In Henry and Mudge's nineteenth adventure, Henry sees a sign about a snowman contest in the park. Can Henry, his father, and his big dog Mudge come up with the best snowman plan to win the contest?

Aided by Henry's father, this terrific twosome enters a snowman-building contest at the local park. The entries are many and clever-from snowdogs and snowpeople to snow aliens. Henry's entry, however, stumps the judges-until he explains that the green-paint-spattered figure represents his father when he's painting a chair, and he wins third place for the most original creation. With a giant box of snowman cookies as their prize, the victorious albeit messy trio returns home to indulge in an equally wonderful cookie mess. Full of this series' usual good-natured humor, this easy read-aloud will warm the hearts of emerging readers. The watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations lend a gentle and simple touch to this lovely adventure.

Humor, simple sentence structure, and bright, detailed pictures again prove a winning combination in this, Rylant's nineteenth Henry and Mudge Ready-to-Read book. Henry and Mudge, aided by Henry's father, participate in a snowman-building contest. Although up against some strong competition, their unconventional offering brings chuckles and a third-place prize for creativity. Rylant has a great sense of rhythm and pacing, alternating one or two lines per page with larger blocks of text. Mudge's dog antics effectively introduce the concept of simultaneous story lines, and three subtly defined chapters, with numbered and occasional text-only pages, gently ease kids into traditional book format and inspire reading confidence. The story is enjoyable, but more important, it communicates that contests should be fun, regardless of who wins, particularly when the excitement is shared with loved ones.