The Bad Day
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This issue’s cover illustration is from Pests written and illustrated by Emer Stamp. Thanks to Hodder Children’s Books for their help with this May cover.
Squirrel is convinced he’s going to have a wonderful day, for there up in the tree in front of him hanging from a branch, is a large acorn ripe and ready for the taking. That sense of well being quickly dissipates however as the bushy-tailed narrator realises that he’s stuck with the desired object tantalisingly just out of his reach.
Squirrel however is not the only animal having a rotten day. Snake has tied itself in knots, Tortoise is flat on its back, Fox has a dreadful stomach ache and as for Mouse, the little creature is in a very dark hole that’s scary and smelly. When the other animals realise that Mouse’s plight is the worst of all they decide that teamwork of a very clever kind will be required to save their little pal. In so doing they might just succeed in pulling off a tricky rescue and in so doing turn this bad day around.
The author has woven a thoroughly enjoyable rhyming fable-like tale that entertains and gently delivers a lesson in the power of cooperation. Her richly coloured, textured scenes – large and small – enhance the telling. Particularly effective is the four-panel sequence showing Squirrel’s rescue after which children will eagerly anticipate the outcome of the fluffy tail flicking on the narrator’s part.