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November 1, 2011/in Picture Book, Poetry 5-8 Infant/Junior /by Angie Hill
BfK Rating:
BfK 191 November 2011
Reviewer: Jill Bennett
ISBN: 978-1849392082
Price: £10.99
Publisher: Andersen Press
Genre: Picture Book, Poetry
Age Range: 5-8 Infant/Junior
Length: 32pp
Buy the Book

The Big Snuggle-up

Author: Brian PattenIllustrator: Nicola Bayley

In the midst of a snowy rural landscape stands a single house with door open and lights aglow. An old scarecrow enters, invited by the (as yet) unknown narrator. Scarecrow in turn brings – tucked in his sleeve – a mouse. Next comes a butterfly seeking a place to hibernate and after that a robin, a squirrel, a rabbit, a cat, a dog, a lamb and fawn, a donkey, a heron, a fox and finally,

‘The owl swooped down silent and slow,

Shaking off flakes of frozen snow.’

All eventually snuggle and doze in blissful comfort in front of a blazing log fire listening to the storm raging outside, before that is, taking a final peep through the window at the snow-covered world. And, it is only then that we discover that the storyteller’s voice belongs to a little boy.

The cumulative nature of Patten’s verse cries out for audience participation and is a joy to read aloud. There is poetry too in Nicola Bayley’s crayon pictures in which she portrays the various visitors with breath-taking accuracy and touching tenderness. The fine and delicate detail in each of the spreads, both inside and outdoors, holds the eye and makes one want to linger to explore, revisit and enjoy them in their own right.

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http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Angie Hill http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Angie Hill2011-11-01 00:00:582022-01-27 14:11:16The Big Snuggle-up

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