Review: Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman by Francesca Simon and Tony Ross

“So when you die I get all your money!”  Henry beamed.  Wow.  The house would be his!  And the car!  And he’d be the boss of the TV, ’cause it would be his too!!!  And the only shame was —

“Couldn’t you just give it all to me now?” asked Henry.

“Henry!” snapped Mom.  “Don’t be horrid.”

There was no time to lose.  He he had to write a will immediately.

(from “Horrid Henry’s Rainy Day” in Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman, page 37 in the ARC)

The hilariously terrible child known as Horrid Henry is back in the latest four-story collection written by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross.  The Girl (age 10) and I have enjoyed more than a few Horrid Henry books, and Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman was no exception.  The Girl is a bit old for these stories, but she finds them ridiculously funny.  And even though she could read them to me or by herself, she prefers to hear me read them aloud because she says I use funny voices.

In “Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman,” Horrid Henry and his neighbor, Moody Margaret, are competing in a contest to build the best snowman.  Determined to win a year’s worth of free ice cream, Horrid Henry uses the cover of darkness to take drastic measures to ensure a win.

In “Horrid Henry’s Rainy Day,” Henry believes he will die of boredom, but doesn’t want people taking his toys.  So he decides to write a will.

In “Moody Margaret’s Makeover,” Horrid Henry doesn’t want Moody Margaret to be the only one earning money by offering makeovers to the neighborhood kids.  But Henry has an entirely different view about what constitutes a makeover.

And in “Horrid Henry’s Author Visit,” the author of Henry’s favorite series of books is coming to his class, but he is sent to his younger brother Perfect Peter’s classroom instead.  He can’t possible endure the torture of the “Happy Nappy” song and dance and is desperate to escape.

While Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman was quite amusing, the middle two stories about Henry’s will and makeover business caused the most giggles.  The other two stories were somewhat disappointing because Henry just wasn’t as horrid as usual, and it’s his horrid antics that make these books so much fun.  I still think he needs a lot more discipline and wouldn’t want my child mimicking Henry’s actions, but the books are meant to be fun.  Even though it wasn’t my favorite of the series, I bet the book will be a hit with most young readers.

Here are The Girl’s thoughts on Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman:

I thought the book was really, really, really, really funny.  Especially the makeover story.  I laughed when I saw the pictures of what Horrid Henry did to those two girls.  I wouldn’t have let him touch my hair though.

If you’d like to see what makes Henry so horrid, you’re in luck!  Sourcebooks is offering one lucky reader a copy of Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman.  And because it’s Book Blogger Appreciation Week, The Girl would like you to leave a comment with a recommendation for a funny book about a trouble-making child.  If you don’t know of such a book, she’d like you to tell us about the most horrid thing you did as a child.  Please remember to leave your e-mail address.

The publisher is shipping the book, so this giveaway is open to readers with U.S. and Canada addresses only.  You have until Sunday, Sept. 26, 2010, at 11:59 pm EST to enter.  The winner will be chosen randomly.

**Please note that this giveaway is now closed**

Disclosure: The Girl received a copy of Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman at Book Expo America 2010. I am an Amazon associate.

© 2010 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.