The Bog Baby 07/14/12

The Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Gwen Millward was one of those serendipitous library finds. It had been put on display on the top of the shelves, cover out for the world to see. I had to grab it.

A pair of sisters find a bog baby on their explorations into the nearby woods. It's a little blue blobby creature with fairy wings. They decide to keep it as a pet. Being away from home doesn't agree with the bog baby and he falls ill. Eventually they have to ask for help and fortunately their mother has had her own experience with a bog baby.

The story is perfect for children who have wanted to bring some wild creature home for a pet. It gently teaches the importance of leaving wild creatures to be wild and how difficult it is to provide for them. The book also encourages exploration of children to find (but not capture) their own bog babies.

Gwen Millward's illustrations are the right balance of playful and magical. The bog baby while being obviously made up is still a sympathetic character.

Four stars

Comments (2)

Comment #1: Sunday, July 15, 2012 at 14:40:50

Jeane

Sounds like a cute book with a really good message!

Comment #2: Sunday, July 15, 2012 at 22:49:44

Pussreboots

It is on both accounts.