This is not a review. How can one review a book like The Snowman, a story without words? It has to be experienced, that’s all, experienced through the eyes of a child. What follows is my own experience, my appreciation of a story that gave me so much pleasure over so many years. All in all, this is a great book to share with children, whether at home or school in the run-up to Christmas, which will no doubt be enjoyed all year round, just like Raymond Briggs' original. Andrew, we are in September. Why on earth are you reading a Christmas novella? And a retelling of a well known Christmas classic? have you COMPLETELY lost the plot?

The Snowman: Inspired by the original story by Raymond Briggs The Snowman: Inspired by the original story by Raymond Briggs

Che dire di questa storia.. È stata un'avventura stupenda.. Un libro che tutti i bambini ameranno follemente. La lettura è rapida e le illustrazioni che accompagnano tutto la storia sono un dettaglio stupendo per questo piccolo gioiellino. Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Snowman by Michael Morpurgo, inspired by the original story by Raymond Briggs, read by Richard Armitage. Aici regasim povestea baietelului James care isi dorea ca de Craciun sa ninga si sa primeasca o bicicleta de la Mosu. Ok, let’s make something perfectly clear: nothing will beat Raymond Briggs’s classic. Not the Channel 4 film, not its sequel (which is still wonderful), not the stage production, nothing. Raymond’s wordless story is a beautiful, yet bittersweet masterpiece.

But I have the book right here, too. It's the story of a boy who builds a snowman that comes alive and takes him soaring through the countryside night air. I must have read and seen this first in 1996, when Sammy was born. This is one of the virtues of getting older and rereading favorite picture books, reliving those memories. A short read, the illustrations are nicely designed to look a lot like Raymond Briggs' own, it will be a popular read in schools and homes among the age 8-11 age range. This year’s edition of The Snowman coin is particularly special, being the first of our Christmas coins with King Charles III’s effigy on its obverse. We hope that people love the coin’s design and look to collect a piece of British Christmas history." This is such a lovely, magical book and I would have loved to have had this when I was a child. It’s always a bit of a worry when someone writes a variant of an old favourite but Morpurgo has been so respectful of the original story and this stands alongside it as an extra Snowman story that is just as wonderful. I definitely recommend this!

The Snowman: Inspired by the Original Story by Raymond Briggs

Beloved children's author Michael Morpurgo has re-imagined Raymond Briggs' classic The Snowman for a new generation of readers. Admittedly I wasn't keen on his parents and grandma to begin with - it felt like they didn't have much time for him! What a joy that Morpurgo has chosen to include the aurora borealis and have the grandmother meet and adventure with the snowman, bringing in special Christmassy features from both nature and family. Also wonderful is to see original Snowman drawings specially adapted for this book. The illustrations are simple with plenty of colors which personally for me I felt like I had time traveled to a simpler time where smart phones didn't clog our day-to-day activities and we got to the innocence and pure joy of a child during christmas time. They adapted this story into a television special which I haven't seen but I can sure imagine how impactful it can be towards the imagination of a child.

Take a look through the other 50ps themed around The Snowman:

Raymond has won many awards and accolades throughout his career, including the Kurt Maschler Award, The Children’s Book of the Year, the Dutch Silver Pen Award, and the prestigious Kate Greenaway Award twice for The Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme Treasury and Father Christmas. The Snowman is built by James, who lives on a farm in Devon who is able to find his voice and confidence through his snowy friend who takes him on an adventure on Christmas Eve. There was an odd moment when James read the original Snowman tale in this novella. Inception moment, anymore? But it’s a nod to the original and am glad it was there, but some people might go “Huh?” over it. No biggie, though. This was such a lovely, beautiful book. The Snowman by Raymond Briggs is a classic, which was created into a T.V. adaptation, which went on to become a classic in its own right. So I have to admit to wondering what Morpurgo would do with said classic. Fear not; this is not a retelling. More like an extension of The Snowman tale. The book, published by Puffin and first released in 1978, tells the story of a young boy named James who builds a snowman which comes to life. The book sold 5.5million copies worldwide and was later turned into a Bafta TV award-winning animated TV film in 1982.

The Snowman - Listening Books - OverDrive The Snowman - Listening Books - OverDrive

My daughter is a massive fan of Michael Morpurgo so when I saw that he had released a new re-imagined version of The Snowman I had to buy a copy so both my daughter and myself could read it. It does, strangely. It adds something new to the mythology, yet tries to stay as faith as it can. It feels like a story that cane be read with the original and still stand on its own two feet. Plus, this novella would be perfect for a parent, guardian or grandparent to read with a child at bedtime or a child to read to themselves. Morpurgo employs a rather straightforward style of writing, never flowery or overly humorous, but gets straight into a story. It's a very easily-pictured set of scenes and will most certainly bring a little magical feeling to the season when it arrives.We are the verge of a very old-fashioned blizzard here in Chicago, in much of the country, piles of the stuff, snow on snow on snow, as they say, as I read the book and as the film rolls and the music play. I think the reason why I've always been fascinated by this tale is the sight of the pair flying over my hometown. I was very curious to finally read Raymond Brigg's The Snowman as I know it's something of a classic, and the cover looks familiar so it's possible I was read this story as a child, though I did not remember it. I have never seen the film, though I have heard the song "Walking in the Air" (and never knew that's where it came from!) The illustrations are beautiful also, and really bring the story to life. I think we (or even just I!) will be reading this for years to come.

The Snowman by Michael Morpurgo, Robin Shaw | Waterstones The Snowman by Michael Morpurgo, Robin Shaw | Waterstones

The Snowman story is very similar to the original picture book with a young boy excitedly playing out in the snow and building a snowman. Then he wakes in the night and finds the snowman has come to life, and off they go on an adventure after exploring the boy’s house. It’s not just the picture book in words though, this book references the original The Snowman as it’s James’ favourite book and some of what the two get up to together are a little different. Raymond’s beloved parents Ethel and Ernest adored him, and were a huge inspiration for Raymond throughout his life – informing the stories of Father Christmas (with his father’s anti-social hours as a milkman are reflected in Father Christmas’s work) and When the Wind Blows – as well the story of their lives: Ethel & Ernest (1998). This graphic novel tells the story of how his father, a milkman, met his mother, a lady’s maid, and how they lived together in the same house for forty-one years. An animated feature film based on the novel was released in 2016.Thank you, Sir Michael, for agreeing to the tough challenge of writing a novella based on this picture-story. You have not fallen short of your usual high standards!