Review of Ice Cap

[Rebecca De Figueiredo]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ice Cap" by Joan Epp.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Title: Ice Cap
Author: Joan Epp
Illustrated by Claire Sedovic

What a delightful little book this is. The main character is a friendly snowman named Ice Cap. He loves all the children he sees and encourages them to play. He has characteristics that children will recognise, such as enjoying his cell phone and the games that he plays on it. The story delivers a powerful message about the importance of outdoor activities over screen time, a much-needed example in today's internet-driven world. Ice Cap's interactions with his forest friends, such as the squirrel and rabbit, bring the story a healthy 'outdoor' ambience. The book ends with a favourite time of year: Christmas.

The illustrations are excellent. They are action-packed, fun to look at, and will stay in the child's mind after the book is finished, as good art usually does. It is nice to see illustrations that have obviously been hand drawn with hand-picked colours rather than the garish or cartoony computer-generated pictures that often adorn children's books these days. Children overlook the quality of the pictures, but the adult reader may not. After all, it is they who actually buy and then read the book to the child.

At the end, a section with a link offers children the opportunity to write their own story and send it, which is a nice touch.

I love how an everyday aspect for some children, such as the snow, has been brought to life, and for those that live in warm climates, it will be new and interesting.

The book was perfectly edited. The prose was easy to read, with short sentences using nice, simple, recognisable vocabulary, making it a good learning book for young readers. As it relates to that time of year, it would make an excellent Christmas stocking filler or gift. Children will enjoy Ice-Cap's antics. I found nothing to dislike at all and enjoyed it. Because of this, I will award five stars.

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Ice Cap
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