Sneezy the Snowman

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

B-R-R-R-R! AH-CHOO! Sneezy the Snowman is cold, cold, cold. To warm up, he drinks cocoa, sits in a hot tub, stands near a warm fire-and melts! But the children know just what to do to build him up again-and make him feel "just right". Hilarity chills the air with playful mixed-media illustrations by Stephen Gilpin as Sneezy attempts to warm himself with some silly results.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Three cartoon children try to warm up shivery Sneezy-whose skinny carrot nose, spindly branch arms, and beady black eyes make him resemble Jack Skellington more than Frosty. Drinking cocoa, sitting in a hot tub, and warming up by a bonfire all result in Sneezy melting, followed by his request to "Make me brand new!" Each time, the children rebuild him, contributing some of their winter wear, until Sneezy-in pink stocking cap and orange jacket-is too hot. But ice cream saves the day: " This is great!' the snowman cried./ I'm not too cold and I'm not too hot,/ and I'm wearing clothes I like a lot.' " Although Wright's verse too often strains for its rhymes ("I need to feel some warmth on me./ There's a campfire by that tree"), Gilpin's illustrations are quirky and fun. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-Sneezy the Snowman is cold. In an effort to warm up, he drinks hot cocoa and subsequently melts. Now a puddle in the surrounding snow, he asks three children (and two playful cardinals) to rebuild him. Once complete, Sneezy is again too cold, so one of the little girls gives him a hat. Unfortunately, it is not enough to keep him warm. He attempts a dip in a hot tub only to once again melt and be rebuilt, and adorned with an additional garment. He has a similar experience involving a campfire. This time, however, the snowman gains a coat. Now he's too hot. At last, the children get him seven scoops of ice cream and he reaches a happy medium. The repetitive, rhyming text reads well. The bright, cartoonlike illustrations are hand drawn and colored in Photoshop, and the small details will reward those who have a close look, particularly at those cardinals. This new take on a popular seasonal theme should find a warm audience during cold months.-Laura Butler, Mount Laurel Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Even snowmen get chilly sometimes, and on a particularly blustery day, Sneezy just can't stop shivering. With his own ingenuity and the help of three multicultural children, he tries cocoa, a hat, a hot tub, a scarf, a campfire, and a coat to warm up, but with each attempt, he melts, and it's up to the kids to build him up brand new again before yet another puddle can form. At last, the kids realize that ice-cream can play a key role as a temperature-regulating agent. The rhyming text keeps the snow show moving along at a brisk, bouncing pace, and the series of problems and solutions creates an entertaining, recognizable pattern. The large digital illustrations are colorful and uncluttered, and they slyly integrate the additional antics of two boisterous cardinals, who cavort along with Sneezy until his happy, Goldilocks-like proclamation, At last! I feel just right. Although not a necessary purchase, this may be just the thing to freshen up wintry storytimes.--Medlar, Andrew Copyright 2010 Booklist

Horn Book Review

Sneezy the Snowman is always cold. Each attempt to warm himself--with cocoa, a hot tub, a campfire--brings the expected result, leading three helpful children to re-form their friend. Wright's repetitive rhyme features a somewhat irritating refrain ("Make me brand new!"). Gilpin's crisp, digitally colored cartoon illustrations reveal the friends' inventive solution for the perfect temperature balance. Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Book Review

(Picture book. 3-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.