Member Reviews

RUPERT’S SNOWMAN by Phillipa Warden is such a warmful and touching story.⁣
We follow the story of Rupert and his mother on Christmas Eve, they decided to spend the day outside and build a snowman, but after lunch they had to go home and Rupert didn't want to leave his snowman alone so mother and son decided to go back with him and build him a little family so the snowman wouldn't feel so lonely.⁣

It sounds like a simple story, but the message is clear: no one should be alone on Christmas Eve, and the most important thing is to spend time with our loved ones.⁣
I really enjoyed reading this children's book, even more as it is based on a true story.⁣
I recommend it to anyone who is already dreaming about Christmas and to any parents or godparents who are looking for a perfect little bedtime story.⁣

Illustrations by Grace Ward

RUPERT'S SNOWMAN will be released of September, 15th, 2020.

Thank you Purple Butterfl Ppress and Netgalley for sending me this ARC book.⁣

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I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Ruperts Snowman is a delightful story set on Christmas eve. Rupert and his mummy go outside wrapped up from the cold, to play in the snow. They make snow angels, sledge down the hill and build a large snowman.

Rupert gets sad when its time to go home and moves the snowman with use of his sledge and rebuilds it in his garden along with some extra friends to keep him company before santa arrives.

This book would be a fantastic Christmas eve story. It is warm and inviting and feels very Christmassey.

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**I received an e-ARC from NetGalley for an honest review**

It's a cute book about a boy and his mom building a snowman on Christmas Eve.

I really using the cup for the hat and leaving the hot chocolate hair. Different from using the child's hat as you normally see in books like this.

The illustrations were nice and colorful, cheerful without being overly bright.

Overall, it's a cute story, one that I could see making it into the annual Christmas rotation.

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Fun picture book about a snowy Christmas Eve. Rupert & his mum go for a long walk, make snow angels and build a large snowman but when it’s time to go home the boy is distressed at the thought of leaving his icy friend alone on the top of the hill. He ‘rescues’ the snowman by moving him on his sledge and building him some friends. Lovely illustrations complement this festive tale, looking forward to getting a copy for my Christmas library.

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I have a guilty pleasure of reading holiday and winter books during the dog days of summer! Somehow the thought of a fresh, beautiful snowfall is a comfort when the days are hot and humid. And now that my own children are almost past the age of sledding and snowmen, I enjoy a trip down memory lane when they loved bundling up to experience the season's first snow!

Rupert's Snowman is a fun book to read at any time of year. I love the adventure that Rupert and his mother go on as they go sledding. Or, more accurately, Rupert and his "Mummy" have an adventure with a "sledge" (I'm guessing the author is British--makes it all the more charming in my opinion!).

The illustrations are bright, bold, colorful and very child-like which I think draws a child into the book making him feel like the author understands their simplistic world. The excitement of a morning out with mom is very sweetly told. They stop to make snow angels, have snowball fights, go "sledging", and of course build a snowman. And when it's time to go home, the thought of leaving his new Frosty friend is heartbreaking to Rupert.

Children will delight in the clever solution Rupert has to make sure Frosty doesn't get lonely. And the book closes with a homey description of Rupert tucked safely inside his warm home, with a cozy fire and eager anticipation for the arrival of Father Christmas. One quirky thing about the book is the random capitalization of some words on each page. Not sure if those were intended to be emphasized or just a way of breaking up the written monotony of each page. I suppose an adult could ask the child to point out that part of the page or act out the word that is highlighted (or maybe those are built in to be "shouted" to surprise the reader and help keep them tuned in to the story?!). I loved how some of the words were floating through the air and some wrapped around the illustrations. All in all, Rupert's Snowman is a delightful read and would make a great additon to any home or school library's winter or holiday collection.

The author, Phillipa Warden, shared an adorable set of "story spoons" that a reader had shared with her. You can see the example of the story spoons on the author's Instagram feed. Making your own set of story spoons (plastic spoons could be substitued) would be a fabulous way for a child to actively take part in the story as it is read to them. The spoons can provide a matching activity for child to match a spoon with parts of the story. And the spoons can be used for child to retell the events back to a parent. And the making of the spoons will offer another great memory with caregiver!

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of Rupert's Snowman from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

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I received an electronic ARC from Purple Butterfly Press through NetGalley.
Charming story about a mother and son heading out for a day of adventure in the snow. Together, they make snow angels and a snowman, and have a snowball fight. At the end of the day, Rupert doesn't want to leave the snowman alone. Not only do they put him on the sled, they create an entire snow family in the yard.
The illustrations are lovely and show the entire scene around the two characters. Great to read early in the winter.

