Young children
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Living in rural Billsborough County, a young robin called Raymond and his best friend Bonnie, a blue tit, get into all sorts of adventures. Raymond is plucky, brave and (surprisingly for a robin), well-read. What Bonnie lacks in knowledge she makes up for with common sense. Always right, she tends to be nosy and sometimes lacks concentration.
In ‘The Deserted Cottage’, we see the young pals waking with the firm intention of spending another day having fun. It’s mid-winter and they often visit nearby Fir Cottage where they can expect food and fresh water provided by nice old Mr Digweed. One snowy December day, Raymond and Bonnie meet up early and fly the short distance over to the cottage only to find it deserted and with no sign of food or water. Initially, they are just concerned about Mr Digweed’s health but, later that day, they discover that the forlorn-looking cottage has attracted the interest of two suspicious-looking strangers. Who are these intruders and what, exactly, do they want? How can two little birds help Mr Digweed and protect Fir Cottage? Where will they find help? Unfortunately, there is also a threat to the birds' habitat! It looks as though they might have to move away from the countryside that they love so much. Far from being fun, this turned out to be a very challenging day that the little feathered friends will never forget.
Ideal for ages 7-9, this charming tale illustrated by Simon Goodway will have all young readers flocking around to hear what Raymond and Bonnie get up to next!
Here's what readers have to say about this book....
I chose this when I was in the mood for a lighter read. This was a charming short story, and it felt very comforting to read. The illustrations were adorable, very cute and colourful, and the book in general reminded me of stories I liked to read as a child. I think if you like stories about birds, you will like this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review. Reviewed in the UK. Reproduced from NetGalley.co.uk 23 September 2023
Reproduced from NetGalley.com 04 September 2023 Review by Fanda A in USA, 04 September 2023: Thanks to Troubador (Matador) and NetGalley for providing a review copy of this book, published in January 28th, 2023. The Deserted Cottage is the first of Adventures with Raymond and Bonnie series, a children fiction intended for young readers from seven to nine. Raymond is a young robin who lives with his parents on a pile of logs next to a big oak tree at Farmer Tussock's farmyard. His best friend, a young blue tit called Bonnie, also lives in the same place with her parents. In this first adventure, Raymond and Bonnie fly to the nearby Fir Cottage, where Mr. Digweed lives alone. "None of the bird families knew his real name; he was just called Mr Digweed simply because he was often in his garden... digging up weeds." Mr. Digweed is a lovely old man. He treats the birds very kindly. There's always enough food and water for every bird who ever flies over Fir Cottage. His bird-feeder is never empty. It's no wonder that all the birds in the countryside love him. But that particular morning, Raymond and Bonnie found no trace of Mr. Digweed. His cottage was closed and dark, and the feeder empty. What can possibly happen to Mr Digweed? Does he go somewhere? When two days passed, and still no sign of Mr. Digweed, Raymond and Bonnie began to worry. Then they saw two strangers arrived at Fir Cottage. Two hooded men made a forced-entry to the house, brought out Mr. Digweed's stuffs, and put them into their van. It's a burglary! They are robbing the birds' dear old friend they must help poor Mr. Digweed! But what can two little birds do to thwart this evil operation? Besides the exciting adventure, there's also a trouble looming in the background. Farmer Tussock is considering to sell the logs where the robins and blue tits live, which means that they must find new homes coming winter. Will they find home as warm and as cozy as the farmyard? Can Raymond and Bonnie still be together? This might provide a good story for the next instalment. As a bird-lover, I was excited to find this charming book about birds, with gorgeous illustrations by Simon Goodway (I embedded two of them for you to admire, they are pretty cute, aren't they?) I also loved the countryside setting, the birds (besides Robin's and blue tits, there are Marty the magpie and a bunch of starlings too), and a lovely human being in the good Mr. Digweed, who provides love and comfort for the weaker creatures. While this book is originally intended for young readers, it also provides a soothing and relaxing read for adults. If you love birds and in need of a feel-good book, this would be your perfect choice. As for young readers, it will convince them that being kind to others is a worthwhile attitude, and it makes one feeling happy.
As an adult I cannot remember reading such a delightful children's book. I was enthralled by the imaginative narrative of the two intrepid little birds' adventures and I smiled all the way through their story. This was warm, humourous and rich in colourful descriptions and well matched by the lovely drawings. I shall look forward to reading Raymond and Bonnie's next adventures. Martine
I saw this book on Amazon when I was looking for a 7th birthday present for my neighbour's son, Eric. I was immediately attracted to the bright red cover with two adorable little birds, a robin and a blue tit: these birds are daily visitors to my bird feeder along with a host of finches, blackbirds as well as big fat wood pigeons. I normally just parcel up my gifts of books in brightly coloured paper and hand them over to the lucky children who receive a book from me that I have never read; this time I decided to read it myself. My children are all grown up so it's a long time since I have read a children's story. Well I absolutely loved it! I loved the narrative that not only told the exciting adventure of the brave little birds, but also included the families who cared and worried about their progeny as well as having to face the problem of homelessness that many species face. I love the fact that Raymond thought he might get a telling off for staying out too late but instead is greeted with smiles and the good news that the family home in the logpile had been saved. As friends are often different, Bonnie, according to Raymond, always had the best ideas. I loved the author's humour in words and images eg Raymond getting stuck to the fence. The "as free as a bird, which is not surprising really" made me smile and I imagined the author chuckling to himself as he wrote it. The illustrations are charming and add to the story, however the imagery throughout is rich from Croakers Pond teeming with frogs to the dastardly robbers who behaved like the Chuckle Brothers who fell on their bottoms in the snow because they went out in worn-out shoes. They were obviously not very effective criminals! The silly pair spent their time puffing on cigarettes instead of making a getaway, which gave the multitude of birds, called up by Martin Magpie's and his friends the starlings, the chance to scare them off to The Dog and Duck where they were arrested, and hopefully, would be justly punished. This is a strory full of adventure, bravery, good deeds and the help of good friends. The writing is full of warmth and a narrative that keeps the pages turning. I am almost sorry that I have to give the book to Eric but hope that he and his parents have enjoyed it as much as I have so I have decided I will order another copy of Adventures with Raymond and Bonnie and hope there will be further adventures of these plucky little birds.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 March 2023 10/10 is the score my 8 year old granddaughter gave this book! She loved reading it and enjoyed the adventures the two bird friends got up to. It is very colourfully illustrated, and she is now looking forward to the next story. Star Rating and Review reproduced from Amazon UK
