It’s nearly Christmas! When it snows one night, James wakes to see a moonlit wonderland. He dashes out into the snow to play and decides to build a snowman. This isn’t just any snowman. It’s taller than his dad (he had to grab a little ladder to put its head on), and James is very proud of his creation.

The next day his family ooh and aah over his snowman and James spends as much time as possible with his new ‘friend’. He has always had a stutter, but somehow at home it is less pronounced, and talking to The Snowman seems to help it a little too.

On Christmas Eve, James is trying to sleep. He gets up and sees more snow. His gaze tracks to his snowman, but he isn’t there! What is moving behind a tree? No way!

Based on Raymond Brigg’s 40 year-old classic The Snowman (which has no text); Michael Morpurgo has put this magical story into words and much more. This would make a wonderfully magical read-a-loud for ages 4 up in the lead-up to Christmas.

Author – Michael Morpurgo

Age – 5+

(Christmas, Holiday, Stutter, Magic, Family, Classic, Rewrite, Read Aloud)