The Very Sparkly Snowman by Stephanie Stahl and Veronica Vasylenko (Little Tiger Press)

Little Tiger Press kindly sent us a selection of their christmas books to take a look at, and without a doubt one of Charlotte's early firm favourites is this jolly sparkly little chap.

The Very Sparkly Snowman is a great book for toddlers who will love the way the story develops and the Snowman's tummy seems to magically "grow" with every turn of the page.

The story tells the tale of a little mouse named Milli who enlists the help of her friends to build a giant snowman after the first fall of snow. Milli starts off with a tiny snowball and soon it grows and grows until Milli and her friends can barely keep it under control. Will they finish their masterpiece or will it crumble and break (like our snowmen always seem to, bah!)

Though the book is probably more suited to children slightly younger than Charlotte, she still absolutely loves it - not just because the snowman's tummy is so much fun to prod and poke, but because Stephanie Stahl's text and Veronica Vasylenko's illustrations work so perfectly together to bring a hefty dose of sparkly christmas magic to your bedtime reading.

Charlotte's best bit: That squishy snowman tummy. "What's inside it, daddy?" she asked. "Snowburgers" I replied.

Daddy's favourite bit: I love how the holes that help reveal the snowman's tummy are cunningly worked into the illustrations each time. Nice work Veronica!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Little Tiger Press)