Jonadab and Rita

by Shirley Hughes

Overview

A truly magical, beautifully illustrated story about the friendship between two very special toys: Jonadab, the donkey who can fly, and Rita, his brave little mouse friend

Jonadab is a very special toy donkey who can fly. But Minnie has so many other toys that often Jonadab and his friend Rita the mouse find themselves sad and lonely and left behind in the toy box. One moonlit night, tired of being ignored, Jonadab flies away and joins a magical fairy feast. But then he can't get back in to Minnie's room, and he discovers his new fairy friends are not as kind as he thought. Will courageous Rita be able to save Jonadab, and will Minnie realize the value of the toy she has lost?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781862303133
Publisher:	Red Fox
Publication date:	10/01/2010
Series:	Alfie Series
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Shirley Hughes has written more than 200 books, creating enduring characters like Alfie and Dogger, who have thrilled children and adults alike with their tales of growing up and everyday discovery. Her many awards include the Kate Greenaway Medal and the prestigious Eleanor Farjeon Award for her services to children's literature.

Editorial Reviews

"Picture books need to engage and delight children while also entertaining the adults who read them aloud. Hughes's new picture book achieves this end triumphantly . . . it is Dogger meets A Midsummer Night's Dream, with echoes of Peter Pan." —Sunday Times

"Shirley Hughes is one of the greatest writers and illustrators for pre-schoolers that we have. The creator of the endearing, enduring Alfie series, she understands a small child's world to perfection. . . . Substitute child for donkey, and you have just the way far too many children feel, especially in the holidays." —Times

"A sweet, satisfying addition to a rich body of work, this is sure to please Hughes’ many fans."—Booklist Online

From the Publisher

PreS-Gr 1—What Minnie doesn't know about her gray velvet donkey is that Jonadab has the ability to fly whenever the urge strikes, though he has not done so for a long time. Spending too much time in the toy box and feeling ignored by the child, the stuffed toy decides to fly to the park for an evening outside. He has an exciting adventure with a flight of fairies but when he returns home, he finds the window closed and knows that he wasn't even missed. His return to the park doesn't go well, and he sadly spends a cold night under a bench feeling totally rejected. When Rita, a small toy mouse, magically comes to his aid and helps take him back to Minnie, the toy realizes he is loved after all. Colorful illustrations cover half of each page while the text is set off in rectangular boxes highlighted with small black pen-and-ink sketches featuring characters from the tale. Departing from her Alfie and Annie Rose books, Hughes presents a slightly longer magical story of the need to be loved and appreciated. This quiet fantasy will be welcomed by her many fans.—Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

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