The Little Scarecrow Boy (Paperback)

by Margaret Wise Brown (Author), David Diaz (Illustrator) "ONCE UPON A TIME in a cornfield there lived a scarecrow and his scarecrow wife and their little scarecrow boy..." (more)
Key Phrases: little scarecrow boy

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Caldecott Medalist Diaz (Smoky Night) makes a dramatic departure, in a winsome interpretation of Brown's previously unpublished tale.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 4-8
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (July 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060778911
• ISBN-13: 978-0060778910
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #240,664 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 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

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 A gentle tale of the value of perseverence, July 26, 2002

By	Catherine S. Vodrey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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

This gentle tale of the value of perseverence is in the best Margaret Wise Brown tradition. Without talking down to young children, she manages to convey the importance of stick-to-itiveness and the great love a young scarecrow boy has for his father. Trying the best he can to live up to his father's work ethic and talents, the little scarecrow boy tries and tries to scare the crows away. Although he fails over and over again, he does eventually succeed and sees that not only is his father proud of him--he is proud of HIMSELF. This is a great lesson quietly told--it's not preachy or high-handed in any way.

Brown's charming tale is greatly bolstered by the color-saturated illustrations of David Diaz. These have a lovely, soft 1930s look that reminds me very much of the illustrations in the original Raggedy Ann and Andy books. I especially like the way Diaz pulls back his perspective on the last page so that you really see why the little scarecrow boy feels, happily, that all is right with the world.