K-Gr 2-A girl builds a snowman, names him Bartholomew, and takes him on an imaginary adventure and then on a real one. The stream-of-consciousness narrative is unrealistic and nonsensical. One minute the girl and her new friend are blasting off to the Unicorn Planet; the next they are eating with the royal family. It's only when she wonders how active Bartholomew's imagination could possibly be that they return to her yard and have lunch. When the snowman is attacked by the child's brother, she rebuilds him on her sled and gives him a tour of the neighborhood. The light and airy artwork does a good job of capturing the girl's expressions. However, the story falls flat. There are better winter and snowmen stories already on the shelves; take a pass on this one.-Lisa S. Schindler, Bethpage Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Jenny spends the day playing with her beloved if inanimate snowman, then says goodnight to him, knowing that her friend will soon melt. Set in a trailer park, this day-in-the-life look at an imaginative little girl offers unspoken insights into children's loneliness and resourcefulness. The watercolors nail both the story's toasty emotions and its chilly setting. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.