Customer Reviews

Snowman

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4 star:		(1)
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This book is appropriate for early learning about reading children age 6 months to 1 year. Great tactile and sensorimotor experiences!

A briliant work of art and storytelling. It is remarkable, without words.

I didn't recognize this story when I got it for my nephew but I later realized it was based on a holiday cartoon special I had seen as a child on PBS (But I didn't think I cared for it as a child because of the unsatisfying ending......talk about a CLIFF-HANGER; it totally left me at a loss!). Today, however, it has grown on me and I think it is one of my favorite childrens' books of alltime! I seem to remember PBS introducing it as "Frosty the Snowman"...looking back through the book I was blown away by the wonderful friendship of James and Mr. Snowman...It melted my heart. I won't lie to you: I cried! I have very clear memories of seeing this as a child. I knew what was going to happen when James awakens the to the sun shining the day after his magical night with his special friend the snowman, and my heart was breaking as I watched him makeing a beeline outside to find that all that remains of his beloved friend has become a puddle, a hat, a scarf and some pieces of coal...(still makes me weep). My heart broke again today as I looked at that last page. When he melted, I felt like I had lost a best friend...I felt/ feel like he was/ is my friend. The Snowman had totally captured my heart!

If you like this book, you also might like the Hallmark holiday collection series about snowmen coming to life on Christmas Eve, by Cheryl Hawkinson & Mike Esberg. One of the books in the series is "The Snowman Band of Snowboggle Bend"...check out the snowmen on the cover: they are, like, the SPITTIN' image of Raymond Briggs's snowmen at the party James and his snowman attend at the North Pole!! I think they are one and the same!

I guess some perspectives to take away from this is that having a snowman melt away is "one of the facts of life", as my dad would say, but to remember that the magic of the holiday season will be back again next year, and you will always have the memories). As Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, "What was will be again, what happened will happen again."
What is truly interesting is getting other peoples perspectives on what I initially considered a tragic story. My nehew saw the movie with his first grade class and he is just as sensitive as me and he claimed he didn't think it was sad at all, and that nobody else cried. They all loved it...as a child I loved the snowman but couldn't stand to watch the ending.
I just watched the Snowman movie again and it is delightful. I laughed and I cried. It is definately a favorite.
For all you snowman fans, be sure to check out the official website:
Also, I watched Father Christmas. James and the Snowman make a second trek to the North Pole to meet up with Santa Claus again!! I was sooo overjoyed!!! Obviously, the snowman is still alive LOL.