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!
Which, translated into English, reads approximately:
A lovingly written book. Algy gets to know a world that is new to him and has to face the challenges that come with it. Jenny Chapman describes all of this in a wonderful way. You can easily put yourself in the shoes of the corresponding situations. Jenny's successful onomatopoeia contributes to this. Unfortunately, the book is only available in English so far (I hope for a translation into German soon.) However, anyone who has had English at school for a few years understands the English version. My conclusion: 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.
★★★★★I enjoyed reading this as much as my son enjoyed listening
Reviewed by Nick
A Surprisingly Fluffy Bird, paperback edition
I read this story to my son Gabriel at bedtimes. A lovely tale of a lost bird being washed up in a strange land. I enjoyed reading this as much as my son enjoyed listening ! It`s very well written and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone with young children. Good to see the Lark is still ascending !!
