THE SNOW BEAST
by Chris Judge ; illustrated by Chris Judge
A quirky and snowy tale of affable beasts and friendship in unexpected places.
Every winter, the Beast has helped the mountain villagers coordinate a festival in celebration of the first day of snow. This year, both Beast and villagers are surprised and dismayed to find out that all the tools they need for the festival preparations have been stolen. Amid the chaos, one villager concludes that the unrest “must be the work of the abominable Snow Beast.” Wanting to help the villagers, the Beast promises to find the “mysterious monster” and to bring back the tools so the festival can come off. He embarks on a walk in the snow to find the Snow Beast, little knowing that this “abominable” creature is set to bring joy to his life and his village. In this follow-up to The Lonely Beast (2011) and other titles featuring the inky, furred black biped with glowing yellow eyes, Judge gives readers a tale filled with wit and ending with a folky twist. The vibrant illustrations and comic-book–style layout and transitions bring movement, depth, and whimsy to the story.
The short and clever text and colorful images make this book a great read-aloud for wintertime story hours and cozy nights at home with the little ones.
(Picture book. 3-7)