Snow-Man

Six exciting new tales for reluctant readers about a chilly superhero and friends

Reading Age 7-8 ★ Interest Age 9-12 ★ Word Count 1,200-1,500

We are proud to introduce a brand new fiction series for struggling readers aged 9-12. Each story in the Snow-Man series has a low reading age of 7-8, combining accessible language with exciting and witty plotlines that are appropriate to the age of the reader.

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  1. Competition time!

    Competition time!

    Posted on: Apr 18, 2017
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    Win a set of plays from our best-selling fiction series, Snow-Man!

    Let me set the scene...

    It's the middle of December, everyone should be in their winter coats and playing in the snow, but something has happened in the town of Shiverton, they are having a heat wave! Snow is melting and running down the hill, but why? How is there a heat wave in December? Who could be responsible?

    It's time for Cole Day to munch on a raw carrot and transform into the world's coldest superhero, Snow-Man.

    This brillllliant play has been skilfully rewritten from the original title to include seven speaking parts with varying amounts of lines so everyone can be included.

    The play consists of only 1000 words but is packed full of humour and superb illustrations by Steve Beckett to keep the attention of the participants. Although it has a reading age of 8-9 and an interest age of 8-12, I promise you boys and girls of all ages will absolutely love it!

    Our authors

  2. This play is HOT, HOT HOT!

    This play is HOT, HOT HOT!

    Posted on: Jan 19, 2017
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    Let your pupils become the imaginatively named characters in comic author, Tommy Donbavand's, exciting and witty play, Hot Hot Hot!

    Watch the smiles appear on your pupils' faces as they are immersed into the humorous and entertaining play.

    Cole Day was an ordinary school boy until, one day....COSSSSHHH! A stray snowball hit Cole on the back of his head!

    But it wasn't just any snowball, it was a radioactive snowball. Now every time Cole eats a raw carrot he becomes Snow-Man – the world's chilliest superhero!

    Your class will be enthralled as they act out the adventures of Snow-Man and his sidekicks, Thin Ice and Frostbite, as they try to get to the bottom of a heat wave in the middle of December. Could this be the work of Ray Burn and his giant sunglasses?

    The whole play consists of 1,000 words and has 7 speaking parts with varying numbers of lines and reading level so that everyone can be included. The book features bright colourful illustrations by

  3. Competition time!

    Posted on: Jan 13, 2016
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    To celebrate the launch of our new series Snow-Man, we are giving away a SIGNED SET!

    Snow-Man, written by Tommy Donbavand, is our new series of exciting tales about a chilly superhero and his friends!

    For an interest age of 9-12 years, Tommy has imaginatively named the characters to really grab the reader's attention. Cole Day is just an ordinary boy who transforms into Snow-Man when he eats a carrot and is joined by his sidekicks, Thin Ice and Frostbite! Together they fight an array of ingenious villains such as Ray Burn, Gail Force and Chuck Ingit-Down (I bet you're smiling now!). Steve Beckett has really brought these characters to life with his bright, colourful illustrations which reward the reader and entice them to turn the page.

    With exciting and witty plotlines appropriate for the age of the reader, but with an accessible reading age of 7-8, all six titles in Snow-Man will captivate reluctant readers, inspire confidence and ensure a positive and fun reading

  4. Born to be bad

    Posted on: Nov 05, 2015
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    Our authors are always saying that villains are the best characters to write, and Tommy Donbavand is no exception. He says that "villains are so much fun to invent - especially if they come with secret lairs, diabolical weapons and over-worked minions!"

    The weapons in the Snow-Man series are certainly diabolical, and the baddies as eccentric as their 'puntacular' names. But exactly how do these characters go from a description on the page to a striking visual image? We asked Danny Pearson, our Senior Editor, to shed some light.

    Us: How were the villains brought to life?

    Danny: These were a lot of fun. Tommy and I swapped many emails on how a villain should look. Strangely enough a lot of 1970/80/90s villains from films came up as these were a great source for how a villain should act and what their costumes should look like. Again, as soon as we had settled on a look I'd send a brief over to Steve and in no time at all we would have a visual for a villain. I love

  5. Winter is coming...

    Winter is coming...

    Posted on: Oct 01, 2015
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    Just when Cole Day thought things couldn't get any worse in the weather-beaten town of Shiverton, a brand new villain appears. And, to make matters worse, Weathergirl is someone he knows very well indeed.

    Snow-Man will need all his wintery wits about him – and an extra team member (meet Popsicle!) – when this powerful enemy decides to destroy the town she only ever tried to help.

    It's here! Check out the electrifying cover for the sixth and last reveal in the Snow-Man series, where our hero faces an unexpected villain with exciting – and possibly dire – consequences.

