The Snowman: A Classic Children's Book - Hardcover

Briggs, Raymond

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0394839730 ISBN 13: 9780394839738

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 1978

Synopsis

Illus. in full color. A wordless story. The pictures have "the hazy softness of air in snow. A little boy rushes out into the wintry day to build a snowman, which comes alive in his dreams that night. The experience is one that neither he nor young 'readers' will ever regret or forget."--(starred) Booklist.  

About this title

Review:

Who needs words to tell a story? In Raymond Briggs's charming tale, told with 175 softly hued, artfully composed frames, a little boy makes friends with a snowman. He wakes up on a snowy day, tells his mother he's going outside, then begins a flurry of snowman-building. That night, he can't sleep, so he opens the front door and lo! the snowman has come to life. The amiable yet frosty fellow enjoys his tour of the boy's cozy home; he admires the cat, but is disturbed by the fire. The boy shows him other wonders--the TV and a lamp and running water. Predictably perhaps, he is disturbed by the stove, but likes ice cubes quite a bit. Soon it is the snowman's turn to introduce the boy to his wintry world. They join hands, rise up into the blizzardy air--presumably over Russia and into the Middle East--and then safely back to home sweet home. The boy pops into bed before his parents get up... but when he wakes up the next morning he races outside only to find his new buddy's melted remains, scattered with a few forlorn lumps of coal. Since the book is wordless, you can make up any ending you want... like "Then, in a puff of pink smoke, the snowman recomposed himself and went to live in the boy's garage freezer." Or you could just resign yourself to a peaceful "And that was that." Raymond Briggs's The Snowman won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and this wintertime classic continues to win the hearts of kids every year. (Preschool and older) --Karin Snelson

From the Back Cover:

The Alphabet Book by P. D. Eastman

Dr. Seuss's ABC by Dr. Seuss

The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss

Go, Dog. Go! by P. D. Eastman

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb by Al Perkins

He Bear, She Bear by Stan & Jan Berenstain

I'll Teach My Dog a Lot of Words by Michael Frith

Inside, Outside, Upside Down by Stan & Jan Berenstain

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss

Old Hat, New Hat by Stan & Jan Berenstain

The Shape of Me and Other Stuff by Dr. Seuss

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

Stop, Train, Stop! by the Rev. W. Awdry

There's a Wocket in My Pocket! by Dr. Seuss

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1978
• ISBN 10: 0394839730
• ISBN 13: 9780394839738
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32