Snowmen at Night [Hardcover]

 

 

Create your own review

Who'd have thought snowmen were so busy at night? This book is great, the story is unique and very enjoyable. The whole concept of the story is that at night the snowmen in your neighborhood all get together and have a grand old time for themselves.They play baseball with snowballs and a broom. They have a tremendous snowball fight, they make snow angels, go sledding. The illustrations are outstanding. One of my best book purchases so far this year. So if you notice in the morning that your snowman looks a little disheveled , it's because he had a very busy night.

My 2 1/2 yr old loves this book. The illustrations are appealing and interesting with neat details that he likes to find (one snowman has a cucumber nose, there's a cowboy snowman etc..) which get us talking about what is going on in the story. The story itself is lively and holds his attention.

A far happier idea of what happens to snowmen than "Frosty the Snowman". Author Caralyn Buehner and her husband Mark Buehner (the book's illustrator) woke one morning to find that the snowman they'd created the night before had surreptitiously moved several yards closer to their front door. Inspired by their snow creature's apparent desire to move around and about, the Buehners started speculating on the eventide activities of snowmen in general. The result is the lovely and ludicrous "Snowmen At Night".

As the young boy narrator tells it, one day he made a snowman with coal eyes and mouth and a carrot nose. The next day he returned to his fine creation only to find it looking all saggy baggy. This causes the boy to speculate, "What do snowmen do at night?". The answer is clear. Snowmen like to go to the park drinking ice-cold cocoa made by (and here it gets a little odd) "snowman mothers". Hm. Then they start to participate in their own very particular games. These include races, skating on the frozen ponds, making snow angels, and having fabulous snow fights. There's even some big time sledding down monstrous (but not too scary) hills. Towards the end, you really can't blame the snowmen if they've lost an eye here or a mitten there. Maybe they look a little bit worse for wear by the morning's light, but rest assured that they've definitely had a good time while you slept.

It's difficult for a person of my generation to read a snowman book and not instantly think of old "Calvin and Hobbes" cartoons. The snowmen pictured here are actually not too different from the ones pictured in Bill Watterson's strips, but they're significantly less scary. I think you'll instantly gravitate to this book the minute you see the cover. On the top half stand the serene smiling snowmen in the bright noonday sun. On the bottom half they're cavorting in a kind of makeshift conga line. Kids will warm to the idea of snowmen (something they themselves have created) having lives entirely of their own. It doesn't hurt any that the guys definitely seem to be having the time of their lives. Caralyn's text is well complimented by Mark's illustrations too. There's even been the extra added element of hidden shapes for kids to find in the pictures. If readers look carefully they might be able to spot a cat, a rabbit, a Santa face, and more. I appreciated that these images never once drew inordinate attention to themselves or distracted from the pictures. That is the mark of an expert illustrator.

The back flap of the book shows a photograph of the rogue snowman that inspired this book in the first place. The book isn't the most original in the world and its illustrations aren't going to blow you away with either their wit or their artistic merits but it's certainly a great wintertime tale. There are five million books about toys coming to life at night, so why not snowmen too? If you want a picture book that takes away the sting of snowmen melting, I suggest you definitely check out and read the jaunty flouncy "Snowmen At Night" and read it to your loved ones. It's a book with pep in its step.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 11 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best
This is the best book. Our family absolutely loves it. The pictures are fabulous and the story is very cute. You will NOT be dissapointed. Read more

Published on Jan 14 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a keeper!
This book is definitely not just for children. Adults will enjoy sharing this with their kids. We just received the book and my husband & I are in love with "Snowmen at Night"... Read more

Published on Nov 19 2003 by K. Mensing

5.0 out of 5 stars Cute Tale
My 6month old son fell in love with this book. Now at nine months old he will only fall asleep for his nap after reading this book and "Green Wilma". Read more

Published on May 31 2003 by D. Schlott

5.0 out of 5 stars Mom of Five Children
This is a fabulous book, certain to become a favorite! The creative story is written in rhyme, with clever use of humor along the way. Read more

Published on Feb 7 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars SURE TO BECOME A CLASSIC!
I've read this book countless times to my 2 1/2 yr old son and he loves loves it. The story is original, beautifully illustrated and just plain fun for an adult to read over and... Read more

Published on Jan 3 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars Season Favorite!
My son (3) loves snowmen... and he loves this book! Great story, adorable pictures. Highly recommended :-)

Published on Dec 22 2002 by petragoodm

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful story and pictures
This is a delightful book. My grandson (age 4) and I both love the pictures and the cute story. It's one of our favorite bedtime story books.

Published on Dec 12 2002 by grandma

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent pictures!
I teach in a Second Grade classroom and I used this as a springboard for a writing project. The students were captivated by the vibrant illustrations and were chanting along with... Read more

Published on Dec 12 2002

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 11 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!