The First Snow of Winter

Story

Winter is coming to Ireland and the animals are preparing for their hibernation or migration. Sean McDuck and his friend Puffy the Puffin are out having fun but the time comes for them to migrate.

Sean gets injured in the flight and his family think he has been killed. With the help of his friends Voley and Puffy will Sean be able to survive the harsh winter in Ireland?

Why we chose it

A beautiful told story about family and friendship and courage – with a brilliant line dancing sheep sequence that will have you laughing out loud.

Where it came from

Common themes in Graham Ralph’s work are family, friendship and overcoming adversity through the value of friendship.

Where it went next

Graham Ralph made several successful TV shows and films for the BBC including The Forgotten Toys, Bounty Hamster and Harry and his Bucket Full of Dinosaurs. He is also the creator of Williams Wish Wellingtons and Spider!, two successful TV shows in the 1990s.

A picture book of the film was released in 1998 and included illustrations from Graham Ralph.

Associated stories

Other stories about being awake during winter include Moominland Midwinter by Tove Janssen when Moomin wakes up too early and discovers a winter world he didn’t know existed.

In Snow Bear by Tony Mitton and Alison Brown, Snow Bear looks for somewhere to spend the winter while in One Snowy Night by Nick Butterworth Percy the Park Keeper finds all the animals knocking on his door looking for a place to shelter.