Chicken House By Ash, Oak and Thorn

During my now distant childhood I loved to read, and the books I loved most were those which had what I call a "sparkle of magic" in them. Not necessarily magic worked by wizards and witches with wands and incantations, but magic derived from love of nature and the countryside and a closeness with the small creatures who inhabit the world alongside humans, often unseen and unknown, but always present and protective of the environment. Among the books I associate with that special magic I include The Hobbit, The Wind in the Willows, and Mary Norton's Borrower stories, but there are many others. In the 1940s a writer using the initials B.B. wrote two tales: The Little Grey Men and The Little Grey Men Go Down the Stream, which also have that special magic, recounting the adventures of a small group of gnomes in the English countryside. Melissa Harrison has carried on B.B.'s tales, preserving the charm of the originals and adding an enchantment of her own.By Ash, Oak, and Thorn is the story of Moss, Burnet, and Cumulus, three gnomes who inhabit an ancient tree in a suburban garden. Unpredictable circumstances force them out of their home and threaten their very existence, and they must go on a journey to seek out answers and a solution. They are assisted by wild creatures in a journey to a very alien place, where they find unexpected help, new friends, and more perils.This is a story that begs to be read aloud, and it is also a wonderful book to give to a child who is beginning to read on his or her own. If it awakens within the child who hears or reads this tale a new appreciation for the magic of the environment around them, then it will have achieved its purpose.

This is a beautiful book. A sequel or companion book to the two written by BB around 1945 The little grey men and Down the Bright Stream. This new author has captured the mood and delightful writing of the prior books and done a superb job of writing.The reader is assumed to be intelligent, a good reader and realistic about what dangers are present in the natural world.I purchased all three for my great granddaughter but read them myself with great delight. She will have to wait a bit as my partner is next in line for reading them :-)Heartily recommend for anyone age 9 and up.

I had doubts when I began, but then I warmed up to the story and enjoyed the whole book. It's lovely and sweet. The countryside described was amazing and so were all the creatures of the Wild Wood. I loved the three tinies called The Hidden Folk. They shared a lot of love and were very affectionate with kindness that humans sadly lack. They spoke of Pan and Wild Argot and mention 'hundreds of cuckoo summers ago' which I found funny. It had The Borrowers style to it.

This will go with its companion book and be saved for cosy reading in autumn and winter. Looks lovely just having a peep inside

Found my 8 year old had downloaded the audio book from library and was hand writing the book out because she loved it so much she wanted her own copy to reread. So bought her a copy. She has since lost it as carried it everywhere! But she (and I) have adored this book and the audiobook too. Highly reccommend.