Funnily enough, I find it harder to write not in verse, though I feel I am now getting the hang of it! My novel THE GIANTS AND THE JONESES is going to be made into a film by the same team who made the Harry Potter movies, and I have written three books of stories about the anarchic PRINCESS MIRROR-BELLE who appears from the mirror and disrupts the life of an otherwise ordinary eight-year-old. I have just finished writing a novel for teenagers. Write a diary entry from the point of view of the Highway Rat. What does he do each day? How does he feel about it? His unique storytelling style has made him a favorite among viewers. Similar media to ‘The Highway Rat’ Some of her other notable books include ‘Zog’, ‘Tabby McTat’, and ‘The Snail and the Whale’. ‘The Highway Rat’ book club questions

It could also be used for PSHE lessons, to explore why stealing is wrong and how it can affect the victim’s life. In science they can look at food chains and animal habitats and use the story to explore these topics further. While there is currently no video game adaptation of ‘The Highway Rat’, it’s not hard to imagine how the story could be translated into an interactive medium.Draw a picture showing the inside of one of the Highway Rat’s bags. What different items has he stolen? The Highway Rat terrorises the local village. Cunning, daring and altogether selfish, he delights in stealing the locals’ food. But they won’t stand for it much longer. If you’re a fan who loves to explore, you might enjoy visiting places like the Forest of Dean in England, which inspired the lush, green forests depicted in the film. Who’s who in ‘The Highway Rat’ You get a sense (or at least I did) whilst reading the book that it’s a very ‘active’ story. By that I don’t just mean its plot is full of cause and effect, but also that it lends itself to being acted out. This is a fun story that you can use to celebrate and promote reading. Using some of your class as a chorus, a few children as the lead characters and after having made character masks and props in class, The Highway Rat would make a perfect assembly piece.

This timeless quality allows children from different cultures and time periods to relate to the story and its characters. ‘The Highway Rat’ film locations: A travel guidePlayers could embark on exciting adventures, helping the Highway Rat learn valuable lessons along the way. Conclusion

This seemingly teaches him a lesson, and, thinner, greyer and meeker, the Rat lands a job in a shop ... what kind of shop is for you to guess, but believe me it is probably an easy guess! I grew up in a tall Victorian London house with my parents, grandmother, aunt, uncle, younger sister Mary and cat Geoffrey (who was really a prince in disguise. Mary and I would argue about which of us would marry him). I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books. Find out about the author, Julia Donaldson. Watch this video and think of questions that you might like to ask her. The movie adaptation of ‘The Highway Rat,’ directed by Jeroen Jaspaert, stays true to the original book’s storyline.Find out about the highwaymen of the past. What did they do? Do you know the names of any famous highwaymen? If you loved ‘The Highway Rat’, you might also enjoy other works by Julia Donaldson, like ‘The Gruffalo’ and ‘Room on the Broom’. As the story develops, the Highway Rat’s horse has to carry more of the things that he has stolen. How much might each of these things weigh? How much would the horse have to carry in total? The way they transported me to different worlds, evoked emotions, and sparked my imagination left an indelible mark. It was no surprise that I decided to pursue a degree in Film Studies, where I deepened my understanding of the art and craft of filmmaking. We will uncover the book summary, the differences between the book and the movie, and delve into the picturesque locations that inspired the film’s creators.

Absolutely marvelous! As an adult reader I totally adore the clever and delightful textual parody of Alfred Noyes' classic The Highwayman ballad (and indeed also much appreciate that with The Highway Rat, Julia Donaldson has just taken Alfred Noyes' external form and has not made her text content wise into some silly love story and her Highway Rat into a romantic type of hero, as no, that would in my opinion have made The Highway Rat annoyingly maudlin and not the engaging and so very much fun poetic parody of The Highwayman that it is). The book is a captivating tale that teaches children about the pitfalls of greed and the importance of empathy and kindness. ‘The Highway Rat’ movie summary: What’s different?I also continued to write “grown-up” songs and perform them in folk clubs and on the radio, and have recently released two CDs of these songs.