In this rhyming picture book, two scarecrows have fallen in love and are about to get married. They make a list of all the things they need for a wedding, and are able to find everything except the pink flowers. Harry O'Hay volunteers to venture out into the countryside to gather them. He returns to find the farmer has already put up a dashing new scarecrow who is showing off his smoke-ring skills by puffing on a cigar. When the cigar falls, it starts a huge fire and traps the helpless Betty. Good thing Harry has arrived to save the day.
Rhyming and rhythm are hard to do well in a picture book, and I feel like they both work wonderfully here. The story is a delight to read aloud and flows very well. Unfortunately, I had a few issues with the plot toward the end. For one, I'm not fond of the handsome young hero jumping in just in time to save the helpless girl, who has been standing there doing nothing to save herself. For another, I don't understand why she was just standing there in the first place instead of running away from the fire. The scarecrows can come to life and are clearly able to move quite well when gathering all the items they need for their wedding. Why would this suddenly change the second the field catches on fire? And if she really IS planted in the ground and forced to watch a fire come ever closer to consuming her, well, it's a pretty disturbing image for children.
EL (K-3) -- OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Caryn
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment