Charlie and the Snowman by Joseph B. Touma

What is Charlie and the Snowman about?

I am blessed with 7 grandchildren. I used to make up bedtime stories when the grandchildren spent the night with us. It used to excite them and they would change the stories and add their ideas which I incorporated into the stories. They always insisted on telling the stories I told them.

“Charlie and the snowman” is a story of a little kid who has never seen snow before. One day it snows, and Charlie and the rest of his family make a snowman. However, the snowman starts to melt when the weather is warming up. He is sad and starts to cry. Suddenly the snow fairy appears and promises Charlie to keep the same snowman for 6 months. He was not upset when it melted after six months because he was hopeful that snow would come next year and he would be able to build another snowman.

What part of the writing/illustration process did you find the most enjoyable with this book?

I was very fortunate that I knew Professor Mary Grassel at Marshall University School of art and design, who agreed to help me and did a magnificent job drawing the thoughts and the spirit of these books. I ended up writing 13 children’s books.

Your books are part of a children’s hospital fundraiser, can you go into more detail?

Our health system decided to build a Children’s Hospital. My wife (who is a retired pediatrician) and I were supportive of this fantastic project. It was natural for us to gift the books and all the rights to Cabell Huntington Hospital foundation which did a great job bringing the Children’s Hospital to reality. Gifting the Charlie’s series to the foundation is another way to support this project. It is almost finished now and is a model Children’s Hospital.