'Sno Way! That's Not My Snowman! by Fiona Watt

THAT'S NOT MY SNOWMAN.

HIS SCARF IS TOO FLUFFY.

Fiona Watts' newest Touchy-Feely book, That's Not My Snowman (Usborne Touchy Feely) (Usborne, 2010) is an appealing little addition to this most popular of board books series. As in the others of these top-selling tactile books for the very youngest, the emphasis is on engaging the senses--large, colorful illustrations set spot-art style against bright white backgrounds to focus and delight the eye, and a predictably repetitive text, enlivened by a bit of alliteration to catch the ear of the young listener.

But the main fun lies in the tactile inserts on each page, each of which entice little fingers to feel, scratch, and rub. The cover snowman sports a felt fedora, soft and with just a hint of fuzziness, and his scarf features fluffy red fleece. His big black buttons are bumpy; and his mittens are as fuzzy as only the scrubby side of a dish sponge can be. But the real deal appears on the final page where the right snowman appears with his big, polka-dotted orange nose, appropriately squashy! Now that's a snowman!

That's Not My Snowman (Usborne Touchy Feely) joins such earlier holiday-themed hits by author Watts and illustrator Rachel West as That's Not My Reindeer (Usborne Touchy-Feely Board Books), and That's Not My Santa (Usborne Touchy-Feely) as super seasonal stocking stuffers for the littlest bibliophiles.