Review: Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman & Giveaway

Summary: There's a snowman-building contest in town and the grand prize is a year's supply of free ice cream Horrid Henry just has to beat Moody Margaret and her dumb old ballerina snowman. So Henry makes the biggest monster snowman ever. But Henry might have to use a few last-minute tricks to win this one. Plus three other stories that won't melt. -- Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

I have always wanted to read a Horrid Henry book, and I finally got around to it! I just finished HORRID HENRY AND THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross. I can see why these books are so popular among children and especially young boys. In fact, there are over 15 million copies of Horrid Henry books that are sold in over 27 countries; and, it's the #1 chapter book series in the UK.

Horrid Henry is a true "bad boy." I guess you could go so far as to call him "horrid!" He's selfish and mean, and oh so funny (just as long as I'm not his mother!) He is constantly scheming and playing others to his own advantage; and I thought he was extremely funny. He's one of those characters that I will have to tell my son that it's okay to laugh at, but not okay to act like.

HORRID HENRY AND THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN is classified as an early chapter book; and it is actually a book made up of four short stories. Each story is pretty short so kids won't get frustrated, and they are also the perfect length for read-along bedtime stories. Plus, there are also adorable black and white illustrations included on many of the pages.

The first story is about Henry's adventures in creating a snowman for a contest to win a year's worth of ice cream; and it's pretty darn cute. The second story tells about Henry's rainy day antics when he decides to write his will. It's no surprise that he ends up offending his parents in the process. I thought the third story was absolutely hilarious -- Henry decides to start a makeover business. And the fourth story also caused me to giggle when Henry's favorite author comes to his school for a visit. If you'd like to learn more about Ms. Simon's inspiration for these stories, you can read this.

I am so glad that there are loads more Horrid Henry books because I am looking forward to reading more about Henry's adventures! I definitely recommend these books for early readers (even the reluctant ones!)

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book.

Giveaway alert: I have a copy of HORRID HENRY AND THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN to share with one lucky reader. To enter, just fill out the form below. Comments on this post will not count as entries. I will accept entries until August 21st at 11:59 p.m. ET, and I will notify the winner the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only. Good luck!