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Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review Rupert’s Snowman. A very sweet holiday story about a mother and son building Snowmen. A nice book to read with a hot cup of cocoa.

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This is a sweet story about a boy who builds a snowman with his mother on Christmas Eve. The text is fairly simple and there are some lovely illustrations throughout as Rupert and his Mum enjoy a day in the snow.
This would be nice to share with children in the rum up to Christmas and on snowy days.

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Really sweet children’s book! Perfect for winter months, I like how it included a mother/relationship and a child’s imagination.

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I love this book. I'm looking forward to purchasing this for my three children this holiday season. It's a sweet, simple story with lovely illustrations.

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A lovely, heart-warming tale with beautiful illustrations. A very nice seasonal tale that will be nice to read during the winter months. I would definitely recommend this book to parents to read at home with their children.

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An adorable winter time story. A family sets out on a snowy adventure and Builds a great Snowman. I loved how the words on the page flowed with the story instead of traditional word placement. A great story for young kids.

Thanks to netgalley, Phillipa Warden and Purple Butterfly Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Christmas Eve had arrived and so had the snow. Rupert’s mum dug out their sledge so that they could have fun. After donning their warm clothes, hats, and scarves they set off for the top of the hill so they could sledge back down.

Once at the top Rupert wanted to build a snowman, so the pair set about rolling three balls, finding twigs for arms, stones for eyes and mouth, and of course he needed a hat.

When lunchtime came around Rupert was sad because he didn’t want his snowman to be all alone so he came up with a very clever idea.

Rupert’s Snowman is an adorable Christmassy book filled with pages of gorgeous snowy scenery and children having fun.

The story is very realistic and you can see Rupert having fun just like most children in the snow. You can also see the compassion that he has when he feels sorry and worried for his snowman being left outside all alone.

I noticed that the verbs and nouns in the book are all written in capital letters. I do wonder whether having either the verbs or the nouns capitalised would have been better so that a child can learn to differentiate them or had the nouns one colour and the verbs a different colour would have been better. However, I can’t see a child being bothered by this one bit.

Overall, it is a very sweet book that will bring joy to a young child and have them eager for the snow to fall so they can have as much fun too.

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Rupert’s Snowman is a lovely winter tale that celebrates the joys of family and the season, without trending into religious or commercialized themes. Author Phillipa Warden’s imagination has crafted a simple story of a snowy day, shared by a young boy and his mother. The prose consists of spare language and illustrated with images by Grace Ward. It’s a book that shows the values of love, compassion, generosity and joy — all that are the heart of the holiday season.

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This story is so perfect for Christmas, I would snuggle up
in the blanket with my toddler, and read 𝐑𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭'𝐬 𝐒𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐚 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧
and enjoy a peaceful storytime with her.
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The story show's how fun it is to go outside and play in the snow and have a gala family time.Rupert and her mother decides to spend the Christmas eve outside in the snow. Both makes a snowangel, had a snowball fight and later makes a snowman. But when it was time to go back home , Rupert didnt wanted to leave the snowman alone in the hill. What did he do with the snowman then? That I leave it a secret.

The illustrations are beautiful. The words are choosen carefully for children to read easily without struggle and also they can relate the words with winter, cold, Christmas, playing in the snow and henceforth.
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A snowy adventure for children to enjoy this Christmas ❤️

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I lovely quaint Christmas book for children. Rupert is brought to life through the story writing and illustrations. I will definitely buy this book for my daughter once printed as I'm sure it'll be a firm favourite around Christmas time. Thank you for the pre release copy.

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Rupert's Snowman is a simple story about a child building a snowman with his mother. I don't know if he's autistic (when we're first introduced to him, he's "flapping" with excitement), but he's obviously fairly young because he cries at the thought of leaving his snowman behind. So he and his mother lug all the snowman parts home and reassemble them in their own yard.

The story is okay, I guess, but kind of boring. The illustrations didn't really excite me, either. The writing is fairly weak, with a few comma splices just to get my inner editor ranting. (There's no excuse for such simple errors, especially when you're dealing such a small amount of text.)

Overall, this is too basic for my taste. Weak writing, lacklustre illustrations, and a boring plot mean that I probably wouldn't pick this one up again. Your mileage may vary, of course.

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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.

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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

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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

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