Where My Wellies Take Me

The pages of this expansive anthology from War Horse author Michael Morpurgo and his wife, Clare, are crowded with memoir, sketches, and countryside poetry. An introduction explains that Clare was allowed to wander wherever she liked as a child in a Devon village. Lyrical journal entries based on Clare's memories are written in the voice of an eight-year-old girl named Pippa: "A hare sits taller than a rabbit, stiller, and he's browner. And when he runs, he goes, well... like a hare, jinking and weaving, till he weaves himself into the long grass and he's gone." Debut artist Gill's closely observed drawings of wildlife, farmers, and landscapes tinted in gentle, rained-out colors join hand-lettered sections of prose. Gatefolds, transparent overlays, and photos of pressed flowers add to the sense of a collection of fragments; it's like a box of treasures kept by a child underneath the bed. The poetry includes a wealth of high-order selections from British poets like John Clare, Norman MacCaig, and Ted Hughes. Anglophiles will be eager to share this bit of British countryside with children they know. Ages 6-9. (Aug.)

Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 3-6--This illustrated, journal-style story is comprised of Pippa's observations as she takes a walk around a small English village. Her handwritten notes are enhanced by poems and illustrations of the places, people, and animals she sees; as the youngster sets off, the accompanying poem by John Masefield, "Tewkesbury Road," appropriately begins, "It is good to be out on the road, /and going one knows not where...." Christina Rossetti, Ted Hughes, Walter de la Mare, and Robert Browning are among the other poets included. The child is a keen observer and explorer and shares important knowledge she has learned, like how to walk through a field of cows without disturbing them. On foot and on horseback, she records her encounters with spiders and chickens, a fisherman, and a farmer on a tractor. The verses have been placed to complement Pippa's musings, and this combination makes for a lovely one-on-one read-aloud or an unintimidating introduction to poetry. The book has the look of a nature journal/scrapbook, with layered, collagelike illustrations, primarily in browns and grays, on every page. Pippa's notes are written in cursive throughout, which may prove challenging to younger readers. This lovely, unusual book might not immediately find a broad audience, but with help, the right readers will appreciate it.--Marian McLeod, Darien Library, CT

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

[A] beautiful volume celebrating nature and verse in its most splendid quietude.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

[L]ike a box of treasures kept by a child underneath the bed. ... Anglophiles will be eager to share this bit of British countryside with children they know.
—Publishers Weekly

[A] lovely one-on-one read-aloud or an unintimidating introduction to poetry.
—School Library Journal

Charming... Those who remember lazy days spent picking dandelions and hunting crawdads may close the cover with the urge to knock the mud off their boots.
—The Chicago Tribune