Take a Look at Me-e-e - Softcover

Barr, Alex

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1848518250 ISBN 13: 9781848518254

Publisher: Pont Books

Synopsis

A collection of seven gentle and endearing stories, by a writer who is himself a small-holder, about the animals on Rhos Evan farm. The stories depict the relationship between animals and humans as well as between animals themselves, through adventures or eventful days. Touches of humour are threaded throughout the book. All the creatures have their unique character, and the stories revolve around their role on the farmyard and in the fields. A very appealing read for children who live within a rural context, but also for the many children who love animals, especially dogs and horses.

About this title

About the Author

Alex Barr is a man of many talents. He worked as a bus conductor, kitchen porter, garden labourer and ice-cream salesman and journalist before becoming an architect. In 1996, he left the Department of Architecture at Manchester Metropolitan University and moved to Pembrokeshire to become a smallholder. There, with his wife who is a ceramic artist, he has kept animals and grown his own food, though by now a few sheep are his only stock. A published poet and writer of short stories, his work has been broadcast on Radio 4. Among his interests are woodwork (mainly children's toys) and Balkan folk dance - and his next aim is to write a book of one hundred haikus.

Review

Can you judge a book by its cover? Not always, but sometimes you can, and first impressions do count when young readers are browsing the school or library bookshelves, looking for a likely read. So what do we have here, in this collection of farmyard stories, which are said to capture the mischief, the friendships and the adventures on the farm and in the fields? Looks like fun cartoon character animals in a classic fox versus hen situation, a head-butting unicorn set-to, and a pair of identically-shaped dogs chasing up a mountain! And yet when we begin to engage with the text there are some puzzles and problems, I feel. Mixing anthropomorphism with humanity can be a tricky business. Which standpoint does the reader take? How convincing are the animals? How do the humans interact with them, if at all? I feel that the most successful episodes in the collection are actually the ones involving the humans the relationship which develops between the young girl Nerys and the seemingly cantankerous next-door neighbour works well. Serena, the horse involved, isnt a talking horse like Mr Ed of early TV fame and thats a good thing. When the animals do talk the dogs and the sheep, the fox and the goats its all a little forced, perhaps trying to be too clever with all those kenning-type names which might be overlooked by the emergent reader, for whom these tales are presumably intended. Short sentences and basic vocabulary and imagery would seem to indicate this, apart, of course, from those sometimes clever plays on words, Viking style! The actual book is well presented, nice shiny paper, an easily read font, clearly identified episodes in chapter form, with logo profiles running above and below the text but what disappointing illustrations. They appear to be computerized images as no illustrator credit appears in the book. What visual opportunities are wasted, particularly when dealing with such fascinating characters as Halfway Hopcyn, the misunderstood ugly duckling or mismatched bantam/gamecock and the identical twin goats who through their actions become much less than identical! Which brings me to the final story in the collection, Nathan the Note-herd. This is a cleverly conceived repetitive style tale of the by-now-grown-up son Nathans attempt to find his place in life. After trying a variety of herd jobs (too many goats at home for a goatherd; too many restrictions in the city for a coat-herd and a vote-herd), he ends up in a Gareth Malone scenario, conducting a choir who eventually perform on a the back of a trailer at the family farm. Hence the note-herd. What a great picture book this chapter would make ... it could be illustrated imaginatively by young readers if given the opportunity by their teachers or parents. So back to judging the book. By its cover and pictures? Not totally successful. By its stories and style? Entertaining and thought-provoking in places, representing human traits through animal characters, with echoes of well-known fables and lyrics it's almost 'Chanticleer and the Fox', almost 'The Boy who Cried Wolf', almost 'The Lonely Goatherd' but not quite, even though Nathan could sing. Chris Stephens It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddior adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. -- Welsh Books Council

Edition details

• Publisher: Pont Books
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1848518250
• ISBN 13: 9781848518254
• Binding: Paperback