★★★★★I hope to read many more of Algy's adventures in the future!
Reviewed by Edie Sinclair
A Surprisingly Fluffy Bird, paperback edition
It really is such a delightful book! I feel like it's something I would have loved to have read when I was younger. Animals on adventures and such. (I was a huge fan of the Redwall books by Brian Jacques.) The book is very well written and imaginative. It tells a good story and is easy enough to read for a young audience while not being too simple in the language. And the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are lovely, too! The online dictionary is a great resource as well. It is very clear that a lot of love went into the book! I will be giving it to my younger sister, who is nine, to read. Even at twenty, I thoroughly enjoyed the book!
I have been following the Adventures of Algy Tumblr page for a while and I would highly suggest it to the older internet-using crowd. It's very nice getting to virtually explore Scotland by way of a fluffy bird. :) The posts are often accompanied by original or quoted poetry. It's awesome to see how a wonderful Tumblr blog has turned into so much more! I can't wait for more books about Algy's Adventures to come!
Bought this book for my seven year old Granddaughter. We were fortunate enough to meet Jenny who was really kind and took time to answer questions. Once home the question was did the book come up to expectations? According to my granddaughter it exceeded them, rocketing to the heady heights of the best book she has ever read. It was difficult to elicit her favourite bit as there seemed to be so many! It was "exciting and funny" "scary in bits" in fact had everything any good read should have - verdict? "when is the next one coming out Jenny?"
Ein liebevoll geschriebenes Buch. Algy lernt eine ihm neue Welt kennen und muss sich den damit verbundenen Herausforderungen stellen. Jenny Chapman beschreibt all dies auf eine wunderbare Art und Weise. Man kann sich gut in die entsprechenden Situationen hineinversetzen. Jennys gelungene Lautmalerei trägt dazu bei. Leider gibt es das Buch bis jetzt nur in Englisch (Ich hoffe auf eine baldige Übersetzung ins Deutsche.) Wer einige Jahre Englisch in der Schule hatte, versteht aber die englische Version. Mein Fazit: Read it and love it!
Tales of travellers shipwrecked on alien shores are as old as literature and actually have an uncomfortable contemporary ring. And whether or not we travel the seas such tales explore the hopes and fears of us all, because life is a journey of discovery.
This is one reason why the story of Algy, lost at sea and washed up in a strange land is so appealing, and not just for children. Algy experiences friendship and hostility, encouragement and indifference as he explores his unfamiliar surroundings. And he meets all with courage, resourcefulness and hope, which finally lead to a happy ending. Algy also composes a pretty good ballad (contrast the well intentioned but absurd poetic efforts of Plog the frog).
Another reason to read this book is that it is charming, beautifully produced with delightful illustrations.
