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The Snowman #2
The Snowman and the Snowdog
A new Christmas classic based on Raymond Briggs’s holiday favorite The Snowman.
In this holiday picture book, a companion to Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman, a little boy builds a snow puppy next to his snowman—in hopes of getting a real puppy for Christmas. That night the Snowman comes to life and takes the boy and the Snowdog on an adventure to the world of Snow People. But the best is yet to come on Christmas morning, when a real, live puppy is waiting under the tree.
Based on the original classic by Raymond Briggs, which has sold over 8.5 million copies and is available in fifteen languages, the story and illustrations are by the creators of the animated special by the same name.
In this holiday picture book, a companion to Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman, a little boy builds a snow puppy next to his snowman—in hopes of getting a real puppy for Christmas. That night the Snowman comes to life and takes the boy and the Snowdog on an adventure to the world of Snow People. But the best is yet to come on Christmas morning, when a real, live puppy is waiting under the tree.
Based on the original classic by Raymond Briggs, which has sold over 8.5 million copies and is available in fifteen languages, the story and illustrations are by the creators of the animated special by the same name.
32 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1978
About the author
Raymond Briggs
170 books252 followersRaymond Redvers Briggs was an English illustrator, cartoonist, graphic novelist, and author who had achieved critical and popular success among adults and children. He was best known for his story "The Snowman", which is shown every Christmas on British television in cartoon form and on the stage as a musical.
His first three major works, Father Christmas, Father Christmas Goes on Holiday (both featuring a curmudgeonly Father Christmas who complains incessantly about the "blooming snow"), and Fungus the Bogeyman, were in the form of comics rather than the typical children's-book format of separate text and illustrations. The Snowman (1978) was entirely wordless, and illustrated with only pencil crayons. The Snowman became Briggs' best-known work when in 1982 it was made into an Oscar nominated animated cartoon, that has been shown every year since on British television.
Briggs continued to work in a similar format, but with more adult content, in Gentleman Jim (1980), a sombre look at the working class trials of Jim and Hilda Bloggs, closely based on his parents. When the Wind Blows (1982) confronted the trusting, optimistic Bloggs couple with the horror of nuclear war, and was praised in the British House of Commons for its timeliness and originality. The topic was inspired after Briggs watched a Panorama documentary on nuclear contingency planning, and the dense format of the page was inspired by a Swiss publisher's miniature version of Father Christmas. This book was turned into a two-handed radio play with Peter Sallis in the male lead role, and subsequently an animated film, featuring John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft. The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman (1984) was a scathing denunciation of the Falklands War. However, Briggs continued to produce humour for children, in works such as the Unlucky Wally series and The Bear.
He was recognized as The Children's Author of the Year in 1993 by the British Book Awards. His graphic novel Ethel and Ernest, which portrayed his parents' 41-year marriage, won Best Illustrated Book in the 1999 British Book Awards.
His first three major works, Father Christmas, Father Christmas Goes on Holiday (both featuring a curmudgeonly Father Christmas who complains incessantly about the "blooming snow"), and Fungus the Bogeyman, were in the form of comics rather than the typical children's-book format of separate text and illustrations. The Snowman (1978) was entirely wordless, and illustrated with only pencil crayons. The Snowman became Briggs' best-known work when in 1982 it was made into an Oscar nominated animated cartoon, that has been shown every year since on British television.
Briggs continued to work in a similar format, but with more adult content, in Gentleman Jim (1980), a sombre look at the working class trials of Jim and Hilda Bloggs, closely based on his parents. When the Wind Blows (1982) confronted the trusting, optimistic Bloggs couple with the horror of nuclear war, and was praised in the British House of Commons for its timeliness and originality. The topic was inspired after Briggs watched a Panorama documentary on nuclear contingency planning, and the dense format of the page was inspired by a Swiss publisher's miniature version of Father Christmas. This book was turned into a two-handed radio play with Peter Sallis in the male lead role, and subsequently an animated film, featuring John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft. The Tin-Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman (1984) was a scathing denunciation of the Falklands War. However, Briggs continued to produce humour for children, in works such as the Unlucky Wally series and The Bear.
He was recognized as The Children's Author of the Year in 1993 by the British Book Awards. His graphic novel Ethel and Ernest, which portrayed his parents' 41-year marriage, won Best Illustrated Book in the 1999 British Book Awards.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
December 16, 2018
Beautiful Christmas story. Beautiful illustrations and a lovely storyline.
December 22, 2017
A boy moves into a new home and in his eagerness to explore, he discovers an old hat, a scarf, a shriveled tangerine and some coal hidden in his new room, along with a photo of a boy and a snowman. The boy builds his own snowman just like the one in the photo. For good measure, he adds a snowdog. The snow duo come to life in a magical adventure.
