Customer Reviews

Scarecrow Finds a Friend

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In our hurried world we too often forget the importance of the simple beauties such as the magic of the changes of seasons and the numerous holidays that create so many rich memories for children to carry into adulthood. Writer Blume J. Rifken and artist/illustrator Carl W. Wenzel have combined much of the joys of these neglected beauties in this charming and beautifully presented story about friendships, promises, and the magic of autumn's atmosphere on the traditions of Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Scarecrow, happy with November's respite from guarding crops, dreams of the past Halloween encounter with Tally, a terrific witch who granted his wish to go trick or treating. Tally returns to Scarecrow's November, losing her powers to fly because of her overindulgence in wish granting. Scarecrow, growing daily more fragile as his straw stuffing blows away with the autumn winds, promises Tally a solution to her wish to fly high again: November's Thanksgiving aromas suggest that the farmer's children will come to the fields after their dinner and rescue his dilapidated condition - at which time Scarecrow will assist Tally in finding the turkey's wishbone to regain her ability to fly. How this closure of friendship and promises occurs makes for a happy ending and a solid reminder of the joy of the autumn gifts of holidays and family and friends.

Though the book is rated for readers 4 - 8 years, this is a book that would be well to bring out each autumn for the whole family - from toddlers to old folks. The story is solid and the illustrations in exquisite watercolor renderings are stunning. This is definitely a fine book to keep in any home, but especially in homes that honor tradition and the majesty of the changes of seasons. Grady Harp, August 08

Children will delight in this seasonal picture book by Blume J. Rifken. Scarecrow Finds a Friend is an Autumn treasure that is destined to become a family tradition. It is a tale of friendship and teamwork, decorated with magical whimsy.

As Scarecrow rests in November after a long growing season, he remembers the witch he met on Halloween. Tally was the witch's name, and she granted his wish of being able to go trick-or-treating as a ghost. Scarecrow was able to have candy corn for the very first time!

Tally awakens Scarecrow from his daydreams, but she is not so cheerful anymore. Because she has been granting too many wishes for other people, she has lost her power to fly. Scarecrow wants to help his new friend very much, and he concocts a plan to get Tally's power back. The inspiring caper that ensues shows what it means to have a true friend and the difference one person can make for another.

Scarecrow Finds a Friend is heartwarming and fun to read. Children will relate easily to the characters. The moral theme is not so dominant that it overshadows every word. The pacing is perfect, with very few lulls that would potentially lose a young audience's attention. The intended age range of four to eight years is spot on. The book actually received applause from the resident six-year-old reviewer. This is one that we will read many times in the future, I'm sure.

Carl W. Wenzel's watercolor illustrations are gorgeous. His absorbing artwork completes the story and lands the book as a conversation piece the reader can proudly display. The colors are appropriate for the season, with rich orange, yellow, green and purple. The artwork alone has created a fan out of me, and I'll be looking for more from Wenzel in the future. I would love to have some prints for my home.

Scarecrow Finds a Friend will easily become a family favorite. As we head into the tail end of summer, it has been released just in time to herald in the Autumn and makes the perfect themed read. Share this with a young reader and immerse yourself in the season.

A joyful picturebook written for children ages 4-8, Scarecrow Finds a Friend tells the story of a Tally, a good witch who has lost her power to fly. She makes friends with a Scarecrow, who devises a plan to help Tally get a Thanksgiving turkey wishbone - the key to making a wish for the return of her flying powers! Autumn-hued color illustrations enhance this warm-hearted holiday storybook, especially recommended for children's library holiday shelves.

Tally is a good witch and loves to grant wishes. When she meets Scarecrow, she grants him a special Halloween wish. But when Scarecrow sees her again at Thanksgiving, something is terribly wrong. Tally is having trouble flying.

Scarecrow is worried about her, so he comes up with a plan to help her regain her ability to fly, involving the wishbone from the family's Thanksgiving turkey. At this point, I would have liked Tally to find the wishbone for herself. Instead, it falls out of Scarecrow's sleeve, flying out of his straw when a gust of wind blows. Scarecrow has promised her his plan can't fail - and he's right. Tally flies away happily, never to lose her powers again.

Illustrator Carl W. Wenzel brings Tally and Scarecrow to life amidst a colorful background of fall watercolors. A heart-warming story about friends who look out for each other, Scarecrow Finds a Friend would make a nice addition to any child's library.

Reviewer: Alice Berger, Bergers Book Reviews

Scarecrow Finds a Friend is a nice children's book aimed at the four to eight year- old crowd. This book features the common storyline of friendship. In this instance, one of the book's characters, a Witch, befriends another, a Scarecrow, by granting him a wish. Later, the Scarecrow returns the favor by helping his friend get her own wish granted, even though, unlike his friend, he doesn't have any magical powers to grant wishes.

This children's book is written to appeal to elementary school age children and the story it presents includes a larger number of sentences and a little more plot to follow than many other children's books. A young child would grow impatient with the lengthier dialogue, but this is just about right for the target age group. There is enough here to challenge the skills of elementary school age children without overwhelming them, so the book definitely earns points in this area.

As for the story itself, it does offer a nice, feel- good, important-lesson-to-learn message about helping a friend in need who has befriended you in the past. The message is a positive one, but there is one small problem that I have with the story. Toward the end, the logic of the story gets a little fuzzy when the Scarecrow suddenly discovers the wishbone- which was needed in order to grant his friend her wish- mixed in with his own straw in his body. He had been in the house of the family who owns him, was getting his straw replaced, left the house, and then a strong wind strikes and blows a wishbone right out of him. This is a little far-fetched. Yes, the kids in the house were stuffing the Scarecrow's body with fresh straw, but how would they accidentally stuff the wishbone from the Thanksgiving turkey in his body? Did they reach for some trash to finish the job? A little more realistic twist to the plot would have made this part of the story better.

