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THE LUCKIEST SNOWBALL by Elliot Kreloff

THE LUCKIEST SNOWBALL

by Elliot Kreloff ; illustrated by Elliot Kreloff

Pub Date: Sept. 10th, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4105-1
Publisher: Holiday House

A boy adopts a talking snowball, storing him in the freezer and introducing him to the changing seasons.

Izzy, who appears to be about 4, is surprised one snowy winter day when a snowball he’s just packed, illustrated as a snowy white talking head, speaks to him. The boy and his dog play with the snowball, making snow angels and a snowman. Izzy names the snowball Larry and puts his new pal in his home freezer for safekeeping, where the snowball befriends food items and ice cubes. Each season Izzy takes the snowball on an outing that lasts until the snowball complains, “Help! I’m melting!” These words are presented in large display type composed of attractive hand-cut letters. When winter returns, Izzy restores Larry to the snow-covered out-of-doors, where the snowball concludes he is lucky to have seen all the seasons and to have made a special friend. The slight plot is elevated by delightful illustrations in bold, digitally produced collage that has a cheery overall effect. The unlikely character of the snowball displays some hilarious expressions as he faces temperature changes, and the outdoor scenes of the boy, dog, and snowball playing together are charming. The boy and his mother present white. Several concluding pages offer basic information and discussion questions on the seasons and on water changing from a solid to a liquid state (though not a gas).

A fair-to-middling story saved by striking illustrations with lots of sparkle.

(Picture book. 3-7)