The Nursery @ The Literate Housewife

The Rabbit and the Snowman written and illustrated Sally O. Lee

When Sally O. Lee sent me an email offering me a chance to review this picture book, I was really excited. Before then I had never considered reading and reviewing children’s books and I could have kicked myself. With two young children who read a lot of books, this is a perfect thing for me to write about. When this book arrived in the mail, I opened the package immediately. Allison is never far from my side and she wanted me to read it right away.

The Rabbit and the Snowman tells the story of Snowman, who was created in a field by a group of children. When the children leave, Snowman is lonely and wonders what he might have done to make the children run away. He gets really happy when Rabbit hops up, they become the best of friends. When spring comes, however, Rabbit sadly can no longer find his friend. Both Rabbit and Snowman both learn to appreciate their friends for who they are. They learn that even though they can only be friends for a season, it doesn’t change their friendship.

My daughter and I thoroughly enjoy this book. The illustrations are beautifully whimsical and the story provides a lot of opportunities to discuss loneliness, other’s feelings, and the changing seasons. From an adult’s perspective, I really enjoyed the text font. It blends in well with the way the pictures are shaded. Being that it’s currently 95 degrees and humid, it’s nice to see and imagine winter scenes. You can definitely enjoy this book year round.

When I was reading this book, I thought that it might come in handy when my oldest daughter starts kindergarten next month. She’s attended the same day care since she was 6 weeks old, but her grade school is much closer to our house. None of the children she has created relationships with will be going with her there. I know that there will be many friends she’ll miss and I’m certain she’ll make many more quite easily. The relationship with Snowman and Rabbit will be a great backdrop to discuss being sad when you don’t see your friends very often.

I whole heartedly recommend this picture book for preschoolers. I’m sure that even younger children will enjoy the illustrations. You might find yourself enjoying them as well.

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To buy this book, click here.