Mudpuddle Farm: Alien Invasion by Michael Morpurgo and Shoo Rayner
| Mudpuddle Farm: Alien Invasion by Michael Morpurgo and Shoo Rayner | |
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| Category: Emerging Readers | |
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Reviewer: James Donald
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| Summary: Funny, inventive and a great read. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 144 | Date: June 2017 |
| Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-0007275137 | |
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This collected edition contains two stories from Mudpuddle Farm: Alien Invasion and Mum's the Word. When the bees swarm the animals panic over a new creature that appears in the farm. In the second story that greedy goat has vanished and when he returns something darned odd happens…
I've said it before and I will say it again: a good children's story should be enjoyable for adults too. There is a reason Michael Morpurgo was the Children's Laureate and these little stories show it perfectly. The standard opening, the characters and the beautiful way the illustrations complement and enhance the story makes the Mudpuddle books must reads for those between 4 and 11.
I have a small problem though. It is a problem that will bug many kids too (especially those on the autistic spectrum). Continuity. Something happens at the end of Mum's the Word that never shows up again. Also we see Farmer Rafferty is capable of conversing with the animals in one story but in another this is down-played and he is just talking to the animals and has his own ideas about what they would be saying if they could talk.
For stories aimed at young children they are far from linear and combine multiple ideas brilliantly. In Alien Invasion we have a rescue mission for a missing child, an alien, crop circles and business initiative. Mum's the Word has a far more mature theme handled delicately.
Further reading: Mudpuddle Farm: Pigs Might Fly! for more stories from the same location.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Mudpuddle Farm: Alien Invasion by Michael Morpurgo and Shoo Rayner 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 Mudpuddle Farm: Alien Invasion by Michael Morpurgo and Shoo Rayner at Amazon.com.
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