Smudge, the Little Lost Lamb by James Herriot (1991), takes readers on an emotional roller coaster ride. When little Smudge leaves his field, he encounters a snarling dog, enormous bull, speeding traffic, and bitter cold weather. A young girl saves the bedraggled Smudge at the end of his adventure, and the lamb learns that the world holds loving kindness