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Snow Friends
Little Bear is delighted to discover the fresh layer of snow outside his cave. But he quickly realizes snow isn't much fun when he's playing by himself. So, he decides to build a friend out of snow. As he begins to work, Otter and Rabbit appear, ready to help him. Together the three friends build a huge snowman, their work enhanced by the magical, sparkling finish throughout the book. When he finishes his creation, Little Bear realizes that while he has found friends, the snowman is alone. The three animals work together to build a friend for "the bestest snowman in the world" so that he is no longer lonely!
26 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
4 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
M. Christina Butler
73 books18 followersM Christina Butler was born in Scarborough. She had an idyllic childhood in the country where she spent her weekends playing on a farm among the animals. Christina has worked as a nurse, a pre-school nursery supervisor, and a governor at her local primary school, as well as writing a number of children’s books. She now lives close to York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
January 24, 2021
M. Christina Butler and Tina Macnaughton, the British author/illustrator team behind the long-running
Little Hedgehog
series, here deliver a sweet story of a young bear who awakens during the middle of his hibernation, and heads out into the wintry world for some fun. After enjoying the snowy vistas, he becomes lonely, and through his actions in creating a snowman, makes some animal friends with whom he can play...
Although I wouldn't describe Snow Friends as particularly memorable, when it comes to the picture-book form, it pairs a gentle, heartwarming tale with sweet illustrations. It also features a glittery element, as the snowman is depicted using some kind of shiny substance, on each page. I sought this one out largely because I have enjoyed the Little Hedgehog series, and I think it will appeal to the same readers as those other books, particularly the ones who appreciated that extra interactive element, whether it's a velvety touch-and-feel hat or a shiny star.
Although I wouldn't describe Snow Friends as particularly memorable, when it comes to the picture-book form, it pairs a gentle, heartwarming tale with sweet illustrations. It also features a glittery element, as the snowman is depicted using some kind of shiny substance, on each page. I sought this one out largely because I have enjoyed the Little Hedgehog series, and I think it will appeal to the same readers as those other books, particularly the ones who appreciated that extra interactive element, whether it's a velvety touch-and-feel hat or a shiny star.
January 13, 2019
This wasn’t as cute as I was expecting; it looked a lot cuter online than the story turned out being.
Some things require you to stretch your imagination, and some things don’t add up.
I don’t like that the bear is called Little Bear, when there's a popular book series called Little Bear. You could easily name your bear something else.
Despite bears hibernating through the winter, when Little Bear comes out of the den, there’s snow on the ground. Perhaps a late snow?
Instead of a den, it’s called a ‘bear cave.’
Little Bear wants someone to play with, so he decides to build a snowman. Otter shows up, wondering what he's doing, and wants to help. They end up rolling their snowman over Rabbit's burrow, and he joins in.
Otter goes back to the river for sticks, and there’s no hint of snow on the ground. It looks like a spring day.
Rabbit goes to his hole and gets a carrot from his carrot pantry. I don’t know if carrots are in season during the winter/early spring.
I found it odd that the best snowman ever had only two balls instead of three and was so small.
Little Bear whispers a line, yet the words are capitalized, making it look like he’s yelling:
‘“He’s the BEST SNOWMAN IN THE WORLD,” whispered Little Bear.’
The whole book, I wondered where his mom was and was waiting for her to appear.
The snowmen looked cute on the pages where they were shown at a distance on top of the hill, sparkling at sunset and then again under the stars and moon.
I think it’s sweet that the bear made two new friends, and they planned to play the next day. I also thought it was cute that they didn’t want their snowman to be alone, and decided to build him a friend, and said he’ll never be lonely because he has a friend, like them. The last page was cute with the three friends laying on the snow, and the two snow friends together, sparkling, at the top of the hill.
For little kids, this would capture the magic and fun of a snow day, and how at the end of the day, you’re tired from all the playing you’ve done.
The sparkles have been covered with something, so they aren’t loose, and don’t come away on your hands, which is good to note.
Some things require you to stretch your imagination, and some things don’t add up.
I don’t like that the bear is called Little Bear, when there's a popular book series called Little Bear. You could easily name your bear something else.
Despite bears hibernating through the winter, when Little Bear comes out of the den, there’s snow on the ground. Perhaps a late snow?
Instead of a den, it’s called a ‘bear cave.’
Little Bear wants someone to play with, so he decides to build a snowman. Otter shows up, wondering what he's doing, and wants to help. They end up rolling their snowman over Rabbit's burrow, and he joins in.
Otter goes back to the river for sticks, and there’s no hint of snow on the ground. It looks like a spring day.
