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.
☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃
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.
