Customer Reviews

The Rabbit and the Snowman

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed reading this book. It was well written, the illustrations were good and most of all the text and illustrations complimented each other. The book really fit together well. I'm sure kids will love having this book read to them as they look at the pictures.

It's been a long time since I read the story about Frosty the Snowman. As I read this book I found myself remembering that classic tale and character. Both stories involve kids, a snowman, a melting, and sadness and friendship. If you liked Frosty, then you'll like this book.

I continue to be impressed with the author of this book. She is both the author and the illustrator, and she self publishes quite a few childrens' books. Back in March I posted a review for another of her books entitled "The Cake Thief" (ISBN: 1419683926). I liked that book, but I think the author has produced a better product this time around. Thus, my star rating has gone up.

I would have liked this book better if the text had been a little tighter and the story a little better. But it's a kid's book. And what it was built to do it will do - entertain! 5 stars!

One winter's day a group of children build a snowman and then forget about him. He feels lonely until a rabbit befriends him. The two have a lot of fun together until the weather gets warmer. Now it is the rabbit's turn to feel lonely. As the weather gets warmer, he has fun with other friends but never forgets his friend the snowman. When the weather starts to get colder he wonders if he will see his friend again.

"The Rabbit and the Snowman" is a charmingly written and illustrated novel about friendship. It is written for ages 4 - 8 and holds a few gentle lessons in the story - how the seasons change; how friendships can change; and how people can feel insecure about themselves (the snowman and rabbit both worry that people don't like them because of the way they look). These lessons are interwoven into a magical story where snowmen and rabbits can talk to each other. It is a short but wonderful story.

Sally O. Lee not only wrote and illustrated this book but also designed the typesetting. These three ingredients make for a wonderful children's book. Well done.

Sally O. Lee has created a wonderful little book about friendship that is certain to become a favorite of children and of adults who read to children. And while the cover and content may not appeal to summer shoppers in bookstores and websites (the illustration and name include suggestions of winter snow), this is a good time to gift shop for the children on the Christmas list!

Simply and beautifully illustrated with colorful drawings and paintings readily accessible to even very small children, the layout of this fine book is as inviting as the story. The tale begins in winter when a group of children bring gathered treasures to create a snowman in the woods - carrot nose, charcoal eyes and mouth, branches for arms, and tattered scarf and hat. But once the snowman is finished, the children move onto other winter adventures, leaving the snowman alone. Wondering why the children don't return, the snowman begins to question why - is it his skinny arms, his crooked carrot nose, etc.? But his lonely sadness soon disappears when a little rabbit appears and the two become fast friends. In time winter passes and with spring the snowman melts, leaving the little rabbit to question his own appearance and superficial values as the reason for the snowman's exit. Spring blends to summer and summer to fall and fall to winter And with winter's arrival, once again the snowman is recreated and the bond of friendship between the rabbit and the snowman is restored - with a little faith in the durability of friendship despite apparent obstacles.

Lee writes and draws well and has succeeded in creating a very dear little book that children will love and adults will treasure as a reminder of what is important in this turbulent world. Recommended. Grady Harp, July 08

In this children's book by author, Sally O Lee, we find a group of children building a snowman in a field far away. After building it, the childrenleave and never return. The snowman is very sad and thinks it is his fault that they left, perhaps his nose is too crooked?
After a period of time, he meets a rabbit and they become friends, but when the weather changes and becomes warm, the snowman disappears, now the rabbit is alone. He also begins to wonder, did he do something wrong? After a while, the two friends find each other again.
The author uses the two characters in this book to show children that people often come and go in their lives. She also lets them know, by using the characters, that is isn't because of how they look, or what they do, it is merely circumstances in life that sometimes make people leave. The illustrations are vivid and work nicely with the storyline to bring it into the mind's eye. A very nice book, and a very smart way to help children as they live their lives to know, sometimes people we know must leave, but true friends stay forever.

A charming tale of enduring friendship awaits you and your child in "The Rabbit and The Snowman" by Sally O. Lee.

One day a group of children walk many miles from their home and travel deep in the forest to a field and build a snowman. The children leave and the snowman waits for their return. But they never come back. Maybe there is something wrong with him. Then one day, a small rabbit bounces over to the snowman and they become friends. Winter turns to spring and the rabbit looks for his snowman friend, but he can't find him. Why would his friend leave? Maybe there is something wrong with him. But when winter returns again to the field, the rabbit finds the snowman waiting to talk to him and their friendship is renewed.

Young children and parents will adore this heartwarming story of everlasting friendship. Young readers learn valuable skills to help them interact with peers: acceptance, how to enjoy the little things in life, and compassion.

Lee's illustrations in "The Rabbit and The Snowman" bring this story to life. My girls couldn't stop talking about how pretty the pictures are.

The one challenge I had was with the text. The selected font made it difficult to distinguish commas from periods and on the colored pages I found the letter "r" hard to identify.

A delightful story that children will enjoy reading time and again, "The Rabbit and The Snowman" by Sally O. Lee might just become a classic.

