Frosty the Soulman

FROSTY THE SOULMAN

By Don Lubov

Self-Published: October 4, 2013

32 color pages

Children's / All Ages / Spirituality

ABOUT THE BOOK: As a picture book, Frosty introduces important concepts to the young reader. His story of life is inspirational in a generic sense that appeals to both secular and religious audiences. In 612 words, Frosty the Soulman experiences love, death, the wonder of creation, the joy of popularity, the pain of abandonment, a cruel death, transcendence, and enlightenment.

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The book's spine is across the top!

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HALL WAYS REVIEW: If I had to sum-up Frosty the Soulman in one word, it would be "unique." From the unique format (the spine is on top, so you flip the pages up) to the unique concept, there is nothing cookie-cutter about this story. Don't let the book's title fool you -- this is no knock-off story about Christmas magic; rather, it's a metaphor for the cycle of life and death and afterlife.

 “Fortune shines on me. I am truly complete.”

Lubov’s writing style is also unique. The majority of the story is told from Frosty’s point-of-view in a somewhat stream-of-consciousness approach. Readers share as Frosty becomes sentient and grateful, then proud and haughty, then alone and scared and dying. The sentences vary from simple and straightforward to poetic and rhythmic, with a nice play on words to end the story.

Author Don Lubov is also the illustrator, and he credits his wife with painting the sketches. The pops of color really add dimension to the book, and the sketches are quite expressive and complement the text so that Frosty has real personality and human characteristics.

As for the format, I’m not a huge fan of the book being arranged with the spine at the top. That switch from the standard combined with the size of the book will make it cumbersome for little hands to hold it and flip the pages.  However, the text size and font are appropriate, and there is lots of white space, so young readers won’t feel overwhelmed with words. My copy had some ghost-text that showed on many of the pages (and not bleed-through text). Overall, the format detracted and distracted from the story for me, but it didn’t ruin it. Hopefully there will be a reprint at some point.

“This book is dedicated to adults who read to children.”

In keeping with the author’s dedication, I recommend Frosty the Soulman as a read-along for parents and their children. A snowman is brought to life, briefly fêted and quickly abandoned, suffers a painful (and somewhat gruesomely illustrated) death – and then, he lives! Given the emotional extremes that happen in just thirty-two pages, a child needs an adult – but not just any adult -- to comfort and counsel.  And that’s my warning: The themes are heavy and open to a variety of very personal interpretations. Kids are going to ask questions; as such, educators and those who aren’t personally related to a child could get stuck in a tough spot trying to explain the story to a little one.  

For something completely different from the norm, give Frosty the Soulman a try and challenge your children -- and yourself -- to think at a deeper level.

Thank you to the author for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest review – the only kind I give.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Don Lubov has written about spirituality and stress relief since 1971. He is the author of 9 books. 10 years successfully teaching his “Six-Step Path” at College of Central Florida Sr. Center, MTP College, and The Lifelong Learning College in The Villages, FL. He has taught his unique brand of meditation to over 2,000 people, who subsequently achieved a level of inner peace. Don has been happily married since 1976. 

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