The Silly Satsuma by Allan Plenderleith
| The Silly Satsuma by Allan Plenderleith | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: A delightful morality tale which will leave you laughing and might give the miniature terrorist in your life something to think about. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 48 | Date: September 2012 |
| Publisher: Ravette | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1841613666 | |
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Once there was a boy called Eric Greenbogle. I'd like to be able to tell you that he was a good boy, but that would be wrong. Eric was a bad boy and we all know what happens to bad boys on Christmas morning, don't we? Good boys (and girls) find lots of presents under the tree, but Father Christmas knows who has been good and who has been bad and Eric was about to be taught a lesson. There was just one present under the tree for Eric: a satsuma. Oh, there was something else - there was a note from Father Christmas explaining why there were no presents. Eric was furious. Eric cried, but then...
The satsuma spoke to him.
This was, you see, no ordinary satsuma. This was a magic satsuma, sent by Santa to help Eric. It has to be said that Eric wasn't grateful for the help and didn't relish being put in the position of all the people he'd terrorised (I thought about it - and that really isn't too strong a word for what Eric had been up to) over the year. I'm not going to tell you about all that happens to Eric, but the defining moment was when he was turned into a dog poo, placed on a girl's head and was tied up with a ribbon. That really is more than any self-respecting junior terrorist can stand.
Before the satsuma waved goodbye he had some words of reassurance for Eric:
You're not a bad boy Eric - you're a good boy who made bad choices.
That's not quite the end of the story - but I'll leave you to find out what Eric put on his Christmas list the following year!
It's a lovely story, delightfully illustrated and perfect for sharing with a child or for the emerging reader. There's a very obvious moral in the story, but you can't help laughing at what happens to Eric. (No - that's not cruel. He deserved it all!) It's a fun read which does deliver the message that mindless cruelty to other people is downright unpleasant and hardly likely to make you many friends.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag. We also have a review of The Snowman Strikes Back by Allan Plenderleith.
Is someone's bedroom a mess? Try Jumblebum by Chae Strathie and Ben Cort.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Silly Satsuma by Allan Plenderleith at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Silly Satsuma by Allan Plenderleith at Amazon.com.
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