    As can be seen from the cover, this title is packed full of fantastic illustrations by Steve Beckett to accompany Tommy Donbavand's warm, witty narrative. Reluctant readers will enjoy the combination of colourful drawings and bite-sized chunks of text, as they help to make reading a fun and encouraging process as opposed to a laborious one.

    Just like the other titles in this series, Cold Front

  6. Stuck fast

    Stuck fast

    Posted on: Sep 14, 2015
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    Another villain rains on Shiverton's parade and creates a sticky situation for the unassuming residents. It looks like the work of crafty crook, Chuck Ingit-Down, whose speciality is to lace clouds with glue which creates big, gooey puddles on the ground below!

    Can Cole Day turn into Snow-Man in time to rescue the trapped residents before it's too late?

    This story is the latest humorous instalment in the 6 title Snow-Man series from author Tommy Donbavand and illustrator Steve Beckett. Aimed at reluctant readers, each book has been crafted so that it blends engaging illustrations with short, manageable paragraphs which will guide the reader from start to finish in a simple and enjoyable way.

    As with all the titles in this series, characters are introduced in a section at the beginning of the book and challenging vocabulary is highlighted in order to eliminate confusion and make the book easy to use. Questions are included at the end of the story to ensure the reader

  7. 'Mist-erious' goings-on in Shiverton!

    'Mist-erious' goings-on in Shiverton!

    Posted on: Jul 06, 2015
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    Shiverton comes under attack again, but this time it proves even harder for Snow-Man and his crew to find the root of the problem due to a dense fog which shrouds the town.

    And why do everyone's trousers keep falling down?!

    Tommy crafts another witty and entertaining story, which, coupled with Steve Beckett's animated illustrations, make for an incredibly fun reading experience for children.

    To make the front cover stand out on a bookshelf and the inside artwork more vibrant, it was decided that an injection of colour to the previously white mist would be preferable and so different colours were experimented with in order to portray the fog.

    Green looked like it could be interpreted as an unpleasant smell and no-one was particularly keen on the pink so yellow was decided on because in colour psychology it is often associated with the mind. As the story transpires that the mist has come from wicked villain, Misty Morning, we thought that this was the most

  8. Don't look up!

    Don't look up!

    Posted on: Jun 26, 2015
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    Cole Day has just finished building his go-kart to enter the annual Shiverton 'Roll Down The Hill A Bit' race. He's eager to take it out for a test drive. So the last thing he needs are giant, golf-ball sized blocks of ice falling from the sky and smashing up everything in sight.

    Cole must crunch a carrot and transform into Snow-Man once more. It's time to confront the ice-hearted Hayley Stone and her plan to bring Shiverton to its knees.

    Snow-Man's latest adventure is in danger of giving him a headache that he won't forget in a hurry! Have your reluctant readers join him in getting to the bottom of this curious crisis - we're confident they will traverse the text with ease and enthusiasm.

    The story is inviting and fun, and the language and word count are accessible for less able readers. Each book also boasts extra features including a general backstory, vocabulary page, questions about the story and a 'Meet the Author/Illustrator' page – all to increase engagement

  9. Pass the carrot...

    Pass the carrot...

    Posted on: Jun 02, 2015
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    Cole and his sister Winter are blown away (pun intended) when an uninvited guest breezes into town and wreaks havoc on homes, shops and local businesses!

    Can Snow-Man and his team put a stop to the path of destruction unfolding along the streets of Shiverton before everything is completely destroyed?

    This light-hearted tale comes complete with laugh-out-loud moments and an impressive villain that will have primary school children glued to the pages until the very end!

    Author, Tommy Donbavand, is an expert at developing stories for struggling readers and Windy-Pops! combines just the right balance of accessible language with a witty and highly entertaining plot. Accompanying a number of the pages are Steve Beckett's bright and engaging full colour illustrations which really bring this fun story to life.

  10. Sweat it out

    Sweat it out

    Posted on: May 28, 2015
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    It's the middle of December, but Shiverton has been hit by a heat wave. All the snow is melting and running downhill.

    Could this be the work of Ray Burn and his giant pair of sunglasses? Why does he want to flood the Shiverton Museum of Really Expensive Stuff?

    To find out, Cole will have to munch on a carrot and become the world's coldest superhero - Snow-Man!

    We are proud to reveal the first action-packed story in the Snow-Man series, and it's swelteringly good! No, seriously.

    The combination of engrossing storyline and compact word count of 1,200-1,500 words will draw readers in and even leave them wanting more! We are confident that this amusing story can be enjoyed by all ages, but most specifically reluctant readers aged 9-12 with a reading age of just 7-8.

    Let your pupils join us for some surreal fun in the world of Snow-Man and his pals. And if we can't convince you, let this first exclusive look at the book cover do the talking.

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