Snowman [Hardcover]

Raymond Briggs (Author)

Book Description

This is the evocative story of a small boy's friendship with a snowman and their flight together over the sparkling winter landscape. Told without words through Raymond Briggs' gentle, atmospheric pictures, the book is about the innocence and wonder of childhood.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com 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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K-- For some reason, Briggs has added words to his immortal wordless picture book about a small boy's nocturnal adventures with an all-too-mortal snowman. The result, to say the least, is disappointing. It features fewer pictures described in simple declarative sentences that relate the action but lose the potency of the narrative. Further, the story has been trimmed, and incidents adding texture to the original have been lost. Much of the snowman's characterization is gone; his gentle meeting with a cat has been cut, as have his telling fear of a lighted stove, his wonderment at the TV, and his bemusement at a pair of false teeth. All of his slapstick adventures with James's toys are gone; half of the flying journey has been eliminated. The bittersweet ending remains as Briggs allows James to make his discovery of his melted friend without comment, but much of its resonance is missing with the lost pictures. What is left is a simple, rather ordinary story of an adventure with a flying snowman suitable for preschoolers who might well have waited a bit longer until they were old enough to enjoy James's magical interlude in its fullest glory. --Christine Behrmann, New York Public Library
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Hamish Hamilton (October 29, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0241139384
• ISBN-13: 978-0241139387
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,982,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Special, September 29, 2002

By 

apoem "apoem" (Bosque Farms, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Snowman (Hardcover)

A gentle book that has no words. The story is in the pictures. For my three year old son who so desperately wants to read, he had no problem 'reading' this story. He was able to tell a story, look at the pictures and pick out different details and tell a different story. The pictures are gentle and kind and show a special relationship with imagination, dreams, wishes, children and the fine line between reality and imagination that children can walk with ease.

Enjoy.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Snowman, December 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Snowman (Hardcover)

A children's classic, a must for every book shelf. The wordless format lets the children create their own story. We purchased the book for our then three year old, at eighteen he still reads and loves the book. This year I am purchasing another copy for our thirteen year old who also loves the gentle illustrations and the heart warming message. This book truly illustrates that words are not necessary for a book to be a literary great.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Magical, January 11, 2000

By 

frisky2000 "frisky2000" (Margaritaville) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Snowman (Paperback)

The simplicity of its message, the sweetness of the characters, the emotion of the story, all serve to make THE SNOWMAN a child's fantasy come true. I'd recommend the video first, as the music makes the scenes come alive, but reading the book alone allows for the imagination to take off with the little boy and journey with him through the snowy night. Hopefully this book will become a modern-day children's classic.