The adorable little snowman in this story is lonely. He sits atop a snowy hill, forever hoping that the little girl who made him will return and play. Little woodland animals come and go. Some nestle awhile in his scarf and hat, others sniff around his feet for nuts and berries, but none of them stay very long. The poor snowman begins to think that he must be very dull indeed if no one wants to stay and be his friend.
Then one day he sneezes and accidentally swallows a firefly – and everything changes. The firefly causes his tummy to glow and soon this spectacle draws creatures from far and wide. They all want to see the wonder of the glowing snowman!
The snowman loves the attention he is receiving and finds himself accidentally telling a little lie, claiming the special glow has something to do with his family history. He knows it is wrong but he just can’t help himself – having new friends feels so good!
But deep down the little snowman knows that what he has done is wrong and he can’t keep the firefly trapped in his tummy any longer. He decides to tell the truth and he lets the firefly go. As he watches the animals walk away he presumes he has lost his new friends. Or has he?
This is such a lovely story with a really strong moral. It teaches children the importance of honesty and integrity, and shows how real friendship is based on much more than appearances or material things.
The illustrations make this book truly unique. The mix of visual textures on the page make it really eye-catching and you cannot help but fall in love with the childlike image of the snowman himself. Ivy loves to stroke his face whilst i’m reading the story and coos over the images of him looking sad. As a lovely touch, some of the images included have been drawn by real kids which I think is fantastic!
Buy it now: https://sojomouse.wordpress.com/2018/10/18/the-glowing-snowman/
Disclosure: The publisher provided us with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review