4 out of 4 stars
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Halloween with Snowman Paul is a festive picture book; this is the sixth volume in the Snowman Paul Book Series. The book is authored by Yossi Lapid and illustrated by Joanna Pasek. This Halloween-themed book is told in rhyme and follows a young boy and Snowman Paul as they venture to a spooky tree-house and experience many festive activities, like dressing up in costumes and partaking in some scary situations. They even run into some unlikely characters, like a witch and some aliens!
The story itself is simple but unique: I’ve never read a book about a snowman enjoying Halloween before! The story revolves around a tree-house party and some warnings about the spooky abode. There is one main character, a young boy, that the reader follows while he reads through the various warnings associated with the tree-house, but plenty of other children and fun animals are introduced along the way. The children presented in this book are inclusive, which was one of my favorite aspects of this book. Various ethnicities and genders are portrayed, ensuring this book can be enjoyed to the fullest extent by all parents and children.
I was hard pressed to choose what I liked most about this book; between the fun, sing-song narrative and the vibrant, engaging illustrations, there is a lot to love about this book. The illustrations really stood out to me; each one is a colorful, full two-page spread. The large size added a lot of enjoyment to the story as the illustrator incorporated many fun details to hold the attention of readers both young and old. Children and adults will marvel at the spooky settings, emotive characters and various creatures found throughout the picture book. The many details will have readers lingering on each page to ensure nothing is missed.
The reading level of this book is very basic, which will make this an interactive read for both younger children and parents. The language is simple, and there is a strong connection between the words used and the images on each page, so children can easily follow along by analyzing the images while their parents read aloud. Further, the simplistic style of this book makes it a good choice for young children that are learning to read on their own. The lack of complex words, long sentences and elaborate ideas means youngsters can read to themselves without having to ask too many clarifying questions.
There is nothing to dislike about Halloween with Snowman Paul! Even as an adult, I couldn’t stop smiling while I read this book and admired the illustrations. Young children will be entranced by the beautiful, elaborate pictures, and they will surely want to read along with the lyrical narrative. I happily rate this festive picture book 4 out of 4 stars, and I highly recommend it for all types of early readers.
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Halloween with Snowman Paul
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