The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

I thought this book was so cute! The cover got me right away, the big fat snowman with his tiny scarf and thin smile. I could feel the excitement of the young boy when he woke up to see snow falling outside his window. It is a feeling every kid can relate to; the first snow is the most exciting of the season! And the snowman is the ultimate outdoor activity in the winter.

I loved the snowman in this book because he is different from the stereotypical snowman. Instead of three giant snowballs composing his body, this snowman has real legs and arms. His nose is not made from the typical carrot. Instead, the young boy gave him an egg for a nose. These unique touches gave the book and the snowman a very personal feel.

While reading this book, I kept catching myself thinking about the last snowman my cousins and I constructed. Every winter, my whole family meets in Indianapolis to celebrate Christmas. My sophomore year in high school (my cousins were both in college at this time), it snowed a ridiculous amount. We loved it. It was the light, fluffy, airy snow - perfect for playing in. My two cousins, Erin and Megan, and I ran outside and built our own snowman. The rest of our family made fun of us for it because it took us hours (with little proof of that kind of effort) and we were "too old" for snowmen, but my cousins and I loved him. We took pictures and it never fails for one of us to bring our snowman up at Christmas time. Reading this book reminded me of the feeling you get, even as adults, while building a snowman. It instantly reverts you back to childhood. I think it's time my cousins and I construct the next version of our snowman.