Rabbit goes to his hole and gets a carrot from his carrot pantry. I don’t know if carrots are in season during the winter/early spring.
I found it odd that the best snowman ever had only two balls instead of three and was so small.
Little Bear whispers a line, yet the words are capitalized, making it look like he’s yelling:
‘“He’s the BEST SNOWMAN IN THE WORLD,” whispered Little Bear.’
The whole book, I wondered where his mom was and was waiting for her to appear.
The snowmen looked cute on the pages where they were shown at a distance on top of the hill, sparkling at sunset and then again under the stars and moon.
I think it’s sweet that the bear made two new friends, and they planned to play the next day. I also thought it was cute that they didn’t want their snowman to be alone, and decided to build him a friend, and said he’ll never be lonely because he has a friend, like them. The last page was cute with the three friends laying on the snow, and the two snow friends together, sparkling, at the top of the hill.
For little kids, this would capture the magic and fun of a snow day, and how at the end of the day, you’re tired from all the playing you’ve done.
The sparkles have been covered with something, so they aren’t loose, and don’t come away on your hands, which is good to note.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2026
Nježna topla pričica o prijateljstvu za one najmlađe, ali i sve nas ostale može podsjetiti kolika je važnost prijatelja.
January 19, 2010
I'm a huge fan of the illustrations but this is not one of the stronger collaborations between this author/illustrator duo, IMO. It just seemed a bit odd to me--WHY is a little bear cub waking up by himself in the snow!? Is Rabbit being funny or just angry when bear builds a snowman over his hole? The hedgehog stories by this team are stronger, I think.
February 4, 2017
Snow Friends by M. Christina Butler and Tina Macnaughton was published by Good Books in 2005. I gave this book 3 stars because it wasn't my favorite book, but it was still very cute and great pictures! The Lexile level of this book is a 620 L, the grade level is Pre-K-2, the genre is Fiction, and the guided reading is an L.
The summary of this story is that a bear wakes up early and finds snow all around. He begins to play and then began to build a snowman and wait for someone to find him so they could help him build the "best snowman ever". Then an otter and a rabbit found the bear and used their surroundings to help build an amazing snowman. Even though they built the greatest snowman, he seemed lonely. So Bear, Otter, and Rabbit all helped build a perfect little snowman. Bear now had a two great snowmen along with great friends.
An activity that I would create for this story is going back to the book and figuring out step by step of how they created the snowman. This CCSS would be CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
With this, the students will find the details and characters that helped put the snowman together and how students will learn to make a snowman.
The summary of this story is that a bear wakes up early and finds snow all around. He begins to play and then began to build a snowman and wait for someone to find him so they could help him build the "best snowman ever". Then an otter and a rabbit found the bear and used their surroundings to help build an amazing snowman. Even though they built the greatest snowman, he seemed lonely. So Bear, Otter, and Rabbit all helped build a perfect little snowman. Bear now had a two great snowmen along with great friends.
An activity that I would create for this story is going back to the book and figuring out step by step of how they created the snowman. This CCSS would be CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
With this, the students will find the details and characters that helped put the snowman together and how students will learn to make a snowman.
March 5, 2015
Having friends in life makes us so much happier! Snow Friends is a book that shows how important friends are to one another! It is a great book to have on hand in the classroom especially at the beginning of the year when new children are coming together in the classroom setting. It would also be good to have this book as a refresher when new children join your class through out the school year.
Bear wakes up from hibernation a little early and wants someone to play with but everyone is still asleep. Once he gets an idea to make a snowman to play with one by one the other animals start waking up, offering him their help! They have a splendid time...but the snowman is left alone now...or is he?!
Illustrations are very cute and add to the adorable attitudes of the bear, the snowman, the otter and the rabbit have with one another in their budding friendships!
Bear wakes up from hibernation a little early and wants someone to play with but everyone is still asleep. Once he gets an idea to make a snowman to play with one by one the other animals start waking up, offering him their help! They have a splendid time...but the snowman is left alone now...or is he?!
Illustrations are very cute and add to the adorable attitudes of the bear, the snowman, the otter and the rabbit have with one another in their budding friendships!
October 29, 2022
A sweet, winter tale about friendship!
Ages: 3 - 6
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
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Ages: 3 - 6
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
September 27, 2019
Book review of Snow Friends by M. Christina Butler and Tina Mcnaughton
M. Christina Butler and Tina Macnaughton approach the topic of building the best snowman ever in their children's picture book Snow Friends. Bear wants a friend and gets out of the snowy cave, so he starts to build a snowman. When he’s making the snowman, an otter asks him if he could help, and they became friends to make “’The best snowman EVER!’”.They stumble upon a rabbit and the rabbit asked to help, so they rolled and patted to make the snowman. After they played and played, then they started to talk about what they will do the next day. "'But what about snowman? said little bear, we can’t leave him all on his own.’” So, they built him a friend, “’And he’ll never be lonely now that he has a friend’”.
