|  |
| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review:
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
 Courtesy of Kids @ Teens Read Too Jan 10, 2009
Seasons may change, but friendships remain.
Children build a snowman in the forest, but soon leave him, forgotten and alone, to wonder why his friends had left him. Was his carrot nose too crooked? His stick arms too skinny?
Later, he meets rabbit, another creature who lives in the forest. The two spend many days together, talking about the snow and the birds who sometimes join their conversations, about the forest and the stars in the nighttime sky.
But soon the weather begins to warm up, and one day when rabbit comes to visit his friend the snowman, he's no longer there. Was rabbit too furry? Were his ears too big?
The seasons rush by, and rabbit sometimes thinks about his friend the snowman, but usually he's too busy playing and eating. Then the weather changes yet again, and soon the first snowflakes fall, and - his friend the snowman returns!
Young children are sure to enjoy this tale of changing seasons and unchanging friendships!
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
 A story about friendship Nov 25, 2008
Reviewed by Cayden Aures (age 4) and Mom for Reader Views (11/08)
"The Rabbit and the Snowman" is the story of a snowman that was built in a field by a group of children. When the children finished making him they left him all alone. The snowman was sad and wondered if there was something that was wrong with him that would make the children leave him. Although the children did not return, the snowman did make friends with a rabbit, but then spring came and the rabbit was left all alone. The rabbit too wondered if there was something wrong with him that would cause the snowman to leave.
Cayden: "I like how they built the snowman. It is fun to build them. We made one last year in our yard. I think that instead of one snowman they should have built two snowmen so the one wouldn't get sad. It was good that the rabbit was nice to him though. They were friends. But then the rabbit got sad when the snowman melted. I liked the pictures in the story. I wonder who put those carved pumpkins out in the woods though."
Parent's comments:
"The Rabbit and the Snowman" by Sally O. Lee is a sweet story about friendship. The storyline is very simple and easily understandable by the targeted age group of age 4-8. The watercolor illustrations are fun and wonderfully executed. I especially liked when the illustrations formed borders around the words. Very beautifully done!
Friendship Oct 28, 2008
"The Rabbit and the Snowman" is a cute little story about friendship. The main characters are, as is apparent by the title, a rabbit and a snowman. The snowman was built in a field by group of children who, when they were finished with him, left him all alone. The snowman was a bit sad and wondered why the children had left him there by himself. Was there something wrong with the way he looked? "Maybe his carrot nose wasn't straight enough. Maybe there were too many holes in his scarf. Maybe his stick arms were too skinny. Or maybe his coal smile was too crooked."
One day a rabbit came into the field where the snowman stood. He and the snowman struck up a conversation and a friendship that lasted through the winter. Of course, when the weather got warmer, the snowman melted and disappeared. And then the rabbit wondered why the snowman had left him. Was there something wrong with the way he looked? "Maybe he was too furry, or his ears were too big, or his eyes were too small." The rabbit was a bit sad to lose his friend.
Spring came and went, as did summer and fall. The rabbit played and frolicked in the fields, but he never forgot about his friend the snowman. When the first snow fell, the rabbit went back to the field where the snowman had been the previous winter. And, sure enough, there was the snowman, standing all alone. The two renewed their friendship for another winter.
Both the rabbit and the snowman fulfill each other's need for friendship. Their friendship endures even though they are absent from each other for several months. Children will identify with the friendship theme and will cheer when the rabbit is reunited with his friend the snowman. 4 stars.
Stories for Children Magazine 5 Star Review Oct 05, 2008
REVIEWED BY: Wayne S. Walker
After a group of children build a snowman in a field, they leave and the snowman wonders if there is something wrong with him that caused them to go away. However, he is befriended by a small rabbit. The two become fast friends and play together through the winter. However, warmer weather comes and the snowman melts. One day the rabbit finds that his friend is not there. The rabbit then wonders if there is something wrong with him that caused the snowman to go away. Through spring and summer the rabbit forgets about the snowman, but when winter arrives, he returns to the field and there is his friend.
This is a wonderful picture book about the ebb and flow of friendship. The gorgeous illustrations, rendered in watercolor and pen and ink on paper, add much to the story and will help children visualize the action. Practically every child has either built a
snowman or wanted to do so. Thus, the author uses a well-loved object in a cute setting to help youngsters understand an important principle. The Rabbit and the Snowman gets a high five from me!
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Rabbit and Snowman Become Friends Sep 12, 2008
The Rabbit and the Snowman is a book about friendship. The two main characters are both very lonely and each satisfies an important need present in the other. The book is also about abandonment and confusion. Snowman cannot understand why the children have left him after they built him. He starts to wonder if he doesn't look right or if his articles of clothing are not attractive. He is convinced he may never find a friend again, but then another woodland creature suddenly shows up, also in need of a friend. The two enjoy each other's company immensely, and their need to feel needed is satisfied.
Rabbit and the Snowman is a decent enough book and its message about abandonment and friendship is certainly good. But I do have some issues with this book. The main problem I have is with the characters. The book uses narration and does not offer direct quotes from either of the main characters. Because of this and because of the way the narration is conducted, these characters have little or no personality. They are a little on the dull side and because of this, you're not really sure if you care about the predicament the two characters are in because they seem too plain and boring.
The plot of this book is okay, but nothing special. It doesn't offer much imagination, but it passes and most children will find it acceptable. The main theme of the book is that abandonment and loneliness are not fun and it feels really great when one finally does find someone to share with. With this type of theme and the age group targeted, a simple story seems to work just fine and I don't think many kids will complain. The illustrations in this book are also quite colorful and nicely painted. The drawings themselves feature thin, black, speck- like lines around the edges of each object. It is almost a little too abstract for children, but adults will appreciate this artistic effort.
Overall, this is decent children's book and it should be suitable enough that most children will like it. The dullness of the personalities of the two main characters is certainly a flaw, but there are enough good points in this children's book to give it a recommendation.
|
| | |
|
|
