Claude on the Slopes

by Alex T. Smith

Overview

When Mr. and Mrs. Shineyshoes leave for the day, their dog Claude and his sock puppet sidekick, Sir Bobblysock, hit the slopes. From Alex T. Smith's hilariously illustrated early chapter book series.

Claude and his best friend Sir Bobblysock go to the Snowy Mountains to swish down the powdery slopes. They throw snowballs, learn to ski, and enter a snow-sculpture contest. But when an avalanche threatens their winter wonderland, Claude must come to the rescue. What a wonderful day!

Quirky, delightfully odd, and positively surreal, Alex T. Smith's beloved Claude series promises fits of giggles for readers transitioning from picture books to chapter books. Two-color illustrations throughout.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561459230
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	10/04/2016
Series:	Claude , #4
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	910L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Alex T. Smith briefly considered careers in space travel, cookery and being a rabbit, but finally decided to become an illustrator. He earned a first-class honors degree in Illustration from Coventry University and went on to create the award-winning Claude series which has been developed as an animated TV show. When he isn't doodling in his sketchbook, Alex can be found people-watching and eavesdropping. He lives in England with two very tiny and naughty dogs.

Editorial Reviews

"Children who have yet to discover Claude, the small, plump dog with the nifty red beret, and his sidekick, Sir Bobblysock (who is both a sock and quite bobbly), are in for a delight. . . . [W]hen they venture into a winter wonderland, mayhem and hilarity ensues." —School Library Journal

"The new book in the series may be the sweetest surrealist children's book ever published. . . [I]t's hard not to love a main character who wears a one-man-band outfit to the library, in case he finds a very exciting book." —Kirkus Reviews

"Humorous red-accented illustrations, an amusing storytelling style, and quirky plots will continue to delight Claude's fans." —The Horn Book Guide

From the Publisher

2014-08-20
It's difficult to describe the Claude books without using the word surreal. The new book in the series may be the sweetest surrealist children's book ever published. Claude's best friend is a sock. Sir Bobblysock is very nattily dressed, and Smith gets a lot of mileage out of one joke, putting the sock in ever more absurd outfits. Sir Bobblysock wears pajamas, then earmuffs, and there's a reference to a "glitzy leotard" he puts on before aerobics class. Most of the humor in the book comes from one basic premise: This would never, ever happen in real life. Sometimes the joke works. It's very funny when a girl suggests Claude use a tea tray as a sled, and readers learn that "He always kept one in his beret—with a full tea set just in case there was a tea-based emergency." It's less funny to read about Sir Bobblysock's bunion and his session in a heated foot spa. Instead of laughing, kids may say, "What's a bunion?" or, "That would never, ever happen in real life." Much too often, the book is perplexing instead of amusing. But there's no denying that Claude is sweet and charming, and Sir Bobblysock looks fantastic in his checkered nightcap. In the end, it's hard not to love a main character who wears a one-man-band outfit to the library, in case he finds a very exciting book. (Fiction. 7-9)

Kirkus Reviews