“The Snowman” by Caeleigh MacNeil is a story about an innocent subject: drawing snowmen. However, hidden between the lines is a message that shouldn't apply today: don't rock the boat. People who do something different get ridiculed and shunned. Though teachers claim that we are all unique and should be proud of it, a boy in Caeleigh's third grade class was ridiculed for drawing a purple snowman with four circles increasing in size.

Today in our society, you must be part of the “normal” group in order to be accepted. You must look a certain way, act a certain way, and have a certain set of beliefs that fit with the crowd's. The pressure to be part of the group is enormous, and nobody wants to be viewed as a weirdo.

However, what would happen if people didn't challenge the ideas of the “normal” group and let their imagination take charge? What would happen if people didn't speak their minds? What would happen if people cared more about their reputation than doing the right thing? Without people like the boy who draws a purple snowman, who will stand out from the crowd and take chances? These are the people who make a difference in the world.

So instead of making fun of the boy who draws a purple snowman, we should embrace his creativity. We can all change the world, one purple upside down snowman at a time.