It was a cold overcast sort of day down at Buttercup Meadow and Mary the Lamb sat huddled under the apple tree trying to keep warm. The sky had a grey look about it and Mary thought that snow was likely before the day was out.

The village children were all walking past Mary’s field on their way to school and Mary knew that if it snowed, and the snow settled thick on the ground, they would all be down in her field to play after school.

During the day it got colder and colder and the sky got darker and darker. One or two flakes of snow started falling and in the light wind they danced around Mary’s field before settling along by the hedge. Quicker and quicker fell the flakes and within a short while the air was full of soft white flakes of snow. Many of them caught in the wind and blew dancing across Mary’s field, under the hedge.

It went on like this all day and the snow got thicker and thicker. Mary knew that it wouldn’t be too long before the children were let out from school and after they had gone home to fetch sledges and get changed, they would all be down in her field.

Sure enough, when the school bell rang they all poured out running as fast as they could.

“See you in a moment Mary”, they called as they rushed home to change. 

They were soon all back in the field, sliding on their sledges and having snow fights, running here, there, and everywhere, making snowballs and having a really good time.

Mary was really enjoying herself, sliding on the sledges and running in the snow.

After a while they all stopped for a rest, their faces glowing red with exertion.

“What can we do now?”, said one of the boys.

“Let’s build a snow fort”, said another,

“No way”, said one of the girls.

“I know”, said Mary, “Let’s build a big snowman!”

“Yay!”, they all cheered, and they set to work rolling big snowballs all over the field. Bigger and bigger they got until they could hardly push them.

They worked and worked until when it was very nearly time for them to go home they had finished. Then they all stood round looking at what they had made.

Standing in front of them was the biggest snowman any of them had ever seen.

“Well Mary”, they said, “we have to go home to bed now, we shall leave Simon the Snowman here to keep you company.” 

With that they collected their sledges and things then shouted “Goodnight Mary”. 

They went out of the field, up the lane to the village and were soon home in front of warm fires and telling their mums and dads of the things they had done that day.

Mary, now all alone in her field looked all around. Most of the snow was cleared now, what with the snow fights and making the big snowman, so she sat under her tree out of the wind. Thanking her lucky stars for her thick woolen coat to keep warm.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and as night fell, the stars sparkled brightly and the moon’s silvery light lit up the field very nearly as much as daylight.

Mary sat looking over at the snowman her eyes getting more and more tired. She shook her head to keep awake, but her eyes gradually closed. Just as they were very nearly shut, she jumped up. She looked over at the snowman, very much awake now. She was sure that it had just moved. But no, it stood just like a statue.

“I must have been mistaken”, she thought.

Her eyes gradually closed again. A movement made her open them after a few minutes and when she looked, the snowman had gone!

She looked all around the field rubbing her eyes.

“I must be asleep and dreaming”, she said out loud. 

“Oh no you aren’t!” said a booming voice from behind her.

She jumped to her feet and turned around, and there behind her tree was the big snowman, and what’s more, he was walking around in the snow!