This is one of the all time favourites of any nursery and certainly a book to turn back to time and time again whether you’re a child or an adult. No words, just the most wonderful pictures telling a poignant and moving story about a boy and a snowman. It’s a book that will fire the imagination of every child because they themselves can create the words to go with the pictures. Not just a classic but THE classic of all time, in our humble opinion. A book for parents to ‘read’ aloud with young children as well as perfect for slightly older children to immerse themselves in an imaginary world.
A little boy makes a snowman. When he looks through the window at night, the snowman has come to life. The little boy shows the snowman around the house and later they go and visit Father Christmas. When the boy wakes up in the morning, the snowman has melted.
Raymond Briggs (1934-2022) was one of our most respected and beloved artists. Born in Wimbledon Park in 1934, he studied at the Wimbledon School of Art and later at the Slade School of Fine Art, and went on to produce a treasure trove of work. He created characters that are now icons for generations of children, including Fungus the Bogeyman, Father Christmas and, of course, the beloved Snowman.
He won many awards over his career including the Kurt Maschler Award, The Children's Book of the Year, Dutch Silver Pen Award, and the prestigious Kate Greenaway Award twice for his Mother Goose Nursery Treasury and Father Christmas.
Raymond Briggs was awarded the BookTrust 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award. The BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates the body of work of an author or illustrator who has made an outstanding contribution to children's literature. The award was set up in 2015 to celebrate an author or illustrator's outstanding contribution to children's books. The first winner was Shirley Hughes, author of Dogger and the Alfie series, whilst Judith Kerr was awarded the accolade in 2016.
Discussing the impact of Raymond Briggs’ work, Judge Shami Chakrabarti said: "Raymond is a true artistic genius who has touched the hearts of millions of children of all ages. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and his particular style of illustration is unmistakable as are his understated and poignant words of narrative and dialogue. His talent expresses his values and with his choice and treatment of subjects he brings our history and contemporary challenges to life."
The biography of his parents in graphic novel form, Ethel & Ernest, became a bestseller in the UK; see below a trailer for the animated feature film based on the novel.