"The Rabbit and the Snowman" is beautifully written and illustrated by Sally O. Lee. The story is about a snowman that was created out in a field by children and left by himself. The snowman was lonely, until one day a rabbit shows up and befriends him. Not realizing that it is fleeting, they enjoy their friendship with each other. When Spring comes, the snowman disappears. The rabbit is disappointed because he fears that he has done something to scare his friend away. When winter comes again, the snowman returns and the two are able to continue their friendship.
This story has a really nice theme about the value of friendship. Children will find themselves relating to the tale because they can see in their own lives how friendships can change. Through this story they will learn that just because a friendship changes, it doesn't mean it was because of something that they did wrong. They will see that sometimes their friends have things happening in their own lives that make them change. In addition to children being able to enjoy the story and the illustrations, they will also learn this valuable lesson.

The Rabbit and the Snowman is a book about friendship. The two main characters are both very lonely and each satisfies an important need present in the other. The book is also about abandonment and confusion. Snowman cannot understand why the children have left him after they built him. He starts to wonder if he doesn't look right or if his articles of clothing are not attractive. He is convinced he may never find a friend again, but then another woodland creature suddenly shows up, also in need of a friend. The two enjoy each other's company immensely, and their need to feel needed is satisfied.

Rabbit and the Snowman is a decent enough book and its message about abandonment and friendship is certainly good. But I do have some issues with this book. The main problem I have is with the characters. The book uses narration and does not offer direct quotes from either of the main characters. Because of this and because of the way the narration is conducted, these characters have little or no personality. They are a little on the dull side and because of this, you're not really sure if you care about the predicament the two characters are in because they seem too plain and boring.

The plot of this book is okay, but nothing special. It doesn't offer much imagination, but it passes and most children will find it acceptable. The main theme of the book is that abandonment and loneliness are not fun and it feels really great when one finally does find someone to share with. With this type of theme and the age group targeted, a simple story seems to work just fine and I don't think many kids will complain. The illustrations in this book are also quite colorful and nicely painted. The drawings themselves feature thin, black, speck- like lines around the edges of each object. It is almost a little too abstract for children, but adults will appreciate this artistic effort.

Overall, this is decent children's book and it should be suitable enough that most children will like it. The dullness of the personalities of the two main characters is certainly a flaw, but there are enough good points in this children's book to give it a recommendation.

One day some children built a snowman in a field deep in the woods. Then the children left and never came back. The snowman wondered whether he had done something wrong. One day a rabbit found the snowman and the two became fast friends. What happens next makes this story a charming one for young minds.

Children have difficulty understanding separation from friends and family. They can also have difficulty understanding why things change. Another thing children struggle with is differences between each other. This story presents parents and educators with an opportunity to discuss all these things.

Is a friend still a friend even when they go home or go to another state? Was it surprising that the snowman disappeared? Was it surprising that the snowman reappeared? Did the children who made the snowman think there was something wrong with the snowman?

I enjoyed this story and see it as a marvelous way to introduce some of the concepts that children see daily. This story could be a way to ask children why certain children appear to be less popular than other children are. Another aspect to this story is that it helps explain why differences can be valuable, a great introduction to diversity.

Sally O. Lee is an award-winning author with multiple titles to her credit. This award-winning book with its fun artwork and excellent concepts is one to have in the library of young children everywhere, including school.

Enjoy!

My thanks to the author's representative for providing a review copy of this book.

Seasons may change, but friendships remain.

Children build a snowman in the forest, but soon leave him, forgotten and alone, to wonder why his friends had left him. Was his carrot nose too crooked? His stick arms too skinny?

Later, he meets rabbit, another creature who lives in the forest. The two spend many days together, talking about the snow and the birds who sometimes join their conversations, about the forest and the stars in the nighttime sky.

But soon the weather begins to warm up, and one day when rabbit comes to visit his friend the snowman, he's no longer there. Was rabbit too furry? Were his ears too big?

The seasons rush by, and rabbit sometimes thinks about his friend the snowman, but usually he's too busy playing and eating. Then the weather changes yet again, and soon the first snowflakes fall, and - his friend the snowman returns!

Young children are sure to enjoy this tale of changing seasons and unchanging friendships!

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

"The Rabbit and the Snowman" is a cute little story about friendship. The main characters are, as is apparent by the title, a rabbit and a snowman. The snowman was built in a field by group of children who, when they were finished with him, left him all alone. The snowman was a bit sad and wondered why the children had left him there by himself. Was there something wrong with the way he looked? "Maybe his carrot nose wasn't straight enough. Maybe there were too many holes in his scarf. Maybe his stick arms were too skinny. Or maybe his coal smile was too crooked."

One day a rabbit came into the field where the snowman stood. He and the snowman struck up a conversation and a friendship that lasted through the winter. Of course, when the weather got warmer, the snowman melted and disappeared. And then the rabbit wondered why the snowman had left him. Was there something wrong with the way he looked? "Maybe he was too furry, or his ears were too big, or his eyes were too small." The rabbit was a bit sad to lose his friend.

Spring came and went, as did summer and fall. The rabbit played and frolicked in the fields, but he never forgot about his friend the snowman. When the first snow fell, the rabbit went back to the field where the snowman had been the previous winter. And, sure enough, there was the snowman, standing all alone. The two renewed their friendship for another winter.

Both the rabbit and the snowman fulfill each other's need for friendship. Their friendship endures even though they are absent from each other for several months. Children will identify with the friendship theme and will cheer when the rabbit is reunited with his friend the snowman. 4 stars.