I recommend this book for ages eight and under, “They built the snowman together, with otters sticks for arms, and the nuts from little bears store for his eyes. Finally, rabbit climbed onto little bear’s shoulders and pushed the carrot nose in place.” It helps kids think how friends should help each other out and be nice. Also, to not be afraid of making new friends and help those in need.
M. Christina Butler and Tina Macnaughton approach the topic of building the best snowman ever in their children's picture book Snow Friends. Bear wants a friend and gets out of the snowy cave, so he starts to build a snowman. When he’s making the snowman, an otter asks him if he could help, and they became friends to make “’The best snowman EVER!’”.They stumble upon a rabbit and the rabbit asked to help, so they rolled and patted to make the snowman. After they played and played, then they started to talk about what they will do the next day. "'But what about snowman? said little bear, we can’t leave him all on his own.’” So, they built him a friend, “’And he’ll never be lonely now that he has a friend’”.
I recommend this book for ages eight and under, “They built the snowman together, with otters sticks for arms, and the nuts from little bears store for his eyes. Finally, rabbit climbed onto little bear’s shoulders and pushed the carrot nose in place.” It helps kids think how friends should help each other out and be nice. Also, to not be afraid of making new friends and help those in need.
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January 18, 2021This delicate book for young readers ( I would recommend it for 2-3 years and more, depending on the reading experience of the child) is a great reading option for a winter day. The illustrations are gorgeous and the glittering snowball adds a festive and bright look to the book.
Is a story about friendship and team work. About the power of three versus the power of just one. About not being alone and enjoying the world’s wonders with your friends. It is a great book for preschoolers because this exact abilities ( team work, friendship, carring for others) are developed at this age.
Is a story about friendship and team work. About the power of three versus the power of just one. About not being alone and enjoying the world’s wonders with your friends. It is a great book for preschoolers because this exact abilities ( team work, friendship, carring for others) are developed at this age.
November 1, 2025
Snow Friends by M. Christina Butler is an adorable story about friendship and teamwork, perfect for young children. The charming tale of Little Bear and his friends building the best snowman ever is made even more magical by the sparkling glitter accents throughout the book. The glitter adds a lovely tactile and visual element that brings the snowy scenes to life, making this a delightful read for wintertime and a sweet way to celebrate friendship.
December 21, 2023
Love these series of books. They're so stinkin cute! Adorable story about a little bear who wants to play with friends so he decides to make a snowman. Friends come along and help the bear build the snowman. They then spend the evening looking at the stars together after they finish building the snowman.
September 20, 2017
I only rated this book a 4/5 because it just wasn't a favorite of mine. However, it does convey a good message about sharing and friendship that is easy for children to understand. The glitter on the snowman caught my attention and I know children would enjoy it.
January 24, 2019
Super sweet! Friendship, cooperation, a story with more than one or two sentences per page. Sensory attractive with rough, glittery snowman parts on a smooth, well illustrated page. This is a good book to own with children 5 and under.
December 11, 2017
Super adorable, maybe a bit too long for a storytime? Will depend on how antsy the kids seem at the time.
August 21, 2018
Big pictures great for storytime. Nice friendship story or winter theme. Glittery, textured snowball on nearly every page.
August 27, 2018
Loads of friendship! This books discusses the adventure of little bear and his 2 new friends. Perfect for the winter.
September 8, 2018
This is a very good book, especially for winter season. Having friends always makes things better!
November 8, 2018
lily fall reading 2018, children's book, board book, snow, friends, animals
November 27, 2018
This is a great book about a bear who becomes friends with an otter and a rabbit. They make some snowman and they are all happy together.
December 9, 2018
Good book to read on a snowy winter day! Enjoyed all of the friendship throughout the book.
January 16, 2019
C'est un livre qui scintille, c'est toujours attirant pour les enfants.
November 26, 2019
Shows a good connection on why friends are important. Good for younger children.
December 10, 2019
Cute book to read for the holidays
February 1, 2020
109 - 2020
March 18, 2020
Glitter!
December 11, 2020
My 1 yo loooooved the sparkly snowman.
December 12, 2020
OK story. The drawings of Otter are really cute.
December 6, 2023
Adorable book about loneliness, cooperation and friendship.
November 18, 2024
fun glitter textures!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews