christmas book pick: Snowmen at Night

until Christmas, i'm going to try and make my book picks around a wintry, holiday-ey theme (and, of course, silly). this first book pick has to do with snowmen.

Sweet One and our "snow girl"
with twig hair, mouth and arms,
and pebble eyes.

we don't get a lot of snow here in the Pacific Northwest. but when we do, one of the first things we do is make snowboys and snowgirls (there's usually not enough of the powdery substance for a snowman or snowoman, you see). in our maritime climate, we pretty much watch them melt before our eyes. but, we know you Midwesterners and Canucks and others have a more long-lived relationship with crystalline water ice. and maybe you wonder (as the wife-husband author-illustrator team behind this book did) when you come out the next morning and find your scarved and carrot-nosed creation looking a bit slumped: "What do snowmen do at night?"

Snowmen at Night imagines the snowfriends on quite a romp in the park by the light of a full moon. there's ice-cold cocoa, skating, sledding, an epic snowball battle, and the long but happy limp home. the story is written in verse, and the illustrations are a crack-up. we enjoy the board-book version as a winter-time tradition at the grandparents' place.


as a side benefit, the book's illustrations may lend some fun snowman-building ideas. for example, a cucumber makes for quite a distinguished looking nose.

Not Just Cute also had a fun idea for a Snowmen at Night game to go along with the book, a variation on freeze tag. kids act like snowmen gone wild when mom's back is turned, then freeze when she turns around again, scratching her head at these new poses. fun stuff.

there's also a fine craft idea over at A Day of Wonders. the snowman ornaments are made from Popsicle sticks. my mind then goes to puppet play... i can envision my girls having fun using these to act out the story on their own (something we enjoy doing here with any fun book).

No Time for Flashcards came up with an easy snowman craft right up my alley, too – one that requires almost zero effort and can be done on a whim. it involves toilet paper and googly eyes, so you know the toddlers will love it.

and, hey, if we don't get snow this year, maybe we can just sacrifice a roll of tp and make our own! hmm...



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