Jamie and Angus Together

Six lovely, short, episodic stories about only child Jamie and his ‘best friend’ Angus, a cuddly woolly toy Highland Bull, This book is a marvellous follow-up to The Jamie and Angus Stories.

In ‘The Very Mysterious Present’ Jamie ingeniously protects Angus from the boisterous Bella who is visiting his house. As an only child Jamie spends plenty of time playing ‘Let’s Pretend’. In that particular story we see Jamie’s Nana entering into the spirit of Jamie’s Orphan Prince drama. Jamie’s Uncle Edward typically acts the clown on ‘A Nice Long Walk in the Country’; a family walk which Edward is reluctant to go on. The walk sees Jamie’s mum and dad being able to have some quality time, on their own, not having to be immediately by Jamie’s side in the countryside.

The characters are real people. Here we have beautifully observed writing that seems to flow effortlessly from the pen of this award winning author. The soft pencil illustrations are most suitable accompaniments to the cosy stories. The subject matter explored in ‘Fun for One’, where Jamie, recognising he is growing up, contemplates distancing himself from Angus, could potentially result in over sentimentality in a story. There is no danger of that with Anne Fine as the creator. It feels very, very natural. Perfect.