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Summertime with Snowman Paul
Paul is not your typical snowman; rather, he is alive and does not melt away with the winter snow. So, Paul stays with his friends year-round and participates in all their fun activities. However, summer is more challenging; a snowman does not do well even if he doesn’t melt away. So, his friend Dan comes up with a plan to help Paul survive summer and have fun too. But, can Dan’s plan really work and save summertime for Paul?
Summertime with Snowman Paul, written by Yossi Lapid, is a fun and entertaining picture book that preschoolers and kindergarten readers will enjoy. The full-page colorful and whimsical illustrations are done by Joanna Pasek. Kids will enjoy seeing popular summer activities in the book and will be able to understand why Paul is so sad to be missing out on them.
What I really love about this children’s book is the imaginative character of Paul. Kids are used to seeing other pop culture snowmen, but Paul is different, and I feel more relatable. Dan’s compassion for his friend Paul is also a wonderful message for children to read about. They learn how important it is to help out your friends and that not everyone has to enjoy the same activities to be friends. While Dan and his friends want summer by swimming and going to the beach, it just does not work for Paul. So instead of leaving him behind, Dan problem solves a way to make him comfortable and help him enjoy summer with his friends. The world needs more friends like Dan.
Summertime with Snowman Paul is a magical picture book that will have children and adults laughing and enjoying the antics of a snowman trying to find a way to enjoy the summer heat. Along the way, children learn a valuable lesson about compassion and friendship.
ASIN: B0B1HJ46YW
Yara and the Yellow-Headed Parrots
![Yara and the Yellow-Headed Parrots (Yara's Rainforest Book 3) by [Yossi Lapid, Joanna Pasek]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51aQEl8MwPL.jpg)
Yara and the Yellow-Headed Parrots is a wonderful picture book that educates young readers on the importance of protecting wild animals. Yara is a young girl who is admiring some parrots in a tree, but as she is watching them she sees a man that is trying to capture them. Yara confronts the man and convinces him to leave the birds alone and helps him look for an alternate solution to his problem.
This is a beautifully illustrated children’s book with full page color images in stunning water color-like illustrations. They are eye-catching images, especially the birds. My child squealed with delight when she saw the birds on the page. The parrots are very beautiful in nature and that beauty is captured on the page.
This is a bit of a sad story, as the man that is capturing the birds has a sick son that he is trying to help. But Yara finds a way to keep the birds safe while still helping the man and his son. This is a great way to teach children to think outside of the box when it comes to protecting wild animals.
Yara and the Yellow-Headed Parrots is a charming rhyming book that teaches a fantastic lesson within a gorgeously illustrated story.
Pages: 50 | ASIN: B093LVK1QV
Valentine’s Day with Snowman Paul
![Valentine's Day with Snowman Paul by [Yossi Lapid, Joanna Pasek]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51rLrV27+vL.jpg)
Valentine’s Day with Snowman Paul, by Yossi Lapid is an adorable children’s book following a charming snowman named Paul who learns what Valentine’s Day is. Snowman Paul reads many books and buys lots of things to prepare for the day, but he is missing something. He asks his best friend Dan what love is like for a snowman. They sit together sharing memories, talking, laughing, and having fun.
Author Yossi Lapid’s story is full of bright colors and beautiful rhymes that easily tie this lovely story together. The illustrations are incredibly detailed, allowing us to better relate to the memories and understand how Paul feels. Readers learn of his excitement and worry for the upcoming special day through beautiful illustrations. The art is bright and vibrant with many shapes and colors. The captivating art is critical to keeping children’s attention because kids are often drawn to the imagery while parents read the story to them. Yossi Lapid’s delightful kids book is sure to keep little ones engaged. The rhymes are easy for any child to understand and enjoy and will help build their reading comprehension skills.
I never would have thought that a snowman could be used to teach children so much about a holiday that is anything other than Christmas, but Yossi Lapid pulls it off in a spectacular fashion . Valentine’s Day with Snowman Paul is a wonderful read for any child. The storyline is simple yet provides lots of detail. Valentine’s Day with Snowman Paul is highly recommended for its unique utilization of a holiday character, easy but engaging rhymes and a vivid art style.
Pages: 24 | ASIN: B08RQBSZYD
Sasha and His Red Leash
![Sasha and his Red Leash: A picture book about safety and fun for dogs lovers (The secret Diary of a Lucky Pup 1) by [Yossi Lapid, Joanna Pasek]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51h8bw4jD9L.jpg)
Sasha and His Red Leash is the first installment of Yossi Lapid’s “The Secret Diary of a Lucky Pup” and introduces young readers to a cute little dog named Sasha as he interacts with his loving family. Of particular focus in the book is his relationship with the red leash his Big Boss Bob puts on him when Sasha is taken for a walk.
Joanna Pasek does a wonderful job of illustrating this delightful children’s book; the charming pastel watercolor illustrations throughout create a world with calming and serene imagery. Yossi Lapid is able to educate young readers about the importance of keeping their dog on a leash by using Sasha’s dislike of his red leash to spark conversation about keeping beloved pets on a leash while outdoors in order to keep them safe. This instruction is done in a child-friendly, participatory manner that presents different scenarios involving Sasha and asks readers for their input on Sasha’s safety. Sasha and His Red Leash is a fun and educational book that is a great story time addition for young readers who are between preschool age and 2nd grade.
