The Snow Beast

September 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 2-One morning in his picturesque mountainside ski village, the fuzzy black Beast awakens to the first snowfall of the season. Tradition dictates that the local villagers, with the Beast's help, put on a festival to celebrate the occasion. Unfortunately, the Beast has discovered that all of the tools are missing from the shed. The angry villagers accuse the Snow Beast of stealing the tools and send the Beast off to find him. Following a freshly laid set of footprints, the Beast eventually sees the Snow Beast still carrying the tools. Dropping the tools, the Snow Beast is chased by the Beast. A skiing error leads to the Snow Beast rescuing the Beast and the two becoming friends. The Beast helps the Snow Beast to repair his mobile home using the villagers' tools, which are soon returned. Amends are made when the villagers hold their festival inside the Snow Beast's mobile home, an iceberg! Chasing scenes carry readers across much of the Beast's mountain, where there is much to look at in the detailed, charming illustrations. VERDICT This is a fun, snowy adventure.-Laura Hunter, Mount Laurel Library, NJ

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2015
A quirky and snowy tale of affable beasts and friendship in unexpected places. Every winter, the Beast has helped the mountain villagers coordinate a festival in celebration of the first day of snow. This year, both Beast and villagers are surprised and dismayed to find out that all the tools they need for the festival preparations have been stolen. Amid the chaos, one villager concludes that the unrest "must be the work of the abominable Snow Beast." Wanting to help the villagers, the Beast promises to find the "mysterious monster" and to bring back the tools so the festival can come off. He embarks on a walk in the snow to find the Snow Beast, little knowing that this "abominable" creature is set to bring joy to his life and his village. In this follow-up to The Lonely Beast (2011) and other titles featuring the inky, furred black biped with glowing yellow eyes, Judge gives readers a tale filled with wit and ending with a folky twist. The vibrant illustrations and comic-book-style layout and transitions bring movement, depth, and whimsy to the story. The short and clever text and colorful images make this book a great read-aloud for wintertime story hours and cozy nights at home with the little ones. (Picture book. 3-7)

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