Who needs words to tell a story? In Raymond Briggs's charmingtale, told with 175 softly hued, artfully composed frames, a littleboy makes friends with a snowman. He wakes up on a snowy day, tellshis mother he's going outside, then begins a flurry ofsnowman-building. That night, he can't sleep, so he opens the frontdoor and lo! the snowman has come to life. The amiable yet frostyfellow enjoys his tour of the boy's cozy home; he admires the cat,but is disturbed by the fire. The boy shows him other wonders--theTV and a lamp and running water. Predictably perhaps, he isdisturbed by the stove, but likes ice cubes quite a bit. Soon it isthe snowman's turn to introduce the boy to his wintry world. Theyjoin hands, rise up into the blizzardy air--presumably over Russiaand into the Middle East--and then safely back to home sweet home.The boy pops into bed before his parents get up... but when hewakes up the next morning he races outside only to find his newbuddy's melted remains, scattered with a few forlorn lumps of coal.Since the book is wordless, you can make up any ending you want...like "Then, in a puff of pink smoke, the snowman recomposed himselfand went to live in the boy's garage freezer." Or you could justresign yourself to a peaceful "And that was that." Raymond Briggs'sThe Snowman won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and thiswintertime classic continues to win the hearts of kids every year.(Preschool and older) --Karin Snelson

"[The pictures have] the hazy softness of air in snow. Alittle boy rushes out into the wintry day to build a snowman, whichcomes alive in hisdreams that night. The experience is one thatneither he nor young‘readers’ will ever regret orforget."–Booklist, Starred