The Highway Rat

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Although a discussion about a highwayman and what he did would be needed so that children can fully understand the story properly. Eventually though, the Highway Rat meets his match in a juicy-looking duck who directs him into a cave where the echo seems to promise food.

We want a song about throwing crumpled-up wrapping paper into the bin” was a typical request from the BBC. Pastries, puddings, buns, biscuits, nuts, fish, milk, flies and even a bunch of clover and a leaf, the last mentioned from an army of ants! It was great watching the process of how the 'characters' took shape early on before the voices were added, and then after!

The duck joins her many animal friends and they share out the grub from the Rat's saddlebags and have a jolly old feast.

Meanwhile the Rat is lost in the cave and he wanders through it to come out on the other side of the hill .The Highway Rat' is a child-friendly adaptation of the famous poem 'The Highwayman' by Alfred Noyes. The story is of a rat who scourers the highway looking for unsuspecting animals with food, which he steals and leave the animals with nothing, until he meets a very clever duck who out wit's him, and the highway rat has to suffer the consequences. Another great book from Julia Donaldson that evokes a vast range of images and emotions to the reader.

With over 10 million viewers for their first broadcast slots, the films have just been nominated for a BAFTA and an International Emmy, and have already won multiple awards including the Cristal for best TV Production, Annecy.

Children, who have so little autonomy in their own life, will relate with the woodland animals who are bullied by the larger, meaner rodent. He thought this was a fine book, but it could have used a monster at the end to make it better in his opinion. This time it is story of a predatory, villainous and avaricious rodent and as usual there is a suitable and satisfying denouement – a moral well delivered by the story. I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married. Martin also produced features Stephen Poliakoff’s Glorious 39 (starring Bill Nighy and Romala Garai) and Paul Andrew Williams’ The Cottage.