Rupert’s Snowman is a rather slight story of a boy’s Christmas Eve adventure sledding and building snow people and creatures. The illustrations are the highlight—bright and eye-catching, the paper appears almost marbled which looks like snow falling. It would be appropriate for preschoolers—perhaps even toddlers—but there are so many other holiday stories with stronger texts that this one seems like an additional purchase at best.

Now this is a lovely, warm, magical story, perfectly suitable for Christmas.
Rupert enjoys a nice, snowy winter's day with his mum, playing with the snow and building the best snowman that had ever been built.
One can almost feel the warmth of the long, woolen scarves, the taste of hot chocolate, the smell of woods and snow and the love and respect between mother and child.
Rupert, as many children (young or old ;)) cares for an inanimate being as much as he would for anybody else and his reaction towards Frosty is touching to see. Not only does he come up with a brilliant idea to provide company for the snowman, but his mother does not mock or doubt him for a second and is eager to help her son realize his plan. What a beautiful way for an adult to respect a child and what a perfect, unobtrusive way to show it through image and words.
The illustrations are masterfully done, the colour palette accentuates the winter atmosphere and the images burst of character and originality. I particularly liked the way the text was mingled with the image but it did become difficult to read at one or two moments.
This writing is perfect for a child - it shows that it trusts the young reader to understand the story and draw/create meaning without being overtly didactic nor simplified. The author picks appropriate words, ripe of meaning and notions, building in this way the story in few, short but full phrases.

I would be happy to see more from this pair and would definitely recommend this book.

Loved this story, the book is so well illustrated. The idea Rupert has is adorable and the book leads you this with excitement and a warm heart.

Beautifully illustrated, this book has a sense of magic about it which is entirely appropriate as it is set on Christmas Eve and there has been a heavy snowfall…

Rupert and his mum organise some supplies for their trip up the hill where they build a snowman. Upon sledging down the hill to go home, Rupert worries about his snowman Frosty and who will look after him. He runs up the hill and devises a plan … Frosty is then loaded onto the sled and carried home where Rupert rebuilds him. Rupert also builds some friends to keep Frosty company and as he gets ready for Santa, he looks out to see the snow family outside the house.

The story is simply told and there is a hint that Rupert may have additional needs as he “flaps” with excitement at the snow outside. Whether Rupert has additional needs or not is never overtly addressed but this little detail in the story is handled with sensitivity and It is a nice touch as a child who reacts the same way as Rupert will be able to see themselves represented in the book and representation is very important.

Due for publication on 7th October 2020, this would make an ideal Christmas present for any young child. Indeed this is a tale that would make a wonderful addition to any Christmas Eve storytelling box. My own little one was enthralled by the story and wanted it read again and again so we had a little bit of Christmas in July!

Thanks to NetGalley and Purple Butterfly Press for the chance to see an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#RupertsSnowman #NetGalley

I think I enjoyed this lovely story as much as my daughter did!
Lovely little storyline, and the illustrations were fantastic too.
Although my daughter kept asking why the snowman didn't have a carrot for his nose hahah

A charming tale set at Christmas of Rupert's attachment to a snowman he builds with his mom. What stuck out to me though was the art design of this book. The words aren't just overlayed over the illustrations, but become part of the picture. It added to the appeal of the pages.

This book is so much fun! Rupert's Snowman by Phillipa Warden is a charming story about a mother and son having fun in the snow on Christmas eve. The story is lovely and the illustrations capture the winter scenes perfectly.
Many thanks to Purple Butterfly Press and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I just read it and just liked it! It's wonderful and super sweet. It is exactly the kind of book that children need to read to create a taste for books!
Wonderful illustrations and light, incredible text.

A new author to me; an accomplished beginning.
So many good books about Christmas are set on Christmas Eve. What better thrill for a child than a heavy fall of snow, seen from the safety of your home.
Rupert in our story, is so delighted to witness this that we read: “ Rupert stood at the window’ FLAPPING with excitement “.
I worked at a special needs school briefly and I remember a young boy with autism flapping his arms when he was happy and excited. This lifted the scene for me and brought back so many happy memories.
Special mention should go to Grace Ward the talented illustrator who has used a gentle colour spectrum to capture this winter’s day. Her original drawings and artwork enable the text to fit even more closely into the pictures. Indeed the words and illustrations are interconnected as they weave and wrap around each other. Very clever and original.
A day out with is Mum is well planned for as they venture out to have fun and sledge all day.
Needless to say the abundance of snow allows Rupert to build the “.......best snowman ........ever.....”.
As this wonderful day draws to an end Rupert despairs that he will have to leave his snow creation. Who will care for him overnight? How can he leave him so alone?
The book comes up with a clever compromise which will thrill and enthral.
I’m sure this sumptuous book will enliven any Christmas holiday time with this memorable story book. Snow (men and women) are a great image of winter. In the U K I have only had 2 occasions where I could build them with my own children. These are some of my most delightful memories of family activities outside on cold winter days.
This book made me feel good and will enrich our children’s Christmastime and reading pleasures.

