The Scarecrow and His Servant

Old Mr. Pandolfo, feeling that life is getting too difficult; what with troublesome weather, troublesome soldiers, and very troublesome cousins; decides the time has come to create a scarecrow. At least a scarecrow would take care of the birds. Mr. Pandolfo creates a fine scarecrow, indeed, with a large turnip for a head, a broomstick for a backbone, dressed in a tweed suit stuffed with straw. Hidden within it, carefully wrapped in oilskin, is a mysterious letter. But how can this extraordinary creature, who comes to life when struck by a bolt of lightning, fulfill his destiny if he's stuck out in the middle of a field? Enter Jack, an enterprising, intelligent, and practical young orphan fleeing the soldiers who robbed him of home and show more family. Jack's motto, It could be worse, comes in handy as he agrees to become the servant of the rather egocentric scarecrow, setting off to find excitement and glory. Scarecrow's excellent opinion of himself sets the stage for a variety of silly, yet dangerous, adventures. Run-ins with government officials, soldiers, and unscrupulous business people provide plenty of opportunities for moralizing on the evils of society. In another setting, this story line might seem over-the-top, but Pullman's clever employment of fairy-tale conventions, his superb use of language, and his engaging dialogue make it a wholly satisfying yarn of ridiculous proportions, and Bailey's line drawings provide just the right feeling of long ago that every good fairy tale deserves. Pullman seems equally at home whether creating high fantasy, Victorian mysteries, or old-fashioned stories in the fairy-tale fashion. Here he excels in the latter mode, creating unique characters to charm young readers. show less

I went into this thinking it was going to be a three-star read, but I forgot about the awesome storytelling powers of Phillip Pullman. This book is definitely aimed at the younger middle-grade demographic, but I really enjoyed the story. I was smiling throughout. This had some darker themes to it, but the whole story made one nice whole and Lord Scarecrow was much more of an endearing character than I thought he would be.

An 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.

You can't really miss with Philip Pullman. This is a short and relatively simple tale about a very noble scarecrow who comes alive and the savvy orphan boy who joins him on his adventures. A sort of Don Quixote story, but there is a happy, non-delusional ending.

Narrated by Graeme Malcolm. Scarecrow comes to life when he is hit by a lightning bolt. He ventures from the muddy field where he's stood to find Spring Valley, the place that is written on Scarecrow's heart, and meets young orphaned Jack who agrees to become his servant. Where Scarecrow is naive and enthusiastic, Jack serves as the voice of reason. Their adventures include battling soldiers, appearing in a play and joining an army. However, hot on their trail is the Buffaloni family. The profit-hungry Buffalonis have built factories in Spring Valley that are impacting the town's water and quality of life and they know that hidden inside Scarecrow is a will that deeds certain Spring Valley land. The story culminates in a trial that show more determines who owns the land. A warm, funny story about faith and friendship. show less

An 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 show more scattered tale, and the scarecrow certainly makes for a very strange, if amusing protagonist. Great narration by Graeme Malcolm on the audio version. show less

This 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.