Frosty the Snowman (Frosty the Snowman) by Diane Muldrow

It all started with the snow, the first snow of the season.
    As every child knows, there’s a certain magic to the very first snow. And when it falls on the day before Christmas, something wonderful is bound to happen!

    “Children, back to your seats!” called the teacher. “The snow can wait. I’ve hired Professor Hinkle, the magician, to entertain us for our Christmas party!”
    Unfortunately, Professor Hinkle was just about the worst magician in the world.

    “And so I put the eggs into my magic hat,” said Professor Hinkle.

    “Abracadabra! And
voilà
, the eggs have turned into … a mess. Where is my rabbit?
    Hocus Pocus, where are you?”

    He didn’t know that his rabbit, Hocus Pocus, was hiding in the hat.

    “The only thing this hat is good for is the trash can!” said Professor Hinkle.

    But the hat didn’t stay in the trash for long. The hat—with Hocus Pocus underneath—hopped out the door! That was when the bell rang. The children were free for the whole Christmas holiday!

    “Hey, look at the snow!” cried the children as they ran outside. They worked together to build the first snowman of the season.
    Once the children had given him eyes, a nose, and a mouth, it was time to name him.
    “How about Frosty?” asked Karen. “Frosty the Snowman!”

    The children danced around Frosty as they sang about his button nose and his eyes made out of coal.
    “Come back here, you!” cried Professor Hinkle, chasing Hocus Pocus. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew the hat onto Frosty’s head!

    “Happy Birthday!” said the snowman.
    Karen gasped and said, “That hat brought Frosty to life. It must be magic!”
    When Professor Hinkle heard that, he wanted the hat back!
    “But it’s not yours anymore,” protested Karen.

    “This hat will make me a millionaire!” said the greedy magician, taking the hat back.

    Hocus Pocus felt that the hat really did belong to Frosty. So he hop, hop, hopped back to Frosty and the children as fast as he could to return the magic hat.

    “Happy Birthday!” said Frosty again as soon as the hat was placed on his head. “Hey, I said my first words. I’m alive! What a neat thing to happen to a nice guy like me!”

    The magic hat made Frosty dance around. The children cheered as Frosty began to laugh and play with them. There had never been such a wonderful winter day!

    When the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, Frosty exclaimed, “Oh, I’m all wishy-washy! I’m starting to melt!”
    The children knew they needed to take Frosty someplace where he’d never melt—like the chilly North Pole.

    They decided to go to the railroad station and find a train for Frosty.
    “Let’s have a parade through town!” shouted Frosty. “Come on, kids— follow the leader!”

    All too soon it was time for the train, and Frosty, to leave.
    “I’ll go with you, Frosty,” said Karen. “I’m sure I’ll be back in time for supper. ”
    Karen, Frosty, and Hocus Pocus jumped into a refrigerated boxcar on a freight train headed north.

    No one saw Professor Hinkle sneak under the train car and hold on.

    A refrigerated boxcar is a splendid way to travel. Splendid, that is, if one is a snowman or a furry-coated rabbit. But for a little girl like Karen, it was just too cold.
    So when the freight train made a stop, Frosty got them all out.
    No one saw Professor Hinkle jump off, too.

    Frosty took Karen and Hocus Pocus to a wooded glen, where they found animals decorating the trees for their big celebration. They knew Santa Claus was coming that night!

    After Hocus Pocus spoke to the animals, they agreed to build a campfire to keep Karen warm.
    But it didn’t take long for Professor Hinkle to catch up with the friends.

    “Get on my shoulders, Karen!” cried Frosty.
    Frosty, since he was made of snow, was the fastest belly whopper in the world. Soon he and Karen were sliding down a hill, leaving that greedy Professor Hinkle far behind.
    At the bottom of the hill was a tiny