Heart of a Snowman Book

Every Christmas Eve, Owen builds the best snowman that he can. He knows that the at the heart of a snowman is a perfect snowball. And Owen is an expert on making snowballs (none of that slushy snow--good snowballs needpowdery snow that's a bit melty.) But no matter how perfect he makes it, the snowman always melts the next day on Christmas.

Owen is certain there has to be a way to help his snowman last longer. So, on Christmas Eve night, when a mysterious vessel abducts his snowman, Owen decides to follow in Heart of a Snowman (Sept. 2009) by Mary Kurlya and Eugene Yelchin. What he finds is an immaculate factory where animals tear snowmen down to their snowflake components to make them like new--to make the perfect snowman. What the animals don't realize is that the heart of a perfect snowman is the reason it can never last.

Heart of a Snowman is a weird book. The factory is clinical and, during the snowman disassembly phase, a bit frightening. On my first reading the book seemed a bit strange and I wondered at the story. But after re-reading it I feel more supportive. The audience for this book is narrow. With the Christmas aspect you'd have to be careful to balance it out to keep a storytime secular. Also, being a city child myself, I don't know how universal the experience of building a snowman really is--I know I never built one.

On the other hand, keeping those caveats in mind, Heart of a Snowman does have a certain charm. The story, while strange, is endearing. And the illustrations are nothing short of remarkable. Definitely worth a look.