STRAY,THE

Book Description
Now in Knopf Paperback, from the author of Babe: The Gallant Pig, comes the touching story of a "stray" old woman's amusing antics and the large, loving family that adopts her.

From Publishers Weekly
This cozy, old-fashioned novel from the author of Babe: The Gallant Pig is the literary equivalent of milk and cookies. Henny Hickathrift, age 75, wakes up one morning and decides to run away from home, or, "to be more accurate... from the Home?the old age home where she lived." Spending all her savings on a first-class train ticket and an unwholesome breakfast, she arrives at an English seaside village, where no sooner does she pronounce herself a "stray" than the five Good siblings (who might have wandered in from an E. Nesbit novel) take her under their collective wing. Henny quickly joins their household, becoming a cherished member of the aptly named family. Similar wordplay laces the narrative, which also includes Henny's rescue of another stray (a dog) and a lottery (which Henny wins). While not for kids who insist on action-heavy plots, the book will endear itself to readers in search of low-key but big-hearted diversion. Ages 7-11.

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-The Stray by Dick King-Smith (Crown, 1996) is a delightfully wholesome story about families of pets and children. It's about the relationship between a family and an elderly woman who has run away from a nursing home on a quest for independence and adventure. The healthy family life portrayed is welcome listening material. Jane Whitfield, an English actress with radio and TV experience, gives authentic English speech and dialect to the characters as she relates the story that is set in Saltmouth, England. Used with a class of fourth graders, it inspired research on foreign coins and word origins as well as discussions of generation gaps, family life, and the ethics of lotteries. A fine purchase for group or individual listening.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Katherine A. Galloway, Ladd Elementary School, Waynesboro, VA

From Booklist
Gr. 3^-6. On her seventy-fifth birthday, Henny Hickathrift leaves the old-folks home with its "boring people" and sets off on a journey that lands her in the seaside resort of Saltmouth, with all but one penny of her 50 pounds spent. When she spots a stray dog on the beach, she writes in the sand, matter-of-factly and without a trace of self-pity, "I am a stray old woman." A family of five red-haired children spot her message and quickly invite her home, where even their dubious father is charmed by Henny's delight in everything she finds and by her straightforward sense of loyalty and honor. The china figurines depicted on the book jacket hint at the fairy tale qualities of this endearing story--Henny defeats a burglar, adopts the stray dog, and wins the lottery--but the author does such a fine job of grounding the story in the everyday details of contemporary English life that even the less plausible elements of the plot seem possible. Some readers will find this less thrilling than some of King-Smith's animal stories, but many will appreciate the glimpse into the life of a kindly old woman and her adoptive family.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Susan Dove Lempke

From Kirkus Reviews
King-Smith (see review, above) leaves behind guinea pigs of all manner, pigs who herd sheep, and cats with pets to tell the story of a stray--not a mongrel, but a kindly, 75-year-old woman named Henrietta Hickathrift. When Henny runs away from the old-age home (with only a penny to her name), she escapes to the beach and writes ``I AM A STRAY OLD WOMAN'' in the sand. Discovered by five red-haired children, the Goods, she is take home and ``adopted'' as their housekeeper- turned-grandmother. Neither toothache nor burglary dampens the spirit and spunk of the good-natured Henny, who introduces the children to prawn-and-mayonnaise sandwiches, grows a money plant, and ultimately wins the lottery. Throughout, Parmenter provides black-and-white scenes that show these folks to be just as lovely as King-Smith says they are. In the well-known breezy style readers have come to expect, the author pens with wit and wisdom a sunny story of family and friendship in which good things come to Good people. (Fiction. 7-11)

Book Dimension
length: (cm)19.7 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)12.8

Book Description
Now in Knopf Paperback, from the author of Babe: The Gallant Pig, comes the touching story of a "stray" old woman's amusing antics and the large, loving family that adopts her.

From Publishers Weekly
This cozy, old-fashioned novel from the author of Babe: The Gallant Pig is the literary equivalent of milk and cookies. Henny Hickathrift, age 75, wakes up one morning and decides to run away from home, or, "to be more accurate... from the Home?the old age home where she lived." Spending all her savings on a first-class train ticket and an unwholesome breakfast, she arrives at an English seaside village, where no sooner does she pronounce herself a "stray" than the five Good siblings (who might have wandered in from an E. Nesbit novel) take her under their collective wing. Henny quickly joins their household, becoming a cherished member of the aptly named family. Similar wordplay laces the narrative, which also includes Henny's rescue of another stray (a dog) and a lottery (which Henny wins). While not for kids who insist on action-heavy plots, the book will endear itself to readers in search of low-key but big-hearted diversion. Ages 7-11.

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-The Stray by Dick King-Smith (Crown, 1996) is a delightfully wholesome story about families of pets and children. It's about the relationship between a family and an elderly woman who has run away from a nursing home on a quest for independence and adventure. The healthy family life portrayed is welcome listening material. Jane Whitfield, an English actress with radio and TV experience, gives authentic English speech and dialect to the characters as she relates the story that is set in Saltmouth, England. Used with a class of fourth graders, it inspired research on foreign coins and word origins as well as discussions of generation gaps, family life, and the ethics of lotteries. A fine purchase for group or individual listening.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Katherine A. Galloway, Ladd Elementary School, Waynesboro, VA

From Booklist
Gr. 3^-6. On her seventy-fifth birthday, Henny Hickathrift leaves the old-folks home with its "boring people" and sets off on a journey that lands her in the seaside resort of Saltmouth, with all but one penny of her 50 pounds spent. When she spots a stray dog on the beach, she writes in the sand, matter-of-factly and without a trace of self-pity, "I am a stray old woman." A family of five red-haired children spot her message and quickly invite her home, where even their dubious father is charmed by Henny's delight in everything she finds and by her straightforward sense of loyalty and honor. The china figurines depicted on the book jacket hint at the fairy tale qualities of this endearing story--Henny defeats a burglar, adopts the stray dog, and wins the lottery--but the author does such a fine job of grounding the story in the everyday details of contemporary English life that even the less plausible elements of the plot seem possible. Some readers will find this less thrilling than some of King-Smith's animal stories, but many will appreciate the glimpse into the life of a kindly old woman and her adoptive family.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Susan Dove Lempke

From Kirkus Reviews
King-Smith (see review, above) leaves behind guinea pigs of all manner, pigs who herd sheep, and cats with pets to tell the story of a stray--not a mongrel, but a kindly, 75-year-old woman named Henrietta Hickathrift. When Henny runs away from the old-age home (with only a penny to her name), she escapes to the beach and writes ``I AM A STRAY OLD WOMAN'' in the sand. Discovered by five red-haired children, the Goods, she is take home and ``adopted'' as their housekeeper- turned-grandmother. Neither toothache nor burglary dampens the spirit and spunk of the good-natured Henny, who introduces the children to prawn-and-mayonnaise sandwiches, grows a money plant, and ultimately wins the lottery. Throughout, Parmenter provides black-and-white scenes that show these folks to be just as lovely as King-Smith says they are. In the well-known breezy style readers have come to expect, the author pens with wit and wisdom a sunny story of family and friendship in which good things come to Good people. (Fiction. 7-11)

Book Dimension
length: (cm)19.7 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)12.8