Sherlock Holmes and The Missing Snowman in David Ruffle's Sherlock Holmes group

Dec 31, 2012 Megan rated it it was amazing

This book was adorable and a great Christmas Sherlock read. When a young girl visits Baker Street to get Sherlock to solve the case of where her snowman went you would think Holmes would dismiss it. But to Watson's surprise Holmes jumps on the case and goes out in the cold to find clues with the little girl. While you always think of Holmes as cold and withdrawn David Ruffle shows a warm-hearted Holmes which yet still stays true to the Arthur Conan Doyle legend.

The artistry in the book is also ...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Leah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sherlock-holmes, blog-review, all-time-favorites, from-the-tbr-pile, 2012

This past October, I had the privilege of being asked to review a pre-publication copy of David Ruffle's "Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Snowman" for my Sherlockian book review blog. A prolific writer, Mr. Ruffle now has six published books featuring Holmes and Watson to his credit, and is finishing up the seventh. Most of his books are intended for older readers; Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Snowman, however, is meant for a younger audience–much younger.

If you think about it, as ubiquitous This past October, I had the privilege of being asked to review a pre-publication copy of David Ruffle's "Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Snowman" for my Sherlockian book review blog. A prolific writer, Mr. Ruffle now has six published books featuring Holmes and Watson to his credit, and is finishing up the seventh. Most of his books are intended for older readers; Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Snowman, however, is meant for a younger audience–much younger.

If you think about it, as ubiquitous as Sherlock Holmes is in our culture, it’s rare to find him in children’s books. When we do see him, he’s often doing a cameo (as in the Basil of Baker Street series), or is disguised as a dog, a muppet, or a 12-year-old detective operating out of the family garage. A picture book featuring Holmes and Watson in their human, canonical form is, therefore, a truly welcome development!

The story is a simple one. Holmes and Watson are lounging about at 221B, one day near Christmas. They’ve been kept in by a two-day snowstorm (and, presumably, no cases), and Watson’s eager to go out for a walk. Holmes is having none of that; perhaps it’s fortunate that their discussion is interrupted by the doorbell.

This is not your typical Baker Street supplicant, however. Their prospective client is Henrietta Fortescue, a five year-old girl who’s lost someone important. After spending the beginning of her short life in a hotter climate, she was thrilled to see snow for the first time, and built a large snowman, just as she’d seen in books–only to find him gone now that the sun’s come out.

Possibly a bit testy because Holmes won’t go out, or because his war wound is acting up, Watson informs Henrietta that Sherlock Holmes is a busy man of affairs, and is about to remind everyone of the impact heat has on frozen things, when his friend interrupts him and agrees to take the little girl’s case. What follows is a simple, touching story that reminds us that, no matter what he wants others to think, the Great Detective is much more than a logical machine.

In his books for adults, Mr. Ruffle has always displayed a gift for expressing emotion without verbal clutter, and it’s used here to great effect. "The Missing Snowman" reads out loud extremely well (more on this in a minute), and Lyme Regis artist Rikey Austin’s soft, nostalgic illustrations, done in a light, wintry palette, add to its gentle mood.

Of course, we all know of children’s books–picture books in particular–which adults love, but children find boring. Having been blessed with three little people myself, I thought I’d give "The Missing Snowman" a field test. My kids are 10, 9, and 7–the first two a little older than Ruffle’s target audience, but since they still enjoy being read to, I figured they’d do in a pinch, so we snuggled up on the couch before bedtime. Here are their reactions:

Daughter, 10: “Sherlock Holmes is like a mysterious character. He likes kids and talks to them so they can understand things.”

Son, 9: “It was great!”

Son, 7: “It was awesome!”

My kids can be squirrely; they are not at all “the sitting-down type.” Their preferred reading material usually involves fantastic adventures or very broad humor. In other words, I was concerned. "The Missing Snowman," however, kept their attention. They understood what Holmes does to solve Henrietta’s problem, and why he gives his young client the explanation he does at the end of the story. They especially appreciated the bits of humor; everyone agreed that the bit in which Holmes interrupts Watson before he mentions m-e-l-t-i-n-g was their favorite.

My kids are young. To them, the holidays are still magical, and it’s fun to try to create special memories for them. As a parent, however, I’m very conscious that a lot of what’s out there glorifies the material aspects of this time of year. Someone is always “saving Christmas,” which pretty much means “making sure there are presents.” There isn’t much about giving, and if there is, it involves…presents. In "The Missing Snowman," Holmes, who was never a father, still knows how important it is to preserve a little girl’s sense of wonder, to let her keep her childhood just a bit longer. Henrietta, for her part, learns to show gratitude by giving up something which has meaning for her. In keeping with canon, there’s no emphasis on religion; the book is appealing whatever your views on the subject. For children, the book is about kindness. However, in its gentle way, "Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Snowman" also reminds us adults that what may seem trivial to a grown-up is essential to a child and that, to modify Holmes’ advice to Henrietta, “Your children will not be with you for very long. Enjoy them while they are here.” ...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Mike Hogan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sherlock-holmes

This richly-illustrated children's book is a delightful story of a little girl who had lost her snowman. Naturally, she and her mother visit the famous detective Mr Sherlock Holmes at his lodgings at 221b Baker Street.
Much to Dr Watson's astonishment, the World's foremost consulting detective takes the case and pursues it with his legendary sagacity and tenacity. He discovers - but no, I will not spoil the ending.
The writing is simple enough for a small child to follow, but, as one would expect ...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Emma Moulton rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-reads-read

I won this book through Goodreads Firstread.

I love this book. Considering it is for the younger reader (6-11) years, it is a very good book.
I enjoyed sitting down for 5 minutes to give it a read.
Very cute story line and the illustrations are great.

Love it

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Jan 01, 2013 Philip Jones rated it really liked it

I read the book and found it charming. However, this book is written as a children's book and I have no idea of what constitutes the proper contents in such Literature. It does not seem to contain a serious message about Christmas or about expected/proper behavior. It gives no clues to the reader how to face the problems of peer-pressure or parental frustration or any of the other multitudinous problems children encounter every day. It teaches no morality nor does it give a child a good example ...more

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