The Snowman's Revenge - Mark Smythe

Summary:  If you were left out in the cold snow all by yourself, would you be mad?  Of course you would!  Well, this snowman is out for revenge, especially after he sees those kids in the nice warm house, eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate!  So, let's see whay happens in this delightful story, nicely flowing with rhymed verse, beautifully illustrated and quite humorous indeed.  So loveable, it's sure to be an instant favorite and a timeless classic with "kids" of all ages.  (Summary from book - Image from amazon.com - Book given free for an honest review)

My Review:  When I was contacted to review The Snowman's Revenge, I accepted right away.  My children love the idea of snowmen coming to life.  This particular Snowman doesn't appreciate being stuck out in the cold when the kids are inside having cookies and drinking hot chocolate, so he decides to get his revenge by sneaking into the house and, eventually, up to the children's bedrooms.  Thankfully he melts before he is able to do any serious damage. 

So.  Kind of creepy.  At least that's what I thought.  My children didn't seem to be bothered by it.

Personally, since a snowman is made out of snow, you'd think he would be perfectly happy out in the cold.  Apparently this snowman isn't very self-aware.  I don't think I would have minded the overall creepiness of the story, except that it ended rather abruptly.  He just melts.

My biggest complaint with The Snowman's Revenge was that the rhythm felt the slightest bit off, especially towards the end, as though some sections had too many syllables and others not enough.  The prose wasn't bad, but I wasn't impressed either.  Rhyming books should do more than just rhyme -  they should flow smoothly, with words that enhance that flow, and this one just felt awkward.

While this book is colorfully illustrated and creative, when it comes to snowman stories, I'm going stick with the rhythmical, imaginative, and decidedly uncreepy Snowmen at Night.

My Kids' Thoughts:  (Kaisa, age 7) "It was good, but it didn't have a happy ending like I thought it would.  I wanted the snowman to scare the children!"  (Sophie, age 5) "I loved it so much I could poop my pants!" (Seriously.  That's what she said! )

Our Rating:  2.75 Stars (3.5 Stars from my kids.  2 Stars from me.)

Sum It Up:  Creative but creepy.