‘In Raymond Briggs’ story, a boy’s dream comes true. Somehow, Michael Morpurgo makes Briggs’ story come true. It’s a delightful magic trick. It has all the wonder of reading The Snowman for the first time.’ Colin Firth
‘Morpurgo’s delightful tale is enhanced by Robin Shaw’s illustrations in the style of Briggs’ originals.’
MailonSunday
‘The original tale was simple and magical, and this new retelling is equally touching . . . festive and enchanting.’
Irish News
‘What a magical book! The Snowman is such a lovely read (for young and old alike) and has already made me excited for Christmas. It’s truly heartwarming.’ First News
‘The Snowman not only brings a much-loved tale to a new audience, it brings with it an extra layer of festive magic. We predict this book will fast become as much a part of every family Christmas as snuggling down with a hot chocolate to catch the classic animation on TV.’ JUNIOR magazine
‘A story that parents will remember and children are bound to love, the book is perfect for families to read together.’ PrimaryTimes
‘If anyone was going to give words to this classic, it had to be Morpurgo. A perfect book, perfect story, perfectly told.’
angels&urchins
Also by Raymond Briggs
The Snowman (picture book)
Father Christmas
Father Christmas Goes on Holiday
The Bear
Fungus the Bogeyman
Ug The Man
Also by Michael Morpurgo
Flamingo Boy
Kensuke’s Kingdom
War Horse
Private Peaceful
Waiting for Anya
Mimi and the Mountain Dragon
The Best Christmas Present in the World
On Angel Wings
The Last Wolf
MICHAEL MORPURGO
A new story inspired by the original tale by
RAYMOND BRIGGS
Illustrated by Robin Shaw
PUFFIN BOOKS
UK | USA | Canada | Ireland | Australia India | New Zealand | South Africa
Puffin Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com. www.penguin.co.uk www.puffin.co.uk www.ladybird.co.uk
This retelling first published by Puffin Books 2018
This edition published 2019
Text by Michael Morpurgo
Illustrations by Robin Shaw
Text and illustrations copyright © Snowman Enterprises Ltd 2018
THE SNOWMANTM Snowman Enterprises Ltd
The animated film THE SNOWMAN, produced in 1982, is based on the book
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs, first published by Hamish Hamilton in 1978
Licensed by Penguin Books Ltd
The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted
001
Typeset in Dante
Printed in Great Britain by Clays Ltd, Elcograf S.p.A.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
isbn: 978–0–241–35244–1
All correspondence to: Puffin Books
Penguin Random House Children’s 80 Strand, London wc2r 0rl
For Mac and Edna and Seonaid and Stuart.
Remembering all the happy Christmases – MM
The Snowman
Mum and Dad
Bertie
James
Grandma
Snowmen
Father Christmas
Chapter One
Once upon a Christmas there was a little boy called James. James lived with his mum and dad, and Bertie, their sheepdog, on a farm deep in the countryside. They had cows and pigs and sheep and hens and ducks and geese, and they had a horse they called Big, and a donkey they called Little.
The S nowman
When James looked out of his bedroom window – which he did a lot because that’s where he did most of his dreaming – he could see his dad’s shed at the bottom of the garden, the weedy duck pond, his mum’s vegetable patch, the swing, and the trampoline that Grandma had given him the Christmas before. And beyond the garden hedge he could see
The
S nowman fields – Oak Tree Field was his favourite because that was where the owl hooted from. There were so many fields on the farm, and hedges and trees – more than he could count – and a river running along the bottom of the valley like a silver ribbon. And beyond the river, high on the horizon, were the rolling hills of the moor.
The S nowman
Grandma always came for Christmas. She often said – and she did say things too often sometimes – that mostly you couldn’t see the hills around the farm because it was raining; but if you could see them, that meant it was going to rain soon, or snow. Grandma, who lived in a town, didn’t mind the rain and snow as much as the birds that woke her up early every morning, or the smell of pigs and cows that James often brought back into the house on his wellies when he had been out on the farm. She didn’t much like green either, and of course there was a lot of green about in the countryside. What Grandma liked best was when James had had a bath and was all nice and clean, and in bed in his nice clean jimjams – as Grandma always called his pyjamas. She loved sitting
The S nowman on his bed and telling him a story before he went to sleep. And at Christmas time, once the tree was decorated downstairs in the sitting room, once they had put up the holly and mistletoe, and once she had made the mince pies, her favourite story was The Snowman by Raymond Briggs.
