The Snowman's wish by Sophie Masson illustrated by Ronak Taher

Please begin with my post about Sonam and the Silence. I really want Sonam and the Silence (2019) book to be shared with ALL children. I was desperately upset when it was not selected by our CBCA as a Notable or short listed book. It is a truly special book and the reason I mention it here is that it is also illustrated by Ronak Taher.  She is a talented illustrator who was born in Iran and now lives in Melbourne.

Now we can turn our attention to The Snowman's Wish. Sophie Masson explores the seasons and senses in her lyrical text.

The story begins in Winter: "he loved what he saw"
Winter continues:  and he "loved what he heard"
Spring starts: and he "loved what he felt"
Early summer: and flowers burst forth and he "loved what he smelled"

"How I wish I could stay"

But this is a snowman, made from snow, and so eventually he melts away. This is sad of course but the snowman leaves a beautiful memory gift for the children just as he promised.

As a teacher using this book with a class here are some things to notice and discuss:

End papers - they are brilliant. Winter at the beginning with ice covered leaves and Summer at the end where we see the page filled with bright orange and red flowers.

Title - Notice the font, the use of capital letters, the apostrophe, the children using a ladder to 'dress' the huge snowman.

Snowman - where might the story be set? Have you built a snowman? Can you describe the process? What are some problems with building a snowman? Is this a Christmas book? Why or why not? Did you notice the words "sleigh bells"?

Northern hemisphere - look for the animal and plant references in the illustrations. Think about the colour palette. Sophie Masson is an Australian author. You could write some questions to ask her about the setting for The Snowman's Wish.

Themes - seasons, nature, outdoor play, snow, loss, hope, gifts, promises.  Sophie Masson also says her book explores "the notion of death". Do you agree? Would the words 'circle of life' be a better description? 

Here is an in-depth and highly thoughtful review recorded by Ursula Dubosarsky.

Now go back and explore the lyrical text:
"White ground with black shadows under a silky starry sky."
"days lengthened, shadows slipped away."
"earth waking to warmth"

Take a look here - Ronak shares some of the collage illustrations from her book.

You could pair this book with these:

If you want to explore collage and snowmen try to find this beautiful book: