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