"...Happy To Be Made"

Forget snowmen. Iggy and Martina have a deep snow day, build a Snowbear, have an adventure, arrive home safe and sound, and wonder if their bear made it safely into the forest. What more could you want from a winter tale with a warm and cozy heart?

The narration is simple, direct, crisp and engaging. The two kids look right, and are drawn in an expressive style that sells the story and appeals to the reader.

This is a nice winter's tale for a little reader or as a read to. The pencils and colors are spare, but there is enough detail to illustrate the story and draw the reader along. A good winter find.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I've seen this book popping up on numerous lists and now I know why. Adorable story with sweet illustrations. A perfect storytime read.

What a wonderful treat Sean Taylor’s The Snowbear is. I adored it immediately! Beautiful, vivid imagery, rich vocabulary, and engaging storytelling abound in this endearing, imaginative, wintery tale.

I will most definitely be purchasing this book for my classroom library. I am very much looking forward to introducing it to my colleagues and sharing it with my students.

For me, the illustrations by Claire Alexander are the real draw to this tale from Sean Taylor. The illustrations bring out the magic of the story and actually make you believe in the movement captured in 2-d illustrations.

Iggy and Martina wake up to a snow white world and venture out to build a snowman (but it ends up to looking like a snowbear) and sledding. Thank goodness they take to build the snowbear 1st before they take off for a trip down the hill.

The styling of The Snowbear is reminiscent of classics from a bygone era.

This is a lovely little picture book which some great images - it is absolutely perfect for the festive season and I will be reading it again to my daughter over Christmas - really easy to follow, nice and bright with a good story.

This was a cute story, reminded me a little of Frosty the Snowman.

'Snow Bear' by Sean Taylor with illustrations by Claire Alexander is about a magical adventure in the snow.

Iggy and Martina wake up to a world full of snow. They make a snowman, but it looks more like a snowbear. They take a long sled ride and find themselves in trouble. They get rescued by an unusual new friend.

When I was a kid, I remember snow days had a certain wonderful quality. This book captures that feeling beautifully with the text and great illustrations. I think this is a book that young readers will want read to them over and over again.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing Group - words & pictures, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

This is a lovely little picture book, perfect for the festive season. I am a sucker for a good Christmas picture book in the run up to the holidays and this is ideal for sharing with a class from nursery to year 1 at this time of year.

The illustrations and short story alike feel like they could be from another era with a traditional tone and images that are reminiscent of some of Raymond Briggs' work (that can only ever be a good thing!)

Not much of this feels unique or original, the premise of something built from snow taking on a life of its own is nothing new, and there are even several books already about snow bears, but does that really matter? Not really, this is the season of tradition after all, and parents, teachers and (most importantly) young children will all love this book. That's all that really matters.

With winter almost here and snow on the horizon, this is an amazing book to have ready to read to your children. Iggy and Martina wake up to a snowy world and are excited about getting outside. They are warned by mother about the steep hill and the slippery slope as they head outside to make a snowman. The snowman, becomes a snowbear with a happy smile. But when they decide to go sledding, they run into trouble. How will they get back up the steep hill? Will they make it safely back home? The Snowbear is a wonderful, magical story about the power of a child’s imagination. It brings back memories of the snowy days where I spent hours outside playing in the snow as a child. The story is simple, yet delivers a great message. Friendship, loyalty and bravery all shine through and make this a great bedtime story, a story that older siblings could read with their younger ones, or that a primary teacher could read to her class. The illustrations by Claire Alexander are beautiful. They are whimsical and make the story come alive. A great addition to any library, whether public, school, class or family.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Squeeeeee, this book was just too adorable. Not only because of the warm, fluffy story, but also because of the illustrations!

Meet Iggy and Martina, a brother and sister, who both are very eager to play in the snow that fell the night prior. They do the same stuff everyone does in the snow, snowball fights, sledding, but also making a snowman, or in this case a very big and fluffy snowbear! But as they walk and sled around they get stuck! This part was definitely exciting, and I was delighted to see how it ended. I did kind of expected it (given the blurb/the cover/the hints), but it was still oh so much fun.

And of course, like true parents, the mom didn't believe them when they told her about their adventure and the sudden twist that happened.

