Snowmen at Night

By Caralyn Buehner; pictures by Mark Buehner

Husband and wife team Caralyn and Mark Buehner have come up with a New York Times bestseller of a “what if” snowman tale in their fancifully frozen and landscape leaping Snowmen at Night.

The beginnings of this perfect wintry window into the antics of snowmen seem born of the next day’s observations of a young boy and his careful scrutiny of the snowman he created the day before. Something has definitely changed in its appearance. Can’t be! But on closer inspection, a hat has slipped and an arm droops down. Something is definitely different and therein unfolds the tale of sauntering snowman sliding off lawns down the street and into a park when darkness covers the street where hours before, kids played.

For what purpose, you may ask? Kids know and probably have surmised as much all along. For fun and snowman games, that’s what! Beginning with cups of ice-cold cocoa naturally and served up by their moms, the games definitely begin in earnest. From ice-skating tricks on an icy pond, games of “all fall down”, moonlit icy baseball games and snowball fights!

Who better to join in the ultimate snowball fight than snowmen fashioned from what was once a snowball! They probably invented the game for pete’s sake! They frolic till they’re “tuckered out” and when’s the last time you heard that wonderfully descriptive phrase, parents? You may have to do a bit of deciphering here for the little ones, but it perfectly captures the exhilarating and tiring exploits of this band of nocturnal snowmen.

So encourage your kids with this reading to carefully examine their snow people. Lost height and crooked grins from the previous day are entirely explainable if you’re in the “snow know”. Reading Snowmen at Night will give them a leg up on the snowmen shenanigans occurring while we are all abed.  I could have sworn I put a carrot on that face and his gloves are off!  Very odd.

Makes you want to stay up a bit later and join in the fun, right? And so will your little ones who will be giving their snowmen the once over from here on in.

FYI, my aim is still amazing with a snowball and I haven’t lost my touch so I’d be an asset to any snowman team.

If they enjoy Snowmen at Night, then Snowmen at Christmas which is its sequel is sure to please!