not as remarkable as the luminous, festive illustrations.

(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)