Badger On the Barge and Other Stories (Lions) [Paperback]

Janni Howker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 1986 | Series: Lions

A collection of five short stories set in the small towns of northern England, exploring complex relationships and rare understandings among the young and old.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Old people and young reach mutual understanding in this collection of memorable stories. Ages 1014.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"One of the most exciting and talented writers we have." Philip Pullman "An amazingly gifted writer." The Times Educational Supplement" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 218 pages
• Publisher: Fontana/ Collin (February 10, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006725813
• ISBN-13: 978-0006725817
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,605,237 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book! The absolute best in children's literature!, July 1, 2008

By 

timw "tim w." (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Badger On the Barge and Other Stories (Lions) (Paperback)

I discovered "Badger on the Barge" while doing a survey/review of children's literature. On a scale of 1 to 10, this book rates about a billion. It is that much better than all other children's literature I've encountered (and that's quite a lot). It's a very good adult's book too.

It contains five substantial, meaty and engaging stories and is appropriate for fourth grade and up. The writer has complete respect for her characters and her readers. I'm tempted to refer only to child readers, but it's true for all, including us adults. There are zero cheap tricks here. The general theme is the encounter between a child and an interesting adult or an interesting situation, like a badger kept as a pet on a barge, or a girl who meets a very old woman who lives in and is the caretaker of a topiary garden. Luckiest of all will be the adult who can read these out loud to a child.

More general themes are issues of family and relationships, growing up, and empowerment. Several protagonists are girls. If you are planning on reading aloud, you may care to read it yourself first: there are places your voice may crack and break.