Snowden - Softcover

PreSchool-Grade 3-Snowden, star of a television special featuring Ekaterina Gordeeva, appears in this picture-book spin-off. Kelly, who is embarrassed by her secondhand boy's ice skates and her rusty skating ability, builds an enormous snowman. When she hangs her grandpa's skates around his neck, Snowden comes to life. He is no great shakes on skates himself, but the two decide that with "a little magic and a lot of practice," they will improve their skills. Without benefit of formal instruction, Kelly soon dazzles her former mockers with an axel, sit spin, and spiral. Carlson's bright, heavily outlined, cartoon-style drawings, a bit flat in depicting the humans, are charming when showing Snowden's animal friends on ice. However, the simply executed snowman looks two-dimensional and inert. As they execute their spins, Kelly and Snowden sprout rings around their bodies that bring to mind hula hoops rather than evoking grace on ice. A bit derivative of and no competition for Raymond Briggs's ultimate snow pal, Snowden is an additional purchase where there is demand. Otherwise, Carlson is at her best with her own well-loved cast of characters.
Sue Sherif, Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Library, AK
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