The Snowman（Step into Reading, Step 1）

Snow Man是作家Raymond Briggs非常著名的一部繪本。
文字非常簡潔，卻深深觸動人心，讓小朋友從故事中體會”離別”的情緒。

　　James一早醒來，發現窗外是一片銀白世界，他興奮的跑到雪地裡，堆了一個比他還要高的雪人。

　　他幫雪人帶上了圍巾和帽子，用柳橙當鼻子、用煤塊做眼睛和釦子…一個完美的雪人誕生了！

　　到了晚上，James忍不住躡手躡腳跑到外面一看…不得了，雪人竟然會動！

　　於是James邀請雪人到家裡作客，但是雪人從來沒在屋子裡待過，對於屋子裡的東西都非常好奇，一一say hello！

　　雪人牽起了James的小手，飛上了天空，飛啊~飛啊~好不快樂！

　　即將日出了，快樂的時光也要結束了，他們彼此依依不捨道再見。

　　James一起床，猶記得昨晚發生的情景，急忙衝到屋外…但是雪人已經融化了…

Raymond Briggs was born in London in 1934. At the age of 15, he went to Wimbeldon Art School to learn how to draw, as he wanted to become a cartoonist. But there he was told that cartooning was not a profession for gentlemen and that he ought to be a painter. Raymond then went on to the Slade School in London to study painting as a full-time student. During his spare time, he began work on a portfolio of illustrations of all kinds, including jackets and a wide selection of drawings to take to publishers. After illustrating for advertising, newspapers and books, Raymond discovered that book illustration inspired him the most, since it offered far greater variety and freedom than anything else. Raymond has always found it unfavorable to sustain a consistent illustration style for a long period of time. He is always seeking to try something else new and different with his work. Some of Raymond’s best known works are The Snowman , The Man , and The Bear . The setting for The Snowman is based on Raymond’s own house and garden, which is in Sussex, England at the foot of South Downs, a few miles from Brighton.