The Snowman

English artist and picture-book creator Raymond Briggs, whose comic-book tale of a grouchy Father Christmas won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1973, utilized the same style (sans words) in this story of a boy and his snowman, first published in 1978. Rushing outside one wintry day, the boy slowly builds a snowman beneath his window, but finds that, once it's time to come back inside, he can't take his mind off his creation. Waking up in the middle of the night, he discovers that the snowman has come to life, and the two have a magical series of adventures together, exploring all the wonders of the boy's house, and then flying through the night sky.

This classic picture-book was made into an animated film in 1982 - apparently The Snowman is show more shown annually on British TV, during the Christmas season - and is a childhood favorite for many readers. I myself never encountered it as a girl, but having recently stumbled across Father Christmas on my library's holiday display, which I greatly enjoyed, I thought I would track down this other winter story from the same author/artist. I'm glad that I did! The artwork is just lovely, capturing the warmth of the boy's home, and the chilly fun of the outdoor world perfectly. No text is really needed, because the illustrations do such an excellent job spinning the story. There is a melancholy quality to the conclusion here, but then, it's an ending that will come to all snowmen, so it feels appropriate. All in all, another outstanding picture-book from Raymond Briggs! I'll have to see which of his other titles the library has... show less

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs is a wordless picture book. I liked this book because it allows readers to use their imagination. This book is all about a young boy and a snowman he built on a snowy day. Since it is a wordless book readers are able to put their own flavor to the story. There is no right or wrong answer. The illustrations enhance the story. the illustrations are well drawn which will keep a reader engaged during the story. This story is also very relatable for young readers. Readers can relate to building a snow man on a snowy day. This way readers are able to put themselves into the story. This story's main focus is friendship. The young boy makes a friend out of his snowman. I would highly recommend this book.

A beautiful book with dreamy, soft illustrations which captures the imagination and feeling of both winter and youthful innocents. Using themes of imagination and adventure, the book tells the story of a young boy who dreams his snowman comes to life and the two share a short but touching friendship.

I really enjoyed this book. I have vague memories of first encountering it when I was much younger but I had forgotten about it. Now I see how the sweeping imagery and artful illustrations create a dreamy feeling that is appropriate, both in capturing that feeling of winter but also of youthful imagination. Each image has a resonance or emotional tone that is amazing conveyed without words. As an adult, I could sit and look at each one for show more many minutes, admiring the artistry and beautiful simplicity. show less

A picture book with no words. A beautiful story of a boy whose snowman comes to life, and their friendship and play, and the inevitable regret when the snowman melts. We also have the wonderful video with haunting music. A classic.

This is a beautiful board book of paintings about the snowman. It has no words but tells the story in a comic book style of images. It's breathtakingly beautiful with images that evoke the imagination. I loved it.

"The Snowman" was a great wordless picture book that allowed readers to understand what was occurring while also allowing them to have their own interpretation. The book portrays a young boy going into the snowy outdoors and building a snowman. After seeing that the snowman came to life that night, he befriended the snowman. This story brings friendship to life, allowing 2 unlikely friends to experience adventure together, which is a great theme for young readers. The boy and the snowman do everyday activities, travel around the world, and have fun together, allowing readers to relate to the characters. Readers can also imagine themselves building a snowman on a snowy day just like the young boy did. I enjoyed visualizing the show more progression of the characters and their emotions through their action and facial expression. I think this would be a good book for younger readers because they are able to interpret the book in different ways, practice describing what happens throughout the story, and visualize friendship and imagination in action. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "The Snowman", a wordless picture book by Raymond Briggs. For a book with no words, I liked that I was able to consistently follow the story line and experience no confusion along the way. I thought that each picture was straight forward and they strung along together very nicely in order to form the story line. This story brings inanimate friendship to life, as the little boy becomes friends with the snowman he builds on a snow day, and the book then takes the reader(s) on an adventure through their friendship. The only thing that I didn't enjoy, however, was the ending... however it was realistic which I thought was important. In my opinion, this is a book for younger children to read alongside an adult as show more they could help identify the meaning for each picture in order to successfully put the story together. The straightforward and to the point story line makes it an enjoyable and easy read for all. show less