Thank you for providing me with this book.

A simple story about Rupert and his mom who spent a nice winter day outside, building a snowman and do fun things together. A good book for early readers to enjoy during holidays, moreover with the possibility of staying inside rather than outside in this situation.

I read this book in bed with my daughter last night and we absolutely loved it!

The images are lovely and add so much to the story, really bringing it to life!

The story is great, well written and it has such a great flow - will be making sure we read it again this Christmas!!

It is 5 stars from me for this one - very highly recommended and I loved the ending too - the perfect ending to the story of Rupert's Snowman!!

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy to review!

I thought in the scheme of things a children's book would make a nice, relaxing oasis, and was right! The title of this drew me in immediately, similar to other books I read as a child. In fact, the title and artwork combined to be charmingly reminiscent of The Snowman, which I watched and adored over and over as a kid.

It's a kid's book so I can't wax on poetic about this, but it's cute and something I think any child would enjoy. Rupert shows compassion to an inanimate being constructed of snow, much like I did to my stuffed animals, statues in the garden, and other things as a kid, and that's great for development of empathy later in life, a good story to model behavior on.

In terms of technical layout, the font was interesting, and would capitalize random bigger words so that children could probably do well practicing reading and vocabulary from it. Also, the artwork was a unique style, something that, and no offense to the illustrator because I enjoyed this aspect, looked easily imitated by child hands if they wanted to. The drawings could have been done by a child and I think that makes it more engaging. A solid 5 stars to this cute children's book with some winter ambience!

Rupert's Snowman is the perfect book to read to your kids on a snowy night- cuddled up by a fire. The exploration of family and anticipation of the holiday season is sure the delight any age. You'll notice this book has some great verbiage throughout offering your kids a chance to really stretch their language skills while still having fun with this heartwarming story.

Illustrations are always something I pay very close attention to in children's books and author Phillipa Warden made sure to include beautifully done illustrations that fit with the story completely. I would highly recommend this read to anyone who adores and understands the meaning behind the holiday season.

This is a lovely winter story! I loved the illustrations and the way the text wrapped around. The story was sweet, too.

My only complaint is that a few of the areas of text were hard to read. Specifically the text that was white, laying over the big snowflakes.

Rupert’s Snowman was charming, sweet, beautiful and everything else you would want in a Christmas story. The illustrations were simple adorable and really added to the story. We really loved the ending and I can’t wait to buy a physical copy of this book to enjoy again and again.

I give this book a 5 star rating read it with my 6 year old son and he loved it asking if we could do the same at Christmas this year IF we have snow !! Lovely illustrations to accompany the story. This book is different from most children's Christmas books and it is relatable.

Rupert's Snowman is one of those great books that show how beautiful souls the children have. And it is full of Christmas spirit with its beautiful message and heartwarming story.

I must say I especially enjoyed the colours and the illustrations. I spent a lot of time looking at the pictures alone! A must-have for every home where there are children and Christmas is celebrated.

Warning for adults: You'll fall in love with the snow kittens and the snow dog. Be ready. :)

Goodness. Perhaps it is the shelter in place and pandemic, but the ending of this story made me cry. I can’t wait to buy this one for all the littles in my life this holiday season. The art is gorgeous, the pictures will prompt lots of conversations tucked in at bedtime, and the end of the story will bring a smile to the children’s faces. Family, snow, snowman. Just magical!

I enjoyed this story, but even more I enjoyed the illustrations and the layout of the writing. It was all very very visually appealing. This is definitely a book I can see myself buying for the classroom and reading regularly during the winter.

I absolutely adore every aspect of this book. The story was cute and the setting was wonderful. The illustrations are phenomenal. The words often were woven around the illustrations which made the story and pictures tie together beautifully. Fantastic story for children on a cold winter night after spending the day playing in snow!

I received an advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.