Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1020825 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-28
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .13" h x 8.86" w x 10.30" l, .42 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4-In true fairy-tale fashion replete with drama, romance, and redemption, a master storyteller conveys a timely (and timeless), compelling message about the frightening fragility of our environment, the awesome and restorative powers of nature, and the often-unconsidered consequences of an all-too-pervasive, superficial, "gotta-have-it-now" mentality. Lonely, unloved, and misunderstood, the gentle Beastman of Ballyloch lives alone on an island in his beloved silver lake, in harmony with the birds and animals, but reviled by the human inhabitants of the town, where he toils each day thatching houses, barns, and hayricks. As is so often the case in tales of this type, what lies beneath the sad young man's off-putting exterior is a person who is fine and untouched by anger or resentment. A brave and selfless act of kindness is the catalyst for a friendship, and this, coupled with his imposed intimacy with simple, natural elements, supplies the quiet Beastman with the information and intuition necessary to remedy an ecological upset that threatens the survival of all of Ballyloch. Foreman's pebbled watercolor-and-pencil pictures are jewel toned and as gentle and touching as the story itself, and their composition hints at the possibilities of reaching beyond boundaries-physical or figurative. This is an unassuming story with a powerful punch and a resonant reminder: "There's truth in every fairy tale."-Kathy Krasniewicz, Perrot Library, Old Greenwich, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
K-Gr. 3. Morpurgo and Foreman collaborate in this fairy tale with an ecotwist. A young man lives by himself on an island, making his living by repairing the thatched roofs of the cottages across the lake. He's a "Beastman," an ungainly giant who never learned to speak, and the villagers taunt him by calling him "Mr. Ugly." His loneliness ends after he rescues a beautiful young woman whose boat has capsized. A man-made disaster follows, brought on by a huckster who sells the villagers a potion to get more fish from the lake. The potion turns the lake a sickly green, killing the fish and choking the Beastman's beloved swans. The giant again comes to the rescue, saving the lake through an act both ingenious and kind. Foreman's paintings convey the emotions as well as the movement of the story: cold blues surround the isolated giant; vibrant golds frame the giant and his love. Kids may recognize allusions to other fairy tales they know as they enjoy this story about the transforming power of kindness. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
'Here's a story to compare with any classic from the past.' The Independent Praise for Wombat Goes Walkabout: 'An exceptional book. Wonderful to read aloud.' Naomi Lewis, The Daily Telegraph