I remember when I was little, watching a Making Of documentary about Robin of Sherwood . One of the points which the writer made was that each person who retells the Robin Hood legend adds a little something to the story. He introduced the idea of the occult – the Baron de Belleme in particular is a terrifying character – and this later influenced other Robin Hood adaptations, including the character of Mortianna in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves . You might be surprised to find that this blog is not actually about any version of Robin Hood. In fact, it’s about the TV series Merlin . That’s your recommended viewing for wet days during summer, if we have any rain ever again after this heatwave! I first came across Merlin when it was released in 2008. It was such a Big Deal that a trailer for the series was shown at the cinema when I went to watch Tropic Thunder with my older sister while living with her in Ipswich. I mostly just remember the dragon and thinking it looked ok. Some...
Review
I should begin this review by apologising to Dan Bailes, the author. I had promised to review Marlon's most recent adventure months ago but, after a very busy three or four months, I'm only just getting round to it.
But I am so pleased I did eventually get round to reading Marlon and the Scary Something. It is a charming book, and one which deals with issues of anxiety and fear in childhood in a way that rarely strays into being heavy-handed.
The story follows Marlon, a cat who certainly feels like he's got the cream! He's just lounging around and winding up his brother when suddenly a dog appears! He doesn't even know what a dog is at this point - he just knows that this new arrival makes him feel afraid.
Over the course of the book, Marlon realises that the best thing to do is to face his fear and, eventually, it all ends very well.
This is a personal book for the author, who explains in the afterword that he experienced anxiety as a child. This really shows - I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to discuss fear and anxiety with their child.
Marlon's story would have been an absolute 5* for me, but I just wasn't as convinced by the little bits with the children and their parent discussing the story. By contrast, Marlon is a charming little guy, and his newfound fear (or friend?!) is written brilliantly too.
There aren't very many illustrations but, where there are, the style is really lovely.
I'm looking forward to taking this book into school - I can already think of one or two pupils who will really enjoy and benefit from this book.
In summary, a lovely story which will invite your little ones to start talking about any fears and anxieties.
Blurb
When Marlon stumbles into the Scary Something he freezes, stares at the creature and scurries home to safety. Why is the creature there? What does it want? And why is Marlon so scared?
Oh no! Marlon's caught in a web of worry.
He's nervous, anxious and frets about the creature all day. That Scary Something has Marlon stuck on a Creature-Feature-Merry-Go-Round. What can he do?
Anxiety is thief! It's stealing Marlon's joy!
Can he break free and stop being afraid? Can he learn how to believe in himself, quiet his anxieties and face his fears?
It’s Book 2 of Marlon’s Marvelous Adventures!A cozy cat adventure, perfect for kids 6-9 and cat lovers everywhere! Dog lovers too!
You can find the book on Amazon
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