Tattybogle by Sandra Horn and Ken Brown
| Tattybogle by Sandra Horn | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Jo Heffer
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| Summary: Tattybogle is a contented scarecrow who lives in a farmer's field. Life is good and he particularly loves the wind and the rain and enjoys singing and dancing to their tunes. Little does he realise that these seemingly friendly elements are going to be the undoing of him. Find out what happens on one very stormy day when the wind blows harder than ever before. It could be the end of Tattybogle but maybe it might be a new beginning. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: May 2007 |
| Publisher: Andersen | |
| ISBN: 9781842706855 | |
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At the start of this story, Tattybogle stands in the middle of the field in which he has stood for a long time. He is made of sticks and sacks, wears the farmer's old clothes and his head is full of straw and cheerful thoughts. It would seem that this scarecrow's life is a very good one especially when the wind blows because he likes a bit of a dance. He also likes the rain and when the stars twinkle at night.
However, one Autumn day, the wind started to blow harder and harder and Tattybogle discovered that not only was it too strong for him to dance but it was actually blowing him apart. The wind snatched some of his stuffing and scattered it along the hedge; it blew his hat and scarf away; and his torn coat and trousers were tossed in the air. Soon there was nothing left of Tattybogle apart from the old stick that had formed his spine. It would appear that this is the end for Tattybogle, but it would seem that nature has other ideas and it fact it is only the beginning! What looks like a potentially sad story ends with a great deal of hope and joy and reminds the reader of the way that Nature has a cycle.
This is a beautifully written book and one that is very enjoyable to read aloud. There are some wonderful descriptions and beautiful language used. There is also a fair amount of text on each page so that makes it a bit more of a substantial read than many story picture books. As well as being a lovely book for sharing with younger children, it would also be ideal for slightly older more confident readers to read independently.
The thing that really made this book for me and my daughters was the wonderful illustrations. Every single one is exquisite and helps to tell the story so well. These illustrations also help to emphasise the despair, poignancy and hope at various points in the story. In fact the illustrations are so good that the book was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal which is an award made by children's librarians for books with outstanding illustrations.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable book and one that is likely to be enjoyed by children of all ages. Its underlying theme of hope and renewal will provide many talking points and will ultimately leave young readers and their parents feeling most uplifted.
If you like the sound of this, why not also take a look at The Big Snuggle-up by Brian Patten and Nicola Bayley which is another book that features a friendly scarecrow.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Tattybogle by Sandra Horn and Ken Brown at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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