It’s Christmas Eve, that time of year when children and little bears are all getting very excited for the Christmas festivities. And Sam, a little bear, is as excited as everyone else. His dad has ventured out into the forest to fetch a very special Christmas surprise and promises to return when it starts to snow. But come bedtime he still hadn’t returned so Sam comes up with a plan to guide him home, to make sure that he is home for Christmas. Sam’s Snowflake, written by Gillian Shields and illustrated by Rosie Reeve, is a charming tale about getting ready for Christmas with being with your loved ones.
Sam and his family are getting ready for Christmas and on Christmas Eve Sam’s back goes out into the forest to fetch a surprise. He promises to be back later when the snow starts to fall. Whilst waiting for his dad to return Sam helps his mother in the kitchen. They bake cakes and biscuits, puddings and pies. When they had finished, it still hadn’t snowed and Sam’s dad still wasn’t back.
Waiting some more, Sam and his mum put up the Christmas decorations and wrapped presents for their friends. When done, Sam’s dad still wasn’t back, and Sam was getting worried. He decided that his dad, and the snow, needed some help in getting home. Sam grabbed some paper, cotton wool and glitter and busied himself making something to light the way home for his dad – a special snowflake, Sam’s glittering snowflake!
Before bed he hangs his newly created bright and glittering snowflake in his bedroom window where it shines out into the forest, acting as a beacon. But will it work? Will Sam’s dad be able to find his way home?
Overall, Sam’s Snowflake is a charming tale of being with your family for Christmas, told using a family of bears. It is a nice easy to read story about Sam wanting it to snow so that his dad makes it home in time for Christmas day so that they can do things together in the snow on Christmas morning – tobogganing, making snow bears and having snowball fights.
The story is well told by Gillian Shields and shows all the things needed to be done in the build up to Christmas but with the message of Christmas is a time for loved ones to be together. Sam building a snowflake to display in the window to light the way for his dad (and the snow) is excellent. It was good to see him wanting family time rather than lots of presents.
I loved the illustrations by Rosie Reeve. They are bright and warm and help young readers to easily visualise what is happening within the text of the story.
A wonderful festive tale about spending quality time with your family. An excellent Christmas-themed book for bedtime reading this winter and to get readers into the Christmas spirit.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £6.99 (Paperback)
Available to buy from Amazon here.
