Reviews of The Tree With A Golden Heart

I read this book because I read “A Surprisingly Fluffy Bird” and really enjoyed that one. This one had more things abroad from the Bay of the Sand Islands and was quite different from the Surprisingly Fluffy Bird.

What I like about both books is that they get pretty much immediately to the point of the story and don’t spend chapters talking about the whereabouts or introducing who are the characters in the story (I find those books a bit dull). I also like happy endings and Algy’s books all have happy endings. A nice thing is that Algy was willing to do anything for Plog even though it was very dangerous.

My favourite parts in it were the Ceilidh and when Algy fell asleep inside the tree with the Golden Heart. My least favourite part was when he just sat and did practically nothing for at least two weeks.

I recommend this book to children who like the idea that animals can talk and that they are not dumb animals. I also recommend this book to children who like adventure and enjoy the beauty of nature.

If I was in this book I would want to be Wee Katie the mouse, because she is very funny and really mousy.

I would really like it if Algy and his assistant Jenny could go on a tour of Scotland and visit places like Aberdeen and Edinburgh to get people more interested and intrigued about Algy and get them positively crazy about him so that his book are bought more. I really do like him and his good sense of humour.

By M (10 years old)

Following Algy's' adventures has been a joy for both me and my son. Jenny Chapman's writing is not only engaging, creating a vivid world to imagine, but her strength is in her ability to make each character stand out and hold their own place in the story. It is the character interactions that my eight-year-old enjoyed too, comparing both books in this series to the Winnie the Pooh world. In my son's words: "The animals are all different, but they work together to save the day. All of them are heroes because they help each other." Another wonderful quality included in the book is the list of Gaelic words and names (at the back of my edition). It's not only useful, but also fun to go through the list with my son! We look forward to more in this series!

Those who last year read "A Surprisingly Fluffy Bird' will already have met Algy who came as a storm tossed fugitive to the wild and beautiful Scottish coast. In this welcome and speedy sequel (the first, I hope of many) we see how this newcomer has been fully accepted into the community of birds and animals that he has made his own. So when his friend the Frog becomes desperately ill it is Algy who bravely makes the dangerous and eventful journey to bring back the medicine that it is hoped will bring healing. Though he sets out alone various new and old friends make possible the success of his quest - it is a fine example of teamwork. This, and the delightful and well observed portrayals of birds and animals, contribute to the enchantment of this book, together with descriptions of the wild west coast.

The list of Scottish and Gaelic words and names is a great asset which enables even an Englishman not to feel like an outsider.

In this beautifully written sequel to A Surprisingly Fluffy Bird the author tells how Algy sets off to find a magic medicine that will cure his friend Plog the frog, who is desperately ill with bog fever. During his travels he has many adventures, some more threatening than others, and meets many new characters some good, some bad. The story is interwoven with beautifully evocative descriptions of the scents, sounds and landscape of the Western Highlands of Scotland. A joy to read for anyone from seven to seventy and beyond.