The Greatest Snowman in the World!

With madcap illustrations that take cues from cartoons like CatDog (which Hannan created) and SpongeBob SquarePants, wide-mouthed Charles Chinchilla and his friends, Elvis Wormly and Babs McBoid, decide to build the "Greatest Snowman in the World." Despite Charles's exuberance, their first attempt looks like a lumpy, hairy, dirty blob ("The worst snowman in the world" is Babs's pronouncement). Adding a smorgasbord of found objects—including hockey sticks, a garden hose (for a nose), and half a dozen eyes made from assorted bottles and balls—turns their creation into a snowman as ludicrous as he is spectacular (though still prone to melting). Given the unhinged energy present from the get-go, readers are likely to be let down by a flat non sequitur ending. Ages 4–8. (Nov.)