Children will be pleased with the appropriate comeuppance for the Highway Rat that arrives with a healthy message of kindness and sharing.įans of Donaldson and Scheffler’s previous work will not be disappointed, in particular those who have encountered “The Highwayman” as younger readers. As the other creatures along the road grew thinner and thinner, the Highway Rat grows plump until one plucky duck delivers poetic justice and some just ‘desserts’ to this nasty rat. Though he prefers sweets, he takes anything –even a bunch of clover deemed tasteless and dull –to satisfy his greed and without a morsel of regret. He took what he wanted and ate what he took…” Indeed! The Highway Rat holds up fellow travelers and those he meets along the way with a voracious attitude and pointy sword. “The Highway Rat was a baddie the Highway Rat was a beast. The children’s literature dream team of author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler are at it again with this delightful take on Alfred Noyes’ classic narrative poem, “The Highwayman.” Donaldson and Scheffler, best known for their popular Gruffalo series as well as Room on the Broom, have created a lush narrative replete with repetitive phrases and rich illustrations that will captivate children while engaging the adult reader in an intelligent manner.
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