Book Review by the New Forest Association, printed in Autumn/Winter 2016 of Forest Matters.
Kay Cartledge-Clarke reviews this well-illustrated and fun-packed story for sharing with pre-school or primary-aged children who love farm animals. Set at the New Forest Show, it is written by Farmer Bryan (Bryan Pass) and illustrated by Simon Chadwick.
It was always going to be a gamble taking noisy and mischievous Samuel the donkey to the New Forest Show, but for the reader (and the star donkey!) it provides much mirth and merriment.
The story opens with a spoken question, excitingly plunging you into the Longdown Activity Farm staff’s quandary of whether or not to take Samuel to the show! Then, with the help of the brilliantly expressive and colourful drawings, plus emotive language and humorous lines, the book takes you through the following key events: smartening Samuel up; getting him into the lorry for the initial journey; his antics at the show-ground – including mayhem with a ladder and a bucket of water; his unfortunate effect on some of the visitors and the parading cows; how Samuel behaves during milking time; and what happens when the other animals are trying to sleep. Great descriptions like “new blue halter” and “dainty feet” are beautifully tempered with “simply refused to move” and “rolled his lips and twitched his ears”.
Samuel the donkey’s character is wonderfully developed throughout the words and pictures, so that you really get to know his “stubborn” side, his “real show-off” nature and his love of turning everything into a “game”. He cleverly works out how to get more carrots, too!
Having only a 20-month-old myself, I asked my retired mum (once a primary school teacher) which age group she thought would best suit this book. Reading aloud, in her reacher guise, she at once noticed the natural questions the plot encouraged, such as “Would you have taken Samuel to the show?” and “How would you have stopped Samuel from…?”
She was also taken with the engaging comic illustrations in thick bold outline and the opportunities to discuss exciting new vocabulary, such as “stock-people”, “enclosures”, “almighty”, “marquees” and “shooed”. “Oo, definitely 4- to 5-year-olds,” she announced. It was at this point that I noticed a little cinnamon head intermittently popping up from his games of buses and bricks to stare at the pictures and then to guffaw at his grandma’s “Hee-haw”.
I therefore conclude that this book may be enjoyed on a number of levels, and has my son’s seal of approval, too. What I liked most about the story was that it wasn’t overly didactic like some children’s books, but was more subtly done, and that it made me laugh. There was also a lovely local feel to the book for those of use living by the New Forest and a lovely sense of farming culture for those newly exploring the area.
I look forward to the exciting day, maybe in Year 3, when my little boy reads Samuel the Donkey to me.