The Snowman
Well it’s that time of year again! The one where we have to endure the demise of our favourite snowman in literature! The Snowman is a picture book with the words of Raymond Briggs, first written in 1978. In 1982, it was developed into a short film (26 minutes to be exact!) and was first broadcast on the 26th December of that year.
The book tells the tale of a boy who builds himself a snowman in the midst of winter. At midnight that night the snowman becomes real. The initial part of the story is preoccupied with the snowman attempting to fit into world that is not his own, finding difficulty with toys and negotiating the house. All the while they both try not to wake the boy’s parents and reveal their secret. They leave the house and drive throughout the night disturbing all the local wildlife. They then fly (in the film to the notorious Christmas song ‘Walking I the Air’), over famous locations such as the Royal Pavilion in Brighton and West Pier and then go out over the ocean.
The ending finds the snowman melted outside of the boy’s house from the sun. The boy then has to succumb to the grief of losing his friend.
With beautiful illustrations, it deals delicately with death following a short lived unique and special friendship. The Snowman is my first Christmas must read to get you in the mood for the festive season.
Female First Lucy Walton