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By Simon Lamb (author) , Ross MacRae (illustrator)
"This contemporary reworking of a Robert Burns’ classic crackles with energy and wit."
Hardback In Stock £12.99 £11.69
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Evocatively illustrated by Ross MacRae, Simon Lamb’s Mat o' Shanter: A Cautionary Tale is a wondrously unique reimagining of Robert Burns’ Tam o’ Shanter poem . Transposing the Scottish bard’s “middle-aged man drinking alcohol with his friends down the pub” to a boy drinking Irn-Bru with his mates, and replacing the original risqué witch with a girl named Lily, it dances with invention, and rounds off with a new cautionary twist on Burns’ original tale.
We meet Mat o’Shanter, a Prestwick lad who’s “full of banter”, as he runs wild with his “motley crew” of friends one summer’s night. When the mates disband, Mat speeds off on his bike, pedalling “like he’s never pedalled/through weather that the fates had meddled”.
On entering a long-boarded-up house that’s strangely aglow with light and song, Mat is met by a jaw-dropping “OMG!” scene of dancing warlocks and witches. After closer inspection, Mat recognises familiar faces among the revellers, including the youngest witch, who’s actually Lily, a girl Mat has been horribly cruel to.
While he “destroyed her sense of worth” in the normal world, here Lily dances free, and Mat’s days might be numbered…
Rippling with mounting menace, and winding its lyrically thrilling way to a call to be kind, the extended author’s note also features an inspiring call to “love who you are. All of who you are”, and to “be proud to be you”. Rousing stuff.
Written in response to 'Tam o' Shanter' - the famous Scottish poem by Robert Burns - and inspired by the author's own experiences of that same poem, Simon Lamb's book is a highly original and moving work incorporating an introduction to the classic verse, a full-length modern-day reimagining for the ears and eyes and hearts of today, and commentary in the form of an extensive author's note, with bold and energetic illustrations.
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Includes a glossary of Scottish words.
Simon Lamb is a poet and Carnegie-nominated author with a background in performance and education. He lives in Ayrshire, and works extensively across books, schools, libraries, festivals and beyond to entertain, ignite and inspire audiences of all ages.
He has lived on the west, east and north coasts of Scotland, never far from the sea, and currently lives in Ayrshire, where he had been the Scriever, the writer-in-residence at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, 2022-2025.
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Written in response to 'Tam o' Shanter' - the famous Scottish poem by Robert Burns - and inspired by the author's own experiences of that same poem, Simon Lamb's book is a highly original and moving work incorporating an introduction to the classic verse, a full-length modern-day reimagining for the ears and eyes and hearts of today, and commentary in the form of an extensive author's note, with bold and energetic illustrations. Includes a glossary of Scottish words.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Mat O'Shanter: A Cautionary Tale and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
Mat O'Shanter: A Cautionary Tale features in the following genres: Featured Books for 9+ readers, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Recommendations, Horror & Ghost Stories, PSHE: Bullying and Discrimination, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Poetry Books for Children, Children’s / Teenage poetry, anthologies, annuals, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children's and Young Adult Fiction
Hardback. £11.69, down from the £12.99 cover price. In Stock.
Mat O'Shanter: A Cautionary Tale was written by Simon Lamb and published by Scallywag Press
Mat O'Shanter: A Cautionary Tale has 112 pages
£11.69, reduced from £12.99. In Stock.
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