The Scarecrow and his Servant
Written by Philip Pullman
Narrated by Anton Lesser
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
One night there was a thunderstorm. A tattered scarecrow stood in the wind and rain, taking no notice . . . until a bolt of lightning struck his turnip head. The scarecrow blinked with surprise and came to life.
So begins the story of the Scarecrow, a courteous but pea-brained fellow with grand ideas. He meets a boy, Jack, who becomes his faithful servant, and they set out to journey to Spring Valley together. Along the way there's no end of excitement - battle and shipwreck, brigands and tricksters - and it's up to Jack time after time to save the day.
Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman (b. 1946) is one of the world’s most acclaimed children’s authors, his bold, brilliant books having set new parameters for what children’s writing can say and do. He is best known for the His Dark Materials trilogy, installments of which have won the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Book of the Year Award. In 2003, the trilogy came third in the BBC’s Big Read competition to find the nation’s favorite book, and in 2005 he was awarded the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, an international prize for children’s literature. In 2007, Northern Lights became a major Hollywood film, The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. Pullman has published nearly twenty books, and when he’s not writing he likes to play the piano (badly), draw, and make things out of wood.
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Reviews for The Scarecrow and his Servant
12 ratings12 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5a delightful, whimsical story. his adventures remind me of don quixote.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5An amusing short story about a scarecrow with a turnip for a head who magically comes to life and takes on a poor boy as his servant. The two embark on wild adventures, with the scarecrow falling in love with a broomstick then having his heart broken, taking part in a play (he is cast as a 'prop' but doesn't understand that a prop is not meant to move or speak, to funny effect), a bird steals the scarecrows brain (a pea) which doesn't seem to make much difference, they end up on a desert island, then battling in a war, and finally being involved in a court case to determine who will have the rights to the property the scarecrow was first placed on. The storytelling is filled with humour and quite amusing, but I felt that it was quite a scattered tale, and the scarecrow certainly makes for a very strange, if amusing protagonist. Great narration by Graeme Malcolm on the audio version.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An honest, but rather dim, scarecrow is brought to life, and chooses bright young Jack to be his servant and companion. The two wander the country, have many adventures, and become friends while searching for the place that the scarecrow knows to be his home... at the same time, a mysterious dark figure relentlessly pursues them. Funny, clever and very readable.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scarecrow and His Servant has been appropriately compared to Don Quixote. The story maintains a wonderful, timeless feel and manages to play with fairytale conventions in clever ways. The two main characters are charming as are the inked illustrations.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5An entertaining kid fantasy, reminiscent of Lloyd Alexander's early books for young readers. The child, Jack, is much more mature than the child-like "adults, and the Scarecrow is frighteningly naive, but pure of heart. As in His Dark Materials, Pullman has no qualms about also aiming some sharp Swiftian volleys at the military, law, and big business.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a delightful read for children and adults. A lightning strike brings Mr. Pandolfo's scarecrow to life (and Lord Scarecrow has been moved several times to other fields) and he sets off to find his home. Along the way, he recruits Jack, a young lad, as his servant. Jack proves to be brave and resourceful. Both characters are brave when they need to be; clever when required; and all ends well in this fantasy. Highly recommended for readers of all ages.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book reminds me of The Wizard of Oz but rather than Dorothy trying to find her way back to Kansas and Auntie Em, the Scarecrow is trying to find his way to Spring Valley where he is supposedly the owner of all the land. The story starts out with the miraculous tale of how the Scarecrow comes to life and follows his adventures with his "servant" Jack, an orphaned boy who figures that he can't do any worse than starve to death.It is a delightful, whimsical story which shows how perseverance and goodness will triumph over adversity.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of the most fun reads I've done in years. Although advertised as juvenile fiction, this is a humorous, sophisticated, story with appeal to all ages. If the adult in you won't let you read a child's book for yourself, find a youngun' and start reading. The wee one will not let you put it down.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is about a scarecrow coming to life because a lightning bolt struck him. Funny and dangerous things happen on the scarecrow and his servant, Jack, a young boy who has nothing to do but starve, as they are on their way to Spring Valley. Along the way, there's no end of real excitement- battle, shipwrecks, tricksters and brigands, it's time for Jack to save the day!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Pleasant children's story about a scarecrow that comes to life and recruits a homeless lad to be his servant. They have a variety of adventures with the servant often saying the right thing to get them what they want.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This story is about a boy named Jack and how he becomes the scarecrow's servant and their adventures.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cute story, excellently performed by Graeme Malcolm. Lord Scarecrow is a somewhat quixotic figure, and Jack is a great "straight man" in the comedy. The British accents are a bit strange in a story with such an obvious Italian setting, but these episodic adventures are fun to listen to.