The Little Scarecrow Boy [Paperback]

Margaret Wise Brown (Author), David Diaz (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

The Little Scarecrow Boy is the lightest and brightest picture book from one of the most renowned children's writers ever: Margaret Wise Brown, author of Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Caldecott winner David Diaz's illustrations burst with sunshine, and Brown's words reveal the quiet glory of a boy on the brink of growing up, full of curiosity and life.

Ages 3 – 7

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hewing to an earthy palette of cornfield yellows, oranges, and greens, with shades of blue for contrast, Caldecott Medalist Diaz (Smoky Night) makes a dramatic departure, in a winsome interpretation of Brown's previously unpublished tale. In typical Brown fashion, a strong and loving family bond is at the core of the story, which tells of a happy scarecrow trio. "Old man scarecrow" is teaching his son the family business, and although the scarecrow boy is eager to ply his trade, his father tells him repeatedly "No, little boy./ You can't go./ You're not fierce enough/ to scare a crow./ Wait till you grow." But one day the lad can't resist giving his new skills a try, and nearly comes to grief. Not until his sixth attempt, making his fiercest face of all, does he finally drive the crows away from the fields. This warmly evoked coming-of-age tale, marked by repetitive phrasing and even pacing, makes for a superior read-aloud, enhanced by the timeless, leisurely quality in Diaz's watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations. The patched look of the scarecrow characters echoes the patchwork of the fields and multicolored corn. With his round head and chubby body, sprouting straw from every sleeve and pocket, the scarecrow boy will enchant young readers; the "faces" he makes are a droll caricature of the kind of grimaces children concoct, as his button eyes strain at their threads, his fingers pull cloth lips back to reveal straw "teeth," and so on. This scarecrow boy may be made of straw, but he's all heart?and so is this picture book. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-Diaz provides wonderful illustrations for a story Brown wrote in the 1940s. Little scarecrow boy longs to accompany his father, old man scarecrow, to the cornfields to frighten the crows. Instead, he has to remain home to grow and to practice the terrible facial expressions his father teaches him. Convinced that he has mastered the six fierce faces, he slips out early one morning and confronts a big black crow in the field. These encounters test the youngster's mettle, but he succeeds in frightening the bird, filling his father with pride. Brown's masterful use of repetition and rhythm creates a fine read-aloud story. The warm watercolor illustrations incorporate straw and patchwork to evoke a Midwest summer day in this sunny coming-of-age story.
Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, MN
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (July 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060778911
• ISBN-13: 978-0060778910
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #454,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fiercest Scarecrow in the World, August 7, 2006

By 

Julee Rudolf "book snob" (Oak Harbor, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Little Scarecrow Boy (Hardcover)

The little scarecrow boy wants badly to go out into the fields and scare the crows, but he's too young and inexperienced and not fierce enough. His father says, "Wait till you grow," but the boy is impatient to try out the six terrible faces that he is taught. Once he learns them, he decides to run away so that he can try out his new skills, but the crow is not afraid as he uses each face in succession, becoming more out of breath as he continues to run after each attempt. Finally, with the sixth and fiercest face - success! His father arrives just in time to proudly see him scare the crow away and the scarecrow boy becomes the fiercest scarecrow in the world.

The close up illustrations of the scarecrow boy's face when he's scaring seem disproportionately large (similar in magnitude to the smiling face on the cover), although it allows the reader to better distinguish between the six degrees of scary faces.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great!, October 19, 2001

By 

E. Chinchilla (Riverside, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Little Scarecrow Boy (Library Binding)

I just read this book to my first grade class and they loved it. It's a great book to introduce the idea of never giving up and feeling proud after a job well done.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adorable Fall Read, November 12, 2009

By 

Anonymous (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Little Scarecrow Boy (Paperback)

"The Little Scarecrow Boy" is a good choice for a fall read in your classroom. It lends itself well to expansion curriculum projects. Lesson themes may include scarecrows, farming, family relationships, emotions, etc. The repeatative text is enjoyable and predictable. I have read it to both a 4-year-old and a 7-year-old class, they all loved it! The text is simple enough for a 7-year-old to read aloud as well. I also liked the fact that this book did not incorporate any "Halloween" themes.