Warning! This story has words to go with the pictures and therefore kind of lacks the simple charm of the original. The story is magical and fantastical-more so than the original. It is a sweet homage though. The pictures are more rounded and cutesy than Raymond Briggs' original illustrations but they're charming and cute.
Niece #1 is dying to read this. I'll report back if she and her brother and cousins end up looking at it.
Warning! This story has words to go with the pictures and therefore kind of lacks the simple charm of the original. The story is magical and fantastical-more so than the original. It is a sweet homage though. The pictures are more rounded and cutesy than Raymond Briggs' original illustrations but they're charming and cute.
Niece #1 is dying to read this. I'll report back if she and her brother and cousins end up looking at it.
September 27, 2017
This book is a knock-off of The Snowman written by Raymond Briggs. The illustrations are nice. However, I did not like that the dog dies in the beginning.
December 21, 2019
A boy who lost his beloved dog a while ago received a beautiful gift at Christmas by building a snowman and a snowdog. They magically came to life and took him on an adventure, flying to different places, even to the North Pole to see Santa Claus. The ending left a heart-warming mark with the snowdog transforming into a real, breathing, living dog - the boy's new best friend - thanks to the magic dog collar that Santa Claus gave to the boy.
November 27, 2018
Lovely and heartwarming! Especially the end.
December 14, 2022
The snowman film is so nostalgic for me, the snowman and the snowdog was an instant draw. And let’s just say, the audiobook narration by Benedict Cumberbatch also may have had a small (okay maybe more than small) influence on my decision to pick this up too.
It’s December, I’m watching all the Christmas films, reading all the Christmas books and this one (even though it’s more targeted for children) was a must. I loved it, despite the undertone being a little sad and depressing. But it was still a lovely story and retains the nostalgia for me. Nothing will ever beat the original but I’m glad they’ve done something else with the story. The snow dog is such a cute concept.
It’s December, I’m watching all the Christmas films, reading all the Christmas books and this one (even though it’s more targeted for children) was a must. I loved it, despite the undertone being a little sad and depressing. But it was still a lovely story and retains the nostalgia for me. Nothing will ever beat the original but I’m glad they’ve done something else with the story. The snow dog is such a cute concept.
December 9, 2017
I checked this out from the library to read to my Granddaughter.
It begins with the dog dying and ends with the snowman melting.
Not exactly appropriate reading material for a 2-year-old but the goth part of Grandma loved it.
It begins with the dog dying and ends with the snowman melting.
Not exactly appropriate reading material for a 2-year-old but the goth part of Grandma loved it.
December 24, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2017
Entertaining and original story. It is a fairly short reading story with very short sentences.
September 29, 2018
Feeling lonely after moving to a new location and losing his dog to old age, Billy stumbles on a loose floorboard and discovers a box of mementos from another boy who lived in this same room years ago. Billy uses items from the box to build a snowman just like the one in the photo, and with leftover snow he forms a snowdog. This magical story is bittersweet - the snowman melts but the snowdog becomes real.
Using images culled from the hand-drawn animation of the short film, this sequel to The Snowman can stand alone. Briggs’ original book was wordless, and both films are without dialogue, but this title includes a story in traditional picture book style. While suitable, the text doesn’t always match the images; however, the illustrations are impressive. Coarse, earthy scenes, as well as dreamy, velvety visions create a delightful adventure.
Fans new and old will be captivated by this enchanting book.
Using images culled from the hand-drawn animation of the short film, this sequel to The Snowman can stand alone. Briggs’ original book was wordless, and both films are without dialogue, but this title includes a story in traditional picture book style. While suitable, the text doesn’t always match the images; however, the illustrations are impressive. Coarse, earthy scenes, as well as dreamy, velvety visions create a delightful adventure.
Fans new and old will be captivated by this enchanting book.
December 26, 2024
This is not the original story, it's just a quick additional tale based on the original.
And while sweet, it hasn't got anything much to do with the snowman - it's mostly about a boy who lost his old dog and got a new one.
And while this is a fine tale as it is, there are some missed opportunities.
I know it's short, but I think this would have been great to teach children about dealing with grief, about turning to an adult regarding their feelings, rather than building a snowman, who takes them flying and building a snowdog that will eventually become a real dog thanks to Santa.
I see the magic, but I feel like we should expect more from stories written for children.
Especially if there is a lesson to be learned, teach it, don't be lazy with your writing just because your audience are kids.
And while sweet, it hasn't got anything much to do with the snowman - it's mostly about a boy who lost his old dog and got a new one.
And while this is a fine tale as it is, there are some missed opportunities.
