At bedtime this evening we read Preston McDaniel's A Perfect Snowmen. It's not often that you can describe a snowman book as "Dickensian", but you can in this case. In fact, you could even describe it as "Andersenian" (as in Hans Christian, complete with little match girl.) As far as winter books goes, this one transcends the genre. Winter games and canceled schools are only part of the story. Rosy cheeks and jack-frost nipped noses are only enjoyable when they are relieved by a return to a warm house. For those left in the cold, the snow can be dangerous. And as the picture perfect hero of the story learns, it is better to be compassionate and a friend than perfect. And who knew that there was reward in Heaven even for snowmen?
Much as I was impressed with "Perfect", my all time favorite snowman book is Martin MacGregor's Snowman (Cook, Lisa Broadie and Adam McCauley, illus)in which a young boy is impatiently awaiting the first snowfall. When Mother Nature refuses to cooperate, Martin MacGregor comes up with some creative solutions of his own. And for total snowman fun, you might also like to check out:
A Stranger in the Woods: a Photographic Fantasy (Sams, Carl R. and Jean Stoick)
Snowman at Night (Buehner, Caralyn and Mark Buehner, illus.)
The Snowman (Briggs, Raymond)
1 comment:
Thanks for letting me know about this list!
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