BLOG TOUR with GUEST POST and GIVEAWAY: SNOWMAN'S STORY by Will Hillenbrand
ABOUT THE BOOK
One wintry day, a hat lands on the head of a newly made snowman and brings him to life. Hiding inside the hat is a rabbit, who listens to the snowman read a story to some animal friends. When the snowman falls asleep, the rabbit hops away with the book. But the snowman isn't about to let his story or the mischievous rabbit get away. The chase is on! Filled with charm and fun, this wordless picture book from a beloved illustrator lets kids tell their own version of the story, even as they delight in the action-filled pages.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATORWill Hillenbrand is the illustrator of many children's books, including THIS LITTLE PIGGY, edited by Jane Yolen, and KISS THE COW! by Phyllis Root. He is also the author-illustrator of DOWN BY THE STATION. He lives in Terrace Park, Ohio with his wife, Jane, and their son, Ian.
GUEST POST by WILL HILLENBRAND
This is a little funny, but when you have a wordless picture book, you don’t need to worry about composing the pictures to accommodate the text. Since there is no text on the page or in the artwork, the creation of the story is opened up in a unique and inviting way. In my other books with words, I think of the text as part of the illustrations, not just something pasted on. Of course, I have terrific and well-experienced art directors guiding me, and I have always been delighted with the outcome . . . the combination of pictures and words. Nonetheless, I do love the experience of what a wordless picture book can do on a wide open canvas.
Regarding Snowman’s Story, you should first know that I love snow. You should also know that every holiday season I create an image that is used for my holiday cards which are sent to my friends and family. Before I begin work on a card, I try to imagine what it would be like to see the faces of my loved ones opening their cards.
Three or four years ago I was wondering what image I should create for the card. One of the ingredients I like to include in my illustrated cards is a book with someone reading it. I decided to draw a snowman reading a book. Since it looked like a good story, someone HAD to be listening . . . in this case, a rabbit in the snowman’s hat! I added color to the art which made the book glow and that in turn illuminated the snowman’s face. Sometime after the holiday season, Margery Cuyler, my editor and recipient of one of the cards, suggested that I create a book inspired by the image on the holiday card.Like many of my books, the idea for Snowman’s Story stemmed from my personal experience. As a child I had once heard a story that was so captivating that I borrowed the book from my public library with full intention of never, ever returning it. Being somewhat naïve, and a little impulsive, I hid the book in my house . . . again and again and again. When the late return notices came, I panicked and looked in each and every one of my hiding places but I had forgotten where I had hidden the book! The book, The Red Balloon, was never found. We paid the fine for the book and I decided never to run off with a book again. That is, until I made this book when Rabbit becomes a book thief. I know why he did it; he wanted to share a great story. By the way, Rabbit does return the book to Snowman because he tells that story so very well.
With Snowman’s Story, I had a written story in the first several book dummies, but with each revision, more words were tossed out because the pictures were telling the story. Suddenly, I realized all the words were gone! It dawned on me that this was the kind of book it had to be. Creating a wordless book was different and it presented a number of challenges—the chief one being to tell a story in the pure language of illustration.
COLORING PAGE
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BOOK TRAILER
REVIEW
Snowman's Story is one of my new all time favorite picture books. Not only are the illustrations absolutely darling, but the story is a sweet one about the power of friendship and books. There's a taste of Frosty the Snowman here as a tall black top hat brings the snowman to life, but in this case the hat has an inhabitant (a rabbit). After the snowman reads the book he's given, he and his friends (a bear, fox, and penguin) go to sleep which allows the rabbit to swipe the book leading to a chase. I think my favorite illustration is the one where the penguin is trying to help boost the snowman up a steep embankment and having a difficult time of it. This book is wordless so one of the fun aspects of sharing this with children is the opportunity for them to tell the story to you. It's safe to say the story will be slightly different every time. Highly recommended.
GIVEAWAY
1 print copy of Snowman's Story
US only
a Rafflecopter giveaway
BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE
Mon, Nov 3
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As They Grow Up
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Tues, Nov 4
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Cracking the Cover
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Wed, Nov 5
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Geo Librarian
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Thurs, Nov 6
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5 Minutes for Books
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Fri, Nov 7
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Momma Drama
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Sat, Nov 8
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Booking Mama
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Mon, Nov 10
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Just a Little Creativity
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Tues, Nov 11
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Kid Lit Frenzy
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Wed, Nov 12
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Children's Book Review
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Thurs, Nov 13
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Displaced Yinzer
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Fri, Nov 14
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Once Upon a Story
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Unleashing Readers
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HEAD OVER TO GOODREADS TO ENTER ANOTHER GIVEAWAY FOR 20 COPIES OF THE BOOK! THIS IS ONE YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS!
Dear Heidi, Thank you for understanding my book so well.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen a book trailer that I like...UNTIL TODAY :D Beautiful illustrations, by the way. Good job.
ReplyDeleteA working link to the Snowman Game
ReplyDeletehttps://www.dropbox.com/s/34oypcr4qhrqxx2/Snowman%22s%20Story%20Game.jpg?dl=0
I LOVE wordless picture books! Thank you for introducing me to this one, and for linking up at the Kidlit Blog Hop.
ReplyDeleteOver the past couple of years I've developed a true love for the wordless format. This one looks delightful! The illustrations are just gorgeous and I love that trailer! :D
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous book! thanks for sharing in the Kid Lit Blog Hop. Hope you'll join us again Heidi - it's great to hear from you! :-)
ReplyDelete