Snowman's Story

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.)

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