The Abominable Snowman is an inventive and engaging winter show from production company Wild Boor Ideas sure to delight young children.

The story follows Daisy, a lazy girl whose mother sends her out to get food and firewood. She encounters a variety of charming puppet animals (many of which look like they were made by Wild Boor), an Abominable Snowman who gives her a magic wand and a mean woodcutter steals it from her.

There are many different elements at play here - puppetry, projection, dance, interactive elements (all the children were presented with a magic wand on the way in and invited to decorate them), and even sensory lights for young babies. I was impressed to note some sign language as well. Emma brought them together in a charming and high energy show.

As you’d expect, the show was extremely relaxed. Most of the seating was on duvets on the floor, with some seats for adults, and it was absolutely fine to feed babies, reassure them during any scary bits, or have a rogue child escape and temporarily invade the performance. Boor herself radiated friendliness from the stage, making every child there feel noticed and welcomed.

My two year old was delighted by all of this. She was a little unsure at the beginning but was soon won over, particularly by the puppetry and interactive parts. Older children in the audience also seemed to be getting into the story and shouting advice to Emma (who kept the show on track singlehandedly, in an impressively assured display of stagecraft for young children). As an adult, I was particularly impressed by the projection used - there were some charming colourful interludes on the screen behind) - and the snowman puppet himself, who radiated warmth in a story about snow.

As a children’s show, this was pretty much flawless. There are only two things to be aware of when booking. Firstly, it’s not a whole family show - don’t bring along teenagers or grandparents! They will not want to cast a magic spell with their paper wand! - but early years kids will find it engaging and magical. Secondly, while it’s firmly winter themed, The Abominable Snowman is not specifically a Christmas show, so don’t tell children they’re going to a panto. That considered, I’d wholeheartedly recommend this inclusive and imaginative piece of early years theatre.