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The Snowman: Inspired by the original story by Raymond Briggs

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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! 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. 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 - Penguin Books UK The Snowman - Penguin Books UK

Raymond illustrated a book of nursery rhymes, The Mother Goose Treasury, in 1966 for which he won the Kate Greenaway medal. Since then, he has produced a treasure trove of work, becoming one of the most innovative and popular author-illustrators of our time. His books include Father Christmas (1973), Father Christmas Goes on Holiday (1975), Fungus the Bogeyman (1977), The Snowman (1978), When the Wind Blows (1982) and The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman (1984). These books, amongst countless others, have been translated into many languages and adapted into films, plays and animations for television. 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. The tale is beautifully illustrated, and it shares elements of the original tale (the party with the other snowmen, and meeting Father Christmas, for example). I thought that it was also a sweet touch to include James having a stutter, as this brought another dimension to this character. Beloved children's author Michael Morpurgo has re-imagined Raymond Briggs' classic The Snowman for a new generation of readers. 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.Rebecca Morgan, director of collector services at The Royal Mint said: “The Royal Mint is delighted to celebrate the tale of The Snowman on official UK coins for its sixth year in 2023. Continuing our partnership with award-winning illustrator Robin Shaw, we are excited to release another original festive coin that brings Raymond Brigg’s story to life in a new way.

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

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. The Snowman was published by Hamish Hamilton in 1978 as a wordless picture book and it has gone on to sell over 5.5m copies in various formats around the world. Producer John Coates created an animated version of The Snowman for Channel 4, it was first broadcast on Boxing Day 1982 in Channel 4’s inaugural year and has been shown every Christmas since. Registered office: Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA and H Bauer Publishing, Company number: LP003328; I don’t remember when exactly. I must have been, oh, about four years old. It was before I went to school anyway. It was near Christmas, that much I do remember. The Snowman in question is a story book, pictures without words by Raymond Briggs, another book for children and those who love children. Like Heidi it tells of a bond, this time between a little boy and the snowman he builds one wintry afternoon in his garden. By magic it comes to life; by magic the boy and the snowman fly.

He spends the whole day making his perfect snowman; he has coal eyes, an old green hat and scarf and a tangerine nose... just like the snowman from his favourite story.

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

In actual fact Morpurgo didn't veer too much away from both the original, and the animated movie. This version was beautiful in its own way. The fact that we had the snowman able to talk to James, and give the gift of words to James too (when we first meet him he has a stutter). 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.Raymond is honoured with a BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to children's literature. RIP, Raymond Briggs, 8/9/22. Thanks for writing this book, Raymond, and making us so much better for it. 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.

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