Pages: 25 | ASIN: B0852C55DV
Yara’s Tawari Tree
Yara’s Tawari Tree by Yossi Lapid is a children’s short fiction story that takes place in the rain forest. A young girl named Yara and her mother live a self-sustaining life surrounded by nature. One day, a Parrot named Chant leads Yara to the seedling of a Tawari tree that is in danger of being cut by big machines. Yara digs up the plant to save it and replants it near her home. But will her care of the seedling be enough to keep the Tawari tree alive?
I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked that part of the story was told from the point of view of the seedling of the Tawari tree and it talked to Yara, asking for her help. The story flowed well and had a lyrical quality to it due to the author’s use of rhyming lines.
The book was illustrated by Joanna Pasek, and I really liked the pictures that accompanied the story. I loved the illustrator’s use of vivid colors. The landscape scenes looked like paintings. It appeared that watercolors were used, along with another medium.
I enjoyed the ending of the story. Yara saved the seedling, and then tea made from the bark of the grown Tawari tree ended up saving Yara when she was sick. Her kind act came full circle, though she had expected nothing in return for her good deed.
I liked the book’s message that nature should be cherished and we must care for it to ensure that it will continue to be here for people to enjoy.
Pages: 40 | ISBN: 9780997389951
Imaginative Solutions
Yossi Lapid Author Interview
Christmas with Snowman Paul is a heartwarming story showing empathy and helping others. What were some important themes you wanted to capture in this book?
I wanted my story to resonate with themes that address the true meaning of the holiday season such as friendship, inclusion, and family. The appeal of these values is in many ways near universal. My hope was that the story will raise questions such as: What does it mean to be a best friend? How does it feel to be excluded on a major holiday? Should we try harder to come up with imaginative solutions to problems of exclusion which seem, at first sight, insoluble? At the same time, I tried to address these themes with a fresh perspective and in a gentle, engaging and humorous way.
Ultimately, this is a simple story that encourages children of all ages to be sensitive to the needs of those who feel lonely and have no one to celebrate with.
The illustrations in this book are fantastic and serve to compliment the story. What was the art collaboration like with Joanna Pasek?
Collaborating with Joanna Pasek has been sheer joy from the very beginning. What I admire most in Joanna’s work is her unmatched ability to capture the emotional core of our key characters. The dog, for instance, is a key character that did not appear in my original text and was entirely Joanna’s creation. As an author, I always know that Joanna will find the best ways to match the narrative with compelling images which do not only illustrate the stories but also compliment them in new exciting ways. This holds true even in cases where text requires her to perform very difficult, and sometimes seemingly impossible, illustrations. Click this link http://bit.ly/2ARLuE7 to see Joanna’s magic in action.
The story is told in rhyme. Do you find kids learn language easier with rhymes?
Most definitely! Rhyme is one of the most effective ways to install the love of reading at an early age. It helps keep attention, enhance retention and enrich vocabularies. Children love rhymes because they are musical and amusing and because they help them anticipate what is coming next. The timeless appeal of nursery rhymes, for instance, can be explained by these attributes. The instinct to rhyme was with me from a very early age but, I think, it comes naturally to most children.
What is the next Snowman Paul story you have in the works?
First, I would like to encourage Snowman Paul friends to check out the other nine volumes already published in the Snowman Paul series (https://author.amazon.com/books). But there are many other new adventures in store for Snowman Paul some of which are already written and eagerly awaiting their turn to be published. In addition, Joanna and I are just about to come out with a new picture books series titled “Yara, the Jungle Girl”. If you like Snowman Paul, you are likely to fall in love with Yara!
Author Links: Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Website
![Christmas with Snowman Paul by [Lapid, Yossi]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51T4EUbW8RL.jpg)
Join Snowman Paul on this heart-warming and humorous Christmas Eve adventure!
What would you do if your beloved snowman told you that he feels sad about being left out in the cold while you and your entire family are celebrating a joyous Christmas Eve inside? Can Dan figure out a way to make Snowman Paul’s Christmas just as unique as his? Read this heartwarming and humorous Christmas story to find out
Christmas with Snowman Paul
All Paul wants is to enjoy Christmas with his friend. He watches from the window as his friend eats and plays and sings with his family all winter long. Paul is a snowman, so he can’t go inside, or he will melt. This doesn’t stop him from longing for the companionship of others though. Paul’s friend takes his unhappiness seriously and with the help of his family, they work to come up with a plan to help Paul out.
Yossi Lapid has written an endearing children’s book and Joanna Pasek’s illustrations bring the story to life in a way that will capture the hearts of kids young and old. Christmas with Snowman Paul takes the idea of a snowman coming to life and gives it a different twist from the traditional stories we are used to. While Paul he can play with the kids and family outside in the day, it is not enough for him. He feels lonely and left out. Paul’s friend acts right away to do something to make him feel included. This is a great lesson for kids of all ages. It teaches about people being different, having different needs, and being compassionate. Such a simple story with many great life lessons on how to be a good person.
This would be a great book to kick off the winter season, while it focuses on Christmas it is a good book that could apply to any of the winter holidays.
Pages: 26 | ASIN: B076BX4KNQ
LITERARY TITAN 