[1] The book won a number of awards and was adapted into an animated television film in 1982 which is an annual fixture at Christmas.

"[3] One snowy winter's day, a boy builds a snowman who comes to life at the stroke of midnight.

The snowman takes the boy outside and they begin to fly over the South Downs and watch the sun coming up from Brighton pier before returning home.

[4] In the United Kingdom, it was the runner-up for the Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British writer.

The book was adapted into a half-hour animated television film in 1982, which debuted on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 26 December.