I loved the storyline, but the editor's poor job makes it tough for a kid to read on their own.
check_circlePros
- The storyline's perfect for kids around 8 years old
- The illustrations are a great addition to the story
- The book's format is convenient and easy to read
- The cover's hard and visually pleasing
- The paper quality's good, making it a pleasure to read
cancelCons
- The text's riddled with typos and missing letters
- The editing job's subpar
- Some pages lack the letter 'ё' in the text
- There are typos and errors throughout the book
- The font size's a bit too small for some readers
Editor's Summary
I picked up 'Snowman' by Tom Fletcher for my 8-year-old son to enjoy over winter. The storyline's engaging, but the editing's a letdown. Typos and missing letters make it tough for him to read on his own. The illustrations are a highlight, though - they're delightful and add to the story's charm. The book's format is convenient, with a medium-sized font that's easy on the eyes. If you're looking for a fun winter read, 'Snowman' might be worth considering, but be prepared for some errors.
Specifications
Hello everyone!
Since the start of winter, my kids and I have read a lot of books on winter and New Year's themes. One of the new ones is Snowman by Tom Fletcher, which I bought for my 8-year-old son to read on his own.
Snowman. Tom Fletcher
Published by AST
Number of pages - 368
Book size -
22x15x2.5 cm
Where I bought it - Labyrinth
Cost at the time of purchase - 504 rubles
Age rating - suitable for middle school age.
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The cover is hard, visually pleasing with an atmospheric image of the main characters. The paper is of good quality, the font is medium-sized. It's easy to read, my eyes don't get tired.
Snowman. Tom Fletcher
The main characters are depicted on one page.
Snowman. Tom Fletcher
The story is, of course, fantastical. But its basis is, you could say, the reality of today's schoolchildren. Plus, one of the main characters is a boy in a wheelchair who attends a regular school. His life takes a drastic turn for the worse with the appearance of a new girl in class.
Moments of magic are organically 'woven' into the story, and 'Snowman' really hooks you in)
Snowman. Tom Fletcher
Book annotation:
Snowman' is an exciting and magical story, one of those that only happen under the Christmas tree. Forget everything you knew about the North Pole! You're in for exciting adventures with William Trundle, who's just turned 8, and his amazing new friend. And in this story, there's Santa Claus (the real one!), elves, a terrifying Hunter, flying reindeer, the Northern Lights, stunning illustrations, and plenty of magic.
The illustrations are black and white, but visually very pleasing and there are quite a few of them. They're arranged conveniently, in line with the story. Sometimes they take up half a page, which really delighted my son, as he doesn't particularly enjoy reading on his own
Snowman. Tom Fletcher
Snowzilla. Tom Fletcher
Snowzilla. Tom Fletcher
In a few places, there are exclamation marks in big letters, like comic books. Kids liked them too.
Snowzilla. Tom Fletcher
My son started reading with relatively big interest. The text isn't too complicated, but it's not too simple either. It's easy to read. But already from the first pages, we faced the lack of the letter 'ё' in the text. It's really hard for a second-grader to read a word correctly without it. And it even annoyed me.
I don't know how big of a problem the publisher AST has with this, but even in the 2001 edition of E. Uspensky's collection from my home library, the letter 'ё' is only on the cover.
Snowzilla. Tom Fletcher
There are also many typos and orthographic errors. It feels like the editing work was rushed. My son stumbled upon them too, so I ended up reading most of the book aloud to the kids.
Snowzilla. Tom Fletcher
Snowzilla. Tom Fletcher
The story is interesting overall. It even made me want to re-read it. But it's also quite debatable in some places, so it's better to check out different reviews before buying or read a few pages in a bookstore or online.
Snowzilla. Tom Fletcher
Snowzilla. Tom Fletcher
Despite some drawbacks, the story left a positive impression. It's really important for kids to know what challenges people with disabilities face in their daily lives. They also need to know about joys, friendship, and love. I'm definitely planning on buying the second part of Snowzilla for my kids next New Year's Eve.
So, the pros of Snowzilla by Tom Fletcher are:
☑️ good printing
☑️ nice illustrations
☑️ interesting fairy tale story
The downsides were noticeable typos and the lack of the letter 'е'. Still, when it comes to spelling, kids' books should definitely be thoroughly checked before going to print.
I really enjoyed the story, and I'd definitely recommend it!
Some of our other favorite winter and New Year's books:
30 Days to New Year's Eve by Vimmelbuch
Mauri Kunnas' Santa and Gnomes Celebrate Christmas and Twelve Gifts for Santa Claus
V. Suteev's Tree
Tatu and Patu: An Unforgettable Christmas. Aino Havukainen, Sami Toivonen
A Christmas in the Petson Cottage
14 Forest Mice: A Winter's Day. Kazuo Iwamura
Thanks for reading my review!
Best regards, Aliya.
