By Shirley Hughes (author)
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Steeped in magic, this is a wonderful story that demands to be read again and again. A bit old and a bit shabby, Jonadab is a donkey, just one of the many toys in Minnie’s toy box. Both he and his timid friend, the toy mouse Rita, are largely overlooked as Minnie plays with other, newer toys. But Jonadab is no ordinary toy.
He has a secret: he can fly. Ignored for too long, Jonadab flies off and plays with the fairies in the park but what happens on his return? Shirley Hughes captures the importance of a special toy and the wonder of make believe.
Jonadab is a very special toy - he 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.
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Will courageous Rita be able to save Jonadab, and will Minnie realise the value of the toy she has lost? This is a wonderful picture book about getting lost and finding your way home from one of our most popular and best-loved storytellers.
"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. The expressions on Jonadab's face - contented, bored, defiant, amazed, lonely, wretched and utterly despairing - are all too familiar" - The Times
"Picturebooks need to engage and delight children while also entertaining the adults who read them aloud. Hughes's new picturebook achieves this end triumphantly" - Sunday Times
"Children will love this little tale with great illustrations and learn a valuable lesson about appreciating their friends" - The South Wales Argus
"This heartwarming tale is a timely purchase for Christmas as it is enthralled with Shirley Hughes' beautiful prose and magical watercolour drawings - perfect bedtime reading fare." Pregnancy and Parenting
"A story which will touch all children, enriched by the enchanting illustrations from our much-loved Shirley Hughes who catches the magic and warmth of the love between a child and her favourite toys". School Librarian
"A magical tale" - Sunday Express
Winner of the Book Trust Lifetime Achievement Award 2015.
Shirley Hughes ( 1927 – 2022) was born and grew up in West Kirby, near Liverpool. She studied at Liverpool Art School and at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford, before embarking on a career as a freelance illustrator. At first she worked as an interpretive illustrator, but she began to write and design her own picture books when her children were very young. Her first book, Lucy and Tom's Day , was published in 1960.
Shirley Hughes illustrated over two hundred children's books and is renowned as a champion of children's literature. She has been the recipient of the Other Award, the Kate Greenaway Medal and the prestigious Eleanor Farjeon Award. She was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in2010, which rewards the best in contemporary children's and young adult literature from all over the world.
Click here to read more about the author.
And find an obituary to Shirley Hughes here.
Author Shirley Hughes dies aged 94. Sleep tight Shirley,
the best picture books · the best bedtime stories
Jonadab is a very special toy - he 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.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Jonadab and Rita and determined it is suitable for children aged 3-6 years old
Jonadab and Rita features in the following genres: Featured Books for 3+ readers, Recommendations, Featured Books for 5+ readers
Paperback, Hardback. Not Available.
Jonadab and Rita was written by Shirley Hughes and published by Red Fox an imprint of Random House Children's Books
Jonadab and Rita has 32 pages
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