The ending was slightly sad, but also hopeful. Yes, this sounds a bit conflicted, but you have to read the book to find out. I am not going to say anything spoilerish. :)

The illustrations! They were just so good, so beautiful, so adorable, so colourful. The style reminds me a bit of illustrations by Benji Davies.

All in all, this is one book I would highly recommend. Recommended: Drinking a cup of hot cocoa (with tiny marshmallows), all the while wrapped in a warm blanket. Then this story is even better and more magical.

A lovely tale with the same air of magic as The Snowman - but Snow Bears are cooler.

Four and a half stars - a perfectly decent little picture book for little picture book readers. Two children play together in the snow, and build a snowman that looks like a bear, only to get into no end of trouble when they disobey their mother... The artwork has a gentle charm with a touch of the rough-and-ready naivety the target audience would enjoy, and the tale is very pleasant - not fixated on Christmas, like so many books, but just encapsulating one wintry set of events, with a bit of mystique to close. It's clearly set in somewhere like Scandinavia - wood cabin walls for their home, no other children for miles, and a threat you don't get down Croydon High Street, but it's pretty much universally enjoyable.

The Snowbear by Sean Taylor was a cute story of creativity and friendship. While there was a clear plot, I felt that it was missing an element of magic. There was so much more that could have been done with this story to make it feel more full and engaging. I think this story has good bones but needs some developing.

A lovely children's story with beautiful illustrations. The story is not over complicated so Easy for young children to understand and the colourful illustrations would grab their attention. The style reminds me of the snowman book. This would make a great stocking filler for Christmas or even to add into a Christmas eve box. I know my nieces and nephews would love this book.

Sweet and simplistic. The text is stilted at times, hampered by over simplicity. However, the illustrations are beautiful and bring the characters to life.

This is an adorable book in the vein of the Snowman, or Frosty. Two children go outside on a cold winter’s day to build a snowman, who looks more like a snow bear. The sled way down hill into the woods, and find a savior in their snowbear. The illustrations are colorful and fun and make this a story that will be around for years.

It’s the Christmas season and parts of the world, just not where I’m at, get to experience snow making this the perfect story to read with your kiddos.
Christmas and snow melt together to create magic in the world especially for kids who just want to play, sled and create that oh so iconic image - a Snowman.
This is a wonderful, heart warming story about that happier side of childhood; how imagination can change the world around you for the better. Although I have no childhood memories of playing in snow the story made me feel like I was experiencing it through the author’s eyes with this simple yet rewarding tale. It’s perfect to read as your kids are drifting off to sleep to send them off with fun dreams, in the classroom, or around the brightly lit Christmas tree.
The illustrations really help tap into the heart and essence of what the author was trying to convey as they leap off the page and bring out your holiday spirit.

The Snowbear was absolutely adorable! The illustrations and the story quickly became a daily reading staple for my 2 year old. I have a feeling this book will never grow old for us.

<i>Iggy and Martina made a snowman. But their snowman looked more like a snowbear. ‘He looks happy to be made,” said Martina. And it was true</i)

Move over Frosty there is a new white wonder coming to life! This story was enchanting and totally imaginative! Nothing brings out the imagination like a snow day with no end in sight! The ground covered in snow for as far as your little eyes can see! And for Iggy and Martina that was all the way down in the woods at the bottom of a slippery hill! Here danger lurks, and beasts stalk the underbrush, but never fear their newly crafted friend comes to the rescue just in the nick of time!
I adored this book! I want to rush out right now and buy it to read to my sons on cold nights while we cuddle up together! The story is magical, and the illustrations are perfection crafted into reality! Bravo!!!
I recommend this book to mothers of small children who still have wonder in their hearts and use their imaginations to breathe new life into our world on a daily basis! This book will captivate and tantalize their imaginations in new, incredible ways!
***I was provided this ARC by Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review***

Gorgeous illustrations give a wonderful sense of atmosphere to this sweet tale - I can feel the warmth and the cold. And the hope through imagination.

