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Lisa Clouser has been a reading paraprofessional for over ten years. She loves teaching elementary school students how to read and write stories. For nine years, Lisa was a summer camp counselor and now she enjoys being a summer nanny. In 2016, Ian’s Snowball Disaster was her first self-published children’s book and that same year her second book Bentley was published. Lisa loves to write because making children laugh is what it’s all about. Lisa lives in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania with her husband, son, and a brown tabby named Sonny.
Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite
Ian’s Snowball Disaster! is a children’s book written by Lisa M. Clouser and illustrated by Amrit Tigga. As Ian and his dog, Booger, look out the window, they are amazed to see that snow is covering the ground. With snow up to his knees, Ian decides to make a giant snowball. The snowball becomes so big that Ian can no longer push it, but Booger gives it one final, playful shove from underground, causing it to go rolling towards Darvie’s town center, getting bigger and more dangerous as it rolls. In hot pursuit of the snowball on his sled, Ian sees Bigfoot and his family running away, trying not to get bowled over. Ian prays for a miracle to prevent disaster from happening, but it is too late. He looks on helplessly as the town is turned to rubble, making the people of Darvie furious. After the cleanup begins, a crazy chain of events brings more publicity to the tiny town than the people could have ever imagined. Ian then hatches a brilliant idea to help pay for the damages, making snow cones from the world’s biggest snowball.
What a fun and remarkable tale! It’s interesting to see how something so innocent can cause such a big disaster, when no ill consequence was intended. Snow brings such delight to children and adults alike, that it is easy to forget how things can very much go awry during play. When things got out of control, Ian had a choice of hiding or trying to prevent the disaster and owning up to the damage caused. It is always wonderful when children try to find some way to make amends, even going as far as trying to see the positive in a negative situation.
Ian’s Snowball Disaster! is extremely well-written, with colorful illustrations seeming to jump out from each page, bringing the story to life. You will also find a coloring-in picture of Ian and Booger at the end of the story, which is perfect for children to personalize with their favorite colors. I very much enjoyed Lisa M. Clouser’s adventurous tale of a boy and his dog, and recommend it to children aged 4-7 years, so they can learn that snow play has its ups and downs, but making it fun (and safe) is all worthwhile.
