RACCOON’S PERFECT SNOWMAN
Written and illustrated by Katia Wish
Sleeping Bear Press
Release Date: Fall 2020
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Featured in: Families First Magazine, February/March 2021
Reviews:
From The Feathered Quill Blog
What will happen when one very determined raccoon wants to make the perfect snowman and decides to share his techniques with his friends but forgets to share his tools and supplies?
Raccoon loves winter! And the best part of winter? Making snowmen! Raccoon knows that making snowmen isn't a simple process. He designs, and plans, and gets just the right tools to get the job done. He spends the whole winter practicing and finally he's ready to make the perfect snowman. Raccoon's friends are watching and so he decides to invite them to make their own snowmen, under his guidance, of course.
Raccoon instructs his friends as they work. "Only use clean snow," he tells Rabbit, but poor Rabbit has no choice but to use dirty snow because all the good, clean snow was used by Raccoon. "Make the snowman perfectly level," he tells Fox, but Raccoon is so busy using his tools that he forgets to share them with Fox. Poor Fox winds up with a rather lop-sided snowman.
When all the snowmen are completed, Raccoon has created a snowman that is beyond compare. But is it perfect? When he looks at his friends' snowmen, he sees three rather dirty, lop-sided, and goofy-looking snowmen. It's then that Raccoon realizes he was so busy making his own snowman, that he forgot to share his tools and supplies with his friends. Will they be able to work together to create a perfect snowman?
Raccoon's Perfect Snowman is a fun story that teaches an important lesson in a very subtle way. By watching Raccoon's process of making a snowman, and seeing what happens because he's so busy with his own snowman that he forgets about helping his friends, children will see the outcome of not sharing. The story isn't preachy but rather simply tells a fun story. And the outcome of their efforts when they all work together is delightful (and a bit goofy too which children will love). Wrapped up with the lovely illustrations created by the author, this is a cool winter story that will warm the heart.
Quill says: Raccoon's Perfect Snowman is a sweet story that very cleverly wraps a lesson about sharing into the exploits of a raccoon and his friends.
Katia Wish's Raccoon's Perfect Snowman (9781534110670, $16.99) tells of Raccoon's love of building and decorating the perfect snowman when winter arrives.
He invites his friends to try out their hands at the task, but can't resist giving them all 'helpful tips' to improve their efforts. Unfortunately, his directions are sometimes anything but helpful.
How can Raccoon help his friends without demanding their perfection? A fine lesson on interpersonal relationships evolves.
SOPHIE’S ANIMAL PARADE
Written by Amy Dixon
Illustrated by Katia Wish
Sky Pony Press
Release Date: Spring 2015
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Indiebound.org
Amazon.com
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Booksamillion.com
If you'd like to order a book AUTOGRAPHED by Katia Wish: https://www.katiawish.com/store
Featured in: "Sophie's Animal Parade" has been chosen by the Children's Book of the Month Club as a featured selection in June 2015.
Reviews:
From School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1—"Everything Sophie drew came to life. Mama called it Sophie's imagination. Sophie called it magic." So begins this exploration of a child on a quest to find a friend. Sophie starts with drawing a polar bear cub, followed by a duck, and a giraffe. Unfortunately, the animals she creates all have issues in their new environment; the polar bear is too warm, the duck needs a swimming pool, and the ceiling is too low for the giraffe. Sophie adds even more animals to her group (a pony, a turtle, a penguin, and an elephant) in an attempt to address the concerns, but she realizes each of her new additions only bring further problems. When Sophie leads the animals in a parade, she meets a friendly boy, who claims to be an expert lion tamer, perfect for joining Sophie in all the wild fun. Thin lines and fully developed spreads add stylish details to this animal menagerie. VERDICT This story celebrates the power of the imagination and serves as a solid addition to many collections.—Meg Smith, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC
From Publisher's Weekly
Sophie's drawings, whether of cupcakes or polar bear cubs, tend to spring to life. Is it magic or Sophie's imagination at work? Dixon (Marathon Mouse) isn't telling, but it's clear that this sort of power isn't easy to manage. Lonely, Sophie summons one animal after another... but it isn't until she meets a boy who loves animals as much as she does that her desire for friendship is sated. Newcomer Wish's watercolors have an appealing retro cuteness...and for all that Dixon's story revels in imaginary (or magical) fun, the takeaway is that real relationships are what matter. -Publisher's Weekly