The Snowbear is a beautifully illustrated short book aimed at younger children (4+ years). Sean Taylor's sweet story about how magical snow days can be is gorgeously illustrated and supported by Claire Alexander's charcoal pencil and watercolour illustrations. This is definitely a cuddle-up and read along story which will become a fast favourite. It's very short, 32 pages, and is published in hardcover format by Quarto Publishing - words & pictures.

Books for children should be of the highest quality, engaging and well written. This book absolutely fulfills those requirements. Children are our future readers and developing a lifelong reading habit starts most often at a young age. Lot of bonus points for using lolloping in the book. Wonderful!

I enjoyed it very much.

Five stars.

I loved “The Snowbear.” It was a magical story with perfect illustrations. It reminded me of “The Snowman” by Raymond Briggs.

Fabulous book, I read this with my young daughter who loved it :)
Will be buying paperback copies for my friends children!

A big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I loved this short cute book. It was whimsical and fun. I think most kids would enjoy this romp in the snow. I give it a 4.5.

Iggy and Martina wake up to a snow-covered yard. Mom tells them to, “Make a snowman if you want. But be careful because the hill is too steep and slippery.” They attempt to build a snowman, but it ends up looking more like a snowbear. After finishing the snowbear Iggy suggests they slide down the hill. Though Martina is concerned because they were told its slippery they both hop on the sled and ss----llll----iiii----dddd----eee down the hill. It seems they are never going to stop. But at the bottom of the hill, they hear a scary sound. And the hill is much too slippery and steep to hurriedly climb back up. Oh, oh!

Cons: None
Pros: The illustrations are very complimentary to this magical snow story. A great book to read on a snowy winter day.

#netgalley #thesnowbear

I loved this title and its wonderful illustrations! If you're a fan of Raymond Briggs' work, I think you'll like this, too.

Iggy and Martina wake up to freshly fallen snow. Their mother warns them to be careful playing outside because it's slippery. Excited, they work toward building a snowman, but the snowman more closely resembles a snowbear. Their sledding adventure that follows ends with them in the woods confronted by a wolf. Will they be able to escape the wolf and make it back up the slippery slope to their home?

This is a great title to read with students or your own children as winter surrounds us. It's even more perfect for reading at home with hot cocoa on a snow day.

A beautifully illustrated children's story about the magic of snow and a child's imagination. It also has a great message of listening to your parents. A small part that my youngest (3) thought was a bit scary but everything turns out good in the end.

Gentle story about siblings Iggy and Martina who build a snow bear and the adventure they have when it comes to life. Despite the snowy setting the illustrations have plenty of colour and are enchanting. A delightful cosy read to share with younger children during the cold winter months.

I absolutely loved this book, and as well as reading it at Christmas, we will be reading it all through the winter.
The story is about Iggy and Martina who make a snowbear when they wake up to a snowy world one morning.
Their mother tells them to be wary of the steep hill and the slippery slope as they head outside to make a snowman, but they forget and when they decide to go sledging, they run into trouble, and don't know if they will ever make it safely back home? The Snowbear is a magical story a child’s imagination and sense of adventure and resonates with children and adults too when the snow comes so rarely. Perfect for parents/grandparents to read and then children to read and enjoy once again on their own. An annual treat for me and my grandchildren I think.

This is a new favorite read aloud with the students at my school. They can't wait to be able to check out a copy

A sweet little story that sees the two children create a snowbear and then take it with them into the woods to play. Here their imagination takes hold and the adventure begins. What could be frightening for some little ones, this story has a safe ending and would be good for encouraging safe feelings.
My little one found it easy enough to read herself and spent time retelling the story from the images. Always a bonus.

A lovely and beautiful book for children. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this to my little one. I know it is a book that will be read more than once, as it is so cute and lovely. It is also a book that is great as ebook, for travel, but I am definitely going to own a physical copy, to have by the bedside, to read at night.

A very sweet story for all children. This book has wonderful illustrations that bring the bear to life. A great book for bedtime that many children will cherish for many years to come.

This book was such a delightful little tale. While trying to build one thing it turns out looking like something else. The story continues on & the children are the sweetest little things. A great story to read on a snowy day.

One of the prettiest, more charming picture books I have been delighted to own. A wonderful size-perfect for story and bedtimes. Bold, simple, child appealing illustrations. A must own!