The Scarecrows and Their Child - Hardcover

Two scarecrows named Handy and Blossom work for many years, from separate vantage points, on a New England farm. Then the farmer leaves and the farm is neglected. For a while the scarecrows staunchly stand guard, but eventually Handy decides that even the most dutiful Yankee scarecrow can't defend a deserted farm forever. He crosses the field to introduce himself to Blossom, asks her to marry him and they retire. The two are very happy and soon have a cat-child, Bohel (scarecrows never know what kind of offspring they will have). But the couple's idyllic life is shattered when they are abducted for use as Halloween decorations. Bohel, who has never spent a day of kittenhood without his parents, is terrified, but is also determined to find them. Award-winning author Stolz (The Explorer on Barkham Street, etc.), has written a convincing and moving story. The relationships between Handy, Blossom and Bohel are humorously depicted with just the right amount of scarecrow naivete and catlike cunning. Ages 8-11.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Grade 3-6 A whimsical read-aloud for Halloween time, this short yarn tells of Handy and Blossom, two hard-working Yankee scarecrows who find love over the cornfield fence. When their farmers undergo the mysterious ``foreclosure,'' they move to the deserted barn to live in leisure, raising their cat child, Bohel. Soon boredom sets in, and after several unsuccessful and confounding attempts to find work, the scarecrows are abducted by suburbanites to be lawn decorations. Their cat child searches fruitlessly until a twist of fate and an old witch's broom reunite them at the scarecrows' Halloween jamboree. This gentle story with its picturesque telling brings a gentle golden quality to the season of autumn and life in the country. Numerous black-and-white line drawings are well detailed, winsome, and often humorous, much like the characters they depict. A gracefully told story of family love and perseverance that will become a Halloween favorite. Joanne Aswell, Hunterdon County Library, Flemington, N.J.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.