Illustrations in this book are pretty good. They don't offer the all- out splash of colors like often found in other children's books, but then again, this book isn't aimed at the very young- it is aimed at elementary school age children so the colors are just fine. The drawings in this book are all situated on a white background and they feature hues like brown, yellow, blue, green, and purple. The colors are a little more subdued, but they fit the mood of the story.

Overall, Scarecrow Finds a Friend is a good children's book with a positive message, good illustrations, and a challenging writing style that persuades kids to think as they read. I would have found a better, more realistic way to get the wishbone from the turkey into the Scarecrow's hands. But Scarecrow Finds a Friend is still a good book that most elementary school- age children will find to their liking.

SCARECROW FINDS A FRIEND is a beautifully written and illustrated story perfect for the fall season.

Scarecrow's work for the season is done. Having successfully guarded over the crops of his farm, he settles down for a relaxing dream with the Thanksgiving smells of apple pie and pumpkin bread wafting over his field.

During his reminiscing of his Halloween the previous month with his new witch friend, Tally, he remembers his chance she gave him to experience trick-or-treating. While in the midst of his dreaming, Tally actually appears from the sky.

But there's something wrong with Tally! She's not able to fly properly and is wobbling all over the place. Tally tells Scarecrow that she's losing her flying powers because she's been granting too many wishes! So, to repay her kindness for letting him experience trick-or-treating, Scarecrow decides he will help her reclaim her flying powers. He just has to come up with a plan.

Ms. Rifken created a wonderful story of friendship and helping each other out. My son and I sat and read the story together. It's perfect for children of any age. You will come away with a warm feeling of happiness by the last page. And the addition of the colorful, fall-inspired drawings complete the story perfectly.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Scarecrow is about to earn a well-deserved rest after a long, hot summer of keeping the birds away from the crops. Halloween is coming soon and his wish is to be able to go trick-or-treating like the children. Tally is a witch and she grants Scarecrow his wish and they go trick-or-treating together. It is great fun and Scarecrow enjoys eating the candy.
However, the act of granting Scarecrow his wish has depleted Tally's powers and she can no longer fly. In order to replenish her powers, someone needs to grant Tally a wish. Scarecrow comes up with a plan that will do that. By taking straw out of his body, the children will want to repair him and to do that; they will take him in the house. When they take Scarecrow into the house, Tally will follow and take the wishbone from the Thanksgiving turkey. After the repairs, Scarecrow is taken back outside and they find the wishbone in his straw. They both make their wish and when they pull on the bone, Tally wins and her power is restored. Scarecrow then informs her that since he also wished that her powers would return, she would have had them no matter who received the largest piece of the bone.
This is a beautifully illustrated and delightful tale about wishes, friendship, reciprocation of good deeds and looking after one another. Tally grants Scarecrow his wish and then when Tally needs help, Scarecrow reciprocates in helping Tally get her powers back. The lesson of returning good deeds is one that children need to learn and this book provides that lesson.

To have straw for brains, this scarecrow is one smart cookie.

Blume J. Rifken's crop protector finds himself in a hefty predicament when Tally the friendly witch exhausts her power to grant the scarecrow his wish of trick-or-treating with his family's children, Seth, Sue and Holly. To help her out, the scarecrow devises a plan to get a wish of her own granted with the help of a wishbone...that's in the farmhouse across the field. To retrieve the bone, scarecrow has Tally relieve him of some of his straw so the kids will take him inside to restuff him. Though their sneak-and-snatch trick initially seems unsuccessful, the book takes a twist and ends on a happy note.

The story is adorable, but different, not like many fantasy stories that have a reiterative, straight-forward concept and lesson hidden in its depths. Here, the concept of sharing and helping one another is prevalent right from the beginning, so the suspense of the tale allows the reader to derive more from the words and images than just a life lecture. The illustrations, done by Carl W. Wenzel, are exceptional, painting the exact picture the words portray. A beautiful story, perfect for the youngster in your life.


- T.C. Robson

Imagine a witch needing help to regain her flying powers from a scarecrow and you have this delightful children's story by author Blume J. Rifken. Tally, who is a good witch, lost her power to fly and needs the help of Scarecrow to regain those powers. Scarecrow met Tally at Halloween when she granted him a wish. Tally grants many wishes and forgot that the very thing that gave her happiness could take away her abilities to fly. Unknown to them, Scarecrow has a plan and the story gives the little ones a chance to see a true form of friendship and the rewarding outcome of helping one another.

This is a heartwarming story about friendship and teamwork. It is a great read anytime but particularly a good choice during the fall. Both my girls were delighted as I read the story to them and they enjoyed the illustrations by Carl Wenzel.

The author, Blume J. Rifken, is a former fashion illustrator and is the author of Silhouettes in America, 1790-1840: A Collector's Guide. Scarecrow Finds a Friend was her first book inspired by her two grandchildren.

I received this complimentary book in exchange for my review at the following two sites: [www].

Scarecrow is a sweet book about friendship, finding your joy in life and helping others. It all starts when Tally (a good witch) befriends a sweet little Scarecrow during the Halloween season. In turn when Tally finds herself losing her power...Scarecrow is the first in line to help.

Normally I am not a fan of books that have witches in them. But, Tally and Scarecrow create such a sweet friendship that you can not help but cheer them on.

Scarecrow not only has a heart but a brain as he finds an unusual yet perfect way to "wish" Tally's powers back. Together the friends surge toward an adventure and find that friendship is one of the strongest powers of all. Scarecrow Finds a Friend