Customer Reviews

The Great Snowball Escapade

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Grownups invariably forget how difficult it is to be a child, this book's author does not! This reminds me of my childhood and the problems I encountered. I'm sure it will make my child feel like he is "normal" in this crazy world.

Wilhelmina has had a rotten Christmas, thanks to her mean cousin Bud coming to stay. Things don't get any better when she returns to school - not only is Bud in the same class, but she has to sit next to him! Bud is the school bully. He dictates who is allowed to play and where, he fights with Wil and her friends, deliberately gets her into trouble with teachers and her Mum, and there is no getting away from him because now he lives in her home!

Bud's parents are going through a divorce, and Wil's Mum encourages her to be understanding and nice to Bud, but that's not easy when he's so mean.

"The Great Snowball Escapade" has a believable and likeable heroine and children will easily identify with her and the situations she finds herself in. The book is effectively illustrated throughout with simple line-drawings.

Do Bud and Wil finally sort out their differences? You'll just have to read the book to find out.

Wilhelmina Brooks, who prefers to be called Wil, is a second-grade girl. She lives with her parents and older brother Jason who happens to be away in military school. Over Christmas vacation, Wil's Aunt Karen Dunphry, who is separated from her husband and recently lost her job, and Wil's cousin Bud, who is also in second grade, come to stay with the Brooks. Wil likes her aunt, but Bud is mean to her. On the way to their first day at school after Christmas break, Bud makes fun of her name and throws a snowball at her. At school, he mistreats her friends. And she is sure that he stole her pink pencil sharpener which she got for Christmas.
When Wil complains to her mother that evening after dinner, her mother replies that people sometimes say and do things that they shouldn't when they're hurting, so it would be best for them to look past some of the things that Bud is doing and try to understand him. However, that may be easier said than done. How can you be nice to someone who's taken your pencil sharpener? Is it possible for Wil to make up with Bud? And what can she do to try? The Great Snowball Escapade is a chapter book with a heart-warming story about the importance of understanding the problems of others and treating them as we would like to be treated. J. D. Holiday is also the author and illustrator of the children's picture book Janoose the Goose.

Children should learn how to treat each other fairly. This book gives "little people" the positive idea of dealing with "doing" just that. In this story, the girl, Wil, finds out that others are not all bad just because they might appear to be mean sometimes. She finds herself judging others with little cause. Wil has to continually try and over look her cousin, Bud's negative behavior and in the process discovers what they both need to do to get along peacefully. A "must have" book to read for the development and reinforcement of good sociological attributes in children.

Reviewed by: Irene S. Roth


Synopsis:
Bud was very mean to Wil at all times. Bud was irritated by everything that Wil did. Wil constantly upset Bud, and put her down. No one will take her side of the story either, not even her mother. It got so bad that she wanted to go and live with her grandmother instead of put up with Bud. But her mother wouldn't allow it.

Wil's Mom said that he was mean because he was hurting. He wasn't a bad kid. He's just going through a lot of changes. Wil was upset that no one was taking her side. She thought that nothing would ever change about her predicament until she was stuck with Bud because of a few snow days. Can they reconcile their differences and live in harmony?

Overall Thoughts:

This is a great book about how to deal with mean siblings and kids. It offers kids great lessons about how to cope with bullying-types of behaviour and mean kids. These are important lessons for kids to learn. Siblings can have a difficult time getting along. Many kids will be able to relate to the issues in this book.

Life is full of changes and so often they are challenging ones. This is the story of Wilhemena Brooks, a little girl who's life has hit a bit of a rough patch and her cousin, Bud Dunphry, who's in more of a tailspin. Together they discover that their new life together can be okay, maybe even good. It's a simply told story with realistic overtones and is the book to buy for any kid going through a difficult life change. The illustrations are gritty but charming and it's a truly engaging novel.