Snowman's Story

by Will Hillenbrand

Overview

Filled with charm and fun, this wordless picture book from a beloved illustrator lets kids tell their own version of the story.

One wintry day, a hat lands on the head of a newly made snowman and brings him to life. Hiding inside the hat is a rabbit, who listens to the snowman read a story to some animal friends. When the snowman falls asleep, the rabbit hops away with the book. But the snowman isn’t about to let his story—or the mischievous rabbit—get away. The chase is on!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781477847879
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	11/18/2014
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.50(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Will Hillenbrand has illustrated many beloved picture books, including Kiss the Cow by Phyllis Root, Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep!, and Sneeze, Big Bear, Sneeze! He has also written and illustrated a number of picture books, including Down by the Barn, the Bear and Mole series, and Mother Goose Picture Puzzles. Will enjoys visiting schools to talk about the creative process involved in making a picture book. He lives with his wife, Jane, and their son, Ian, in Terrace Park, Ohio.

Editorial Reviews

10/13/2014
Although the tale of a snowman coming to life via a special hat is familiar, Hillenbrand (the Bear and Mole series) brings a freshness to the idea in this chipper wordless outing. Against a wintry blue-gray woodland background, delicately pixilated with snowflakes, a rabbit discovers a black hat, which has been dropped by a passing owl. The curious bunny tumbles into the topless top hat and is spirited away by a wind gust to the head of a snowman, newly built by a bear, fox, and penguin. The rabbit stays hidden inside the hat while the snowman shares a story from a bright green book. After the other animals fall asleep, the rabbit steals the book, drawing everyone (even the snowman) into hot pursuit. The ensuing chase, which includes a snowball battle, has a cozy finish that includes forgiving the rabbit’s selfish book-snatching (which, while well-intentioned, remains a bit puzzling). Splashes of color—a red scarf, the green book, the animals’ fur—and varying perspectives and panel sizes help convey a deft sense of movement and drama. Ages 3–7. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Hillenbrand brings a freshness…[to] this chipper wordless outing.” —Publishers Weekly

“This wordless book delivers a comic wintertime romp…A cozy read for bibliophiles.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The double-page spreads in soft watercolors, brush and ink, and pastels and generous use of white space are a joyful medium to show off the silly critters in this fun romp.” —Booklist

“The wordless narrative is dynamic yet easily followed, perfect to share with pre-readers. An appealing addition to any seasonal collection.” —School Library Journal

“Subtle embedded lessons on friendship and forgiveness help bolster this ostensibly quiet but emotionally quite warm winter tale.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

01/01/2015
PreS-Gr 1—This endearing wordless picture book begins on a blustery winter's day as an owl drops a top hat in the snow, just the perfect sort of hat for a rabbit to hide in and the perfect sort of hat to picked up by the wind and blown onto the head of a snowman that has just been built by an owl, a bear, and a fox. Owl gives Snowman a book to read aloud, and when the story is done, they all go to sleep, except for rabbit, who climbs out of the top hat and runs off with the book. The others wake up and give chase, traversing a snow-covered field, crossing over a deep gorge, and climbing a treacherous hill, until they finally reach the rabbit's house and find her reading to her own little bunnies. Mixed-media illustrations have a charmingly innocent quality that artfully conveys both the gentle friendship and adventuresome spirit of these characters. A spacious wintry backdrop of sketchily drawn snow-dusted trees is overlaid with dots of falling snowflakes and warmed by the rosy roundness of Snowman. The wordless narrative is dynamic yet easily followed, perfect to share with pre-readers. An appealing addition to any seasonal collection.—Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library

School Library Journal

2014-10-06
With echoes of "Frosty the Snowman" in the background, a snowman's storybook within this wordless book delivers a comic wintertime romp.Woodland creatures build a snowman, giving him a green book as a finishing touch. This addition comes right after a windswept top hat lands on his head, vivifying him à la Frosty. Hidden inside is a rabbit (it is a magic hat, after all); attentive readers will have seen the hat first on frontmatter pages and then with the bunny in the double-page spreads before the early ones devoted to the snowman's construction. The snowman reads his book aloud to the animals, with the rabbit surreptitiously listening in, its ears poking out of the top of the hat. When the others all drift off to sleep, the bunny emerges and steals away with the book. A chase ensues across snowy terrain and through a series of pages (perhaps a few too many for good pacing) replete with comic-style panels. When the animals and snowman confront the rabbit in its tree-hollow home, its motivation for book thievery is revealed: This bunny has a family and wishes to share the story with its children. All's well that ends well, and the animals convene (safely outside and away from the rabbit family's crackling fireplace) to read together. A cozy read for bibliophiles. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews