Snowden [Hardcover]

Nancy Carlson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Meet Snowden, the endearing, ice-skating snowman who charmed audiences in the made-for-television, ice-skating extravaganza Snowden on Ice which also starred Ekaterina Gordeeva and Scott Hamilton. Popular children's author and illustrator Nancy Carlson brings Snowden's story to life in a tale that's just right for the holidays. Nancy Carlson's many popular books include It's Going to Be Perfect!, and ABC I Like Me!, which Kirkus Reviews declared a sheer delight of self-expression, and School Library Journal called a storytime natural. Nancy Carlson lives in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-Snowden, star of a television special featuring Ekaterina Gordeeva, appears in this picture-book spin-off. Kelly, who is embarrassed by her secondhand boy's ice skates and her rusty skating ability, builds an enormous snowman. When she hangs her grandpa's skates around his neck, Snowden comes to life. He is no great shakes on skates himself, but the two decide that with "a little magic and a lot of practice," they will improve their skills. Without benefit of formal instruction, Kelly soon dazzles her former mockers with an axel, sit spin, and spiral. Carlson's bright, heavily outlined, cartoon-style drawings, a bit flat in depicting the humans, are charming when showing Snowden's animal friends on ice. However, the simply executed snowman looks two-dimensional and inert. As they execute their spins, Kelly and Snowden sprout rings around their bodies that bring to mind hula hoops rather than evoking grace on ice. A bit derivative of and no competition for Raymond Briggs's ultimate snow pal, Snowden is an additional purchase where there is demand. Otherwise, Carlson is at her best with her own well-loved cast of characters.
Sue Sherif, Fairbanks North Star Borough Public Library, AK
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Nancy Carlson is the author and illustrator of many other popular books for children, including I Like Me!. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile; First Edition edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670880787
• ISBN-13: 978-0670880782
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,289,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

This year illustrator and author Nancy Carlson published her 44th children's book. Her specialty is teaching kids to feel good about themselves and others.Kids, parents, teachers and even book critics think she does a great job. That's because she is never out of touch with the kid spirit inside herself. Her brightly colored pencil drawings perfectly capture the happy-go-lucky characters that fill her clever and funny books. There is a life lesson to be learned from each story.Nancy decided at age five to be an artist. As a child, Nancy would sit on her bed and draw for hours. "I began creating characters and telling stories through my drawings," Nancy said. "I always had the need to communicate something through my art." Her early love of comic books influenced her style of drawing and use of color.A graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art, Nancy has kept alive a youthful zest for life. Readers and book reviewers alike are charmed by her jazzy yet childlike drawings done with bright colored pencils. In all 42 books and four stage plays, she uses well-placed humor in words and pictures to tickle the funny bone of children and their parents.Humorous childhood experiences from her own life growing up in Minneapolis and from the escapades of her three children provide themes for stories. Most of her books feature animal characters that show the funny side of people. Nancy's two dogs, cat and a guinea pig are a source of inspiration.Nancy Carson lives in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. She and her husband, Barry McCool, have three children, two dogs, and a cat. Nancy loves nature and spends as much time outdoors as possible, running, biking and birdwatching. Besides writing and illustrating children's books, she designs posters, t-shirts, caps, greeting cards and other specialty items, which are marketed across the country through McCool Unlimited, Inc. and available though Nancy's on-line catalogue.Readers say they recognize themselves and their friends in the characters who triumph over everyday situations.Each story helps young readers deal with life's little problems, while teaching the basic values of honesty, determination and self-confidence.