"But this outing lacks the magic of the pair's Snowmen at Night (2002) almost entirely, coming alive only on the very last page, which suggests that perhaps it's time for this franchise to melt. (Picture book. 4-7)"
A little boy who loves building snowmen but doesn't so much love seeing them melt imagines a magic snowman who "could stay with me all year!"
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"Clad in peasant dress but sporting elaborate hairstyles (or, for the sheep, poodle cuts and jellybean colors), the figures in the hilariously understated illustrations add a plethora of sight gags to the mix. (Picture book. 6-8)"
As much an essay on the responsibilities of government as it is a cautionary tale about the hazards of boredom, this tale of a queen who takes a beauty-school correspondence course and uses her unwilling subjects—and their sheep—for practice will give readers food for thought as well as a chuckle or two.
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"As in the previous story, there are tiny hidden pictures to search for in each illustration. (Picture book. 4-8)"
The husband-and-wife team who created the popular Snowmen at Night revisits their snowy creations to see how snowmen celebrate Christmas.
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"No—but this low-slung role model shows the inner stuff, both to transform himself, and to rise to the challenges that come his way. (Picture book. 7-9)"
The Buehners convincingly suggest that heroes, super or otherwise, are self-made.
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"It would be difficult not to fall in love with this rollicking flight of imagination created by a terrific combination of talent. (Picture book. 2-6)"
The work of this husband-and-wife team best known for The Escape of Marvin the Ape (1992) is always special; here it comes together in a delightful story about the nocturnal activities of snowmen that is refreshingly original and visually sparkling.
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"Most children will have no problem discerning correct behavior, and some adults may wince in recognition at the black-and-white approach to ethics: It's not right to lie about a child's age at restaurants where those under five eat free. (Picture book. 4-8)"
The Buehners (It's a Spoon, Not a Shovel! 1995, etc.) continue their mission to make learning decorum a giggle instead of a slap on the wrist.
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"A delightful wedding of winsome story and ingenious illustrations; there is no more to be asked of a book. (Picture book. 4-8)"
An ungainly farm girl named Fanny Agnes has a bit of the Cinderella in her and on the night of the mayor's ball goes out to the garden to wait for her fairy godmother.
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"A slight tale, lively in the telling, with vibrantly comical Hopperesque illustrations featuring the dowdy, earnest witch and her delightful slew of bug-eyed cats. (Picture book. 4-8)"
Having trouble making ends meet, witch Wittilda kisses her 47 cats good-bye to go job-hunting, but promptly gets into trouble when, as a newly hired hairdresser, she arranges Mrs. Hatrack's hair into a web, complete with spider.
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Like Fatio's Happy Lion, Marvin leaves his cage at the zoo through an open door; unlike the lion, no one ever notices him as he roams—reading on the subway, giving his order to a bored waiter, catching a foul at a ballgame, or playing checkers in a park—nor does he return to the zoo (a hippo-escape provides the conclusion).
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