The Highway Rat

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The Highway Rat gets fat from eating everyone else’s dinner. Can you think of a healthy diet to help him keep fit? Another delightful instant classic by Donaldson (writer) and Scheffler (illustrator) as a pesky Highway Rat is stealing all the other animals sweets and pastries. Look at the use of rhyming words in the story. Can you think of other words which rhyme with the ones used? Find out about the highwaymen of the past. What did they do? Do you know the names of any famous highwaymen?

Before you start reading the book look at the cover illustration and title together. What does your child think will happen in this story? They maybe unsure what a highway is and this may be a good point to talk about highwaymen – or you could do so later after enjoying the story together. Read the story as far as the lines about the animals growing thinner and thinner. How does your child think the animals feel? Is there anything the animals can do? Continue reading to the end of the story. One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading. The Highway Rat is a baddie. He sits on the highway or the road through the mountains and he robs the people of all their food, even if he doesn’t like it. Even the leaves the ants are carrying, the Highway Rat takes it all. He’s so bad that he steals his own horses hay. Last Christmas the company produced a two-part animated special based on Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes. Premiering on BBC One on the 26 and 27 of December the films featured the voices of Dominic West, David Walliams, Rose Lesley and Jemma Chan. 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. I studied Drama and French at Bristol University, where I met Malcolm, a guitar-playing medic to whom I’m now married.The artwork is colorful and fun. The rat looks a little like Zorro, but he is a baddie for certain. I love Julia Donaldson’s work. She works with Axel as illustrator and they make an excellent team. Find out about the author, Julia Donaldson. Watch this video and think of questions that you might like to ask her. Look at the use of speech marks within the story. Could you use these to turn the story into a play and perform it to others? 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?

We have also managed to link it to art - we created Wanted posters for the Highway Rat. The children had to use their literacy skills to describe the rat and his terrible crimes, and then got the opportunity to be artistically creative as well. The Highway Rat is described as a ‘baddie’ and a ‘beast’. Can you think of any other words that might be used to describe him? The author uses different words to describe how the Highway Rat speaks (e.g. declared, bellowed). Can you think of any more? Draw a picture showing the inside of one of the Highway Rat’s bags. What different items has he stolen? The Highway Rat’ (2016) is another first rate little adventure for younger readers from the accomplished pen of Julia Donaldson, with the usual and lovely accompanying illustrations by Axel Sheffler.Create a price list for the cake shop and imagine that some customers would like to buy a selection of the cakes. How much will they need to pay? How much change will they need to be given? What coins would be used for this? Help your child to dress up as a highway rat use a piece of cloth as a cloak. You could make a mask for your child out of card. For instructions follow link here and scroll to ‘Method 2’ Play the story 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.