I know it's short, but I think this would have been great to teach children about dealing with grief, about turning to an adult regarding their feelings, rather than building a snowman, who takes them flying and building a snowdog that will eventually become a real dog thanks to Santa.
I see the magic, but I feel like we should expect more from stories written for children.
Especially if there is a lesson to be learned, teach it, don't be lazy with your writing just because your audience are kids.
December 24, 2025
Some books shouldn't have sequels.
The TV version of The Snowman by Raymond Briggs is a Christmas staple. It's quite good. A nice Christmas tradition. I could even play the tune on the piano once. It's self-contained. The snowman melts at the end, which is a metaphor for death so obvious that even I didn't miss it.
But, money, so let's cash in on it and make a pointless sequel.
Here he is again - is it the same snowman? This time with a pet dog which is also resurrection of a dog the character used to have? Or is it a different dog? Does this make any sense?
The TV version of The Snowman by Raymond Briggs is a Christmas staple. It's quite good. A nice Christmas tradition. I could even play the tune on the piano once. It's self-contained. The snowman melts at the end, which is a metaphor for death so obvious that even I didn't miss it.
But, money, so let's cash in on it and make a pointless sequel.
Here he is again - is it the same snowman? This time with a pet dog which is also resurrection of a dog the character used to have? Or is it a different dog? Does this make any sense?
December 12, 2024
Loved reading it to my son. A classic.
It is sad that the dog dies on page 2…..however I grew up with a dog myself, lived to be 17 so I was older when she passed at 24.
But children are more clued in than we know and I think it’s healthy for them to know that animals do die and to ask questions.
It’s a bit of a blunt ending for the dog hence the complaints from people, but look at HP and most kids stories, death is a fact of life. Sad but it’s nice in the end for the boy whose letter to Santa is answered.
It is sad that the dog dies on page 2…..however I grew up with a dog myself, lived to be 17 so I was older when she passed at 24.
But children are more clued in than we know and I think it’s healthy for them to know that animals do die and to ask questions.
It’s a bit of a blunt ending for the dog hence the complaints from people, but look at HP and most kids stories, death is a fact of life. Sad but it’s nice in the end for the boy whose letter to Santa is answered.
December 1, 2019
Not only is The Snowman and the Snowdog a charming nod to the original Snowman story, but it's also a lovely way of introducing loss and grief to children in an honest, straightforward way. Billy's old dog dies and he's very sad, but after a Christmas adventure with the Snowman and the Snowdog things start looking up - especially after he gets to make his Christmas wish directly to Santa himself!
December 29, 2023
The start was upsetting some kids could have been tromitiesed I was a bit sad that they used the word dead at least they could have described it differently like “Billy’s dog passed away and he was lonely” I do like the ending I thought it was really cute. The party wasn’t talked about much. My favourite bit was the end and my worst favourite bit was the start.
January 18, 2025
The Snowman was one of my favorite books as a kid - it holds a special place in my heart. But this, it’s not even written by Raymond Briggs - it’s based on his characters. It’s a bit of a downer - the dog dying at the beginning and it ending with the snowman melting. It just lacked the magic of the original.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2021
We both really like this one! The story is good, and we loved all the snow people coming together! Sophia was a bit sad about the snowman right at the end. But we are looking forward to building a snowdog together one day!
December 23, 2023
I'm not sure why people think it was written by Raymond Briggs as it wasn't. It was adapted to a book by Hilary Audus in 2013 after she directed the animated short of the same name that came out in 2012.
4 Stars
CAWPILE = 7.29
4 Stars
CAWPILE = 7.29
December 29, 2023
Pretty similar to the original in many ways. Although perhaps not the right ones. Cute story overall, but sad right from the offset without warning. Thankfully improved. Would be nice to have the illustrations on a separate page, so it doesn't spoil the story.
July 17, 2017
Jack said he LOVED this one because the dog was so cute. This would be a fun Christmastime read.
November 12, 2017
Cute short story about a Snowman that melts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2017
Audiobook with Cumberbatch. Lovley.
January 6, 2021
A sweet little bedtime story for children.
October 5, 2021
Such a wonderful book!
December 7, 2021
I was not expecting this book to start off as sad as it did. I probably wouldn't have read it to my daughter if I had known.
December 28, 2021
Just a really cute little story! Who doesn’t love this little book?!
December 31, 2021
Armas lugu unistamisest, seiklustest ning sellest, kuidas vahel unistused unenäona tunduvad, kuid ühel hetkel hoopis tegelikkuseks muutuvad. Kõikide koerast unistajate meelisteos.
September 1, 2022
Yes I gave this 4 stars because of the narrator 😂
February 6, 2023
I liked the film better.
December 21, 2023
A very short but cute story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews