Wednesday, 2 April 2014

Snow Dog by Malorie Blackman and Sami Sweeten (Children's, 5 years +, 10E/10E)

February 2014, Random House Children's Publishers, 66 pages, Paperback, Review copy
 
Themes: wanting a dog, dreams coming true, magic, having fun in the snow

Content: lots of humour, some mild peril

There is nothing Nicky wants more in the world than a dog to play with. But Mum and Dad don't want a dog. Then Granddad has an idea - he and Nicky can make a dog: a snow-dome dog. Even better, he has some special clay, found at the end of a rainbow, so that the dog will be extra-special. Maybe even magic . . .

Nayuleska's thoughts 
So I may have read the blurb in a hurry and presumed the snow dog would be made of snow...it made it a pleasant surprise  to see the dog was made from clay, not snow. It does explain why the dog isn't white too! Misunderstanding aside this book is a heart warmer. A lot of readers will be able to relate to wanting a pet but parents saying they can't, and will enjoy how snow dog comes to life, as well as learning how snow domes are made. I want to make one now! A book that promotes art and crafts is good with me.

Grandad is cool because he foresees what Nicky needs before she does. There's more than a bit of magic when Nicky goes to play in the snow. She has a tough decision to make to keep snow dog safe, and being selfless is hard to do. I promise the ending is happy! I liked the thorough explanation for adults about tips to try when reading with children, how children learn to love reading, and some activities and questions to do and ask with those reading it.

Find out more on Malorie's website.

Suggested read
More early readers include The Dragon's Dentist by John McLay & Martin Brown (Children's, 5 years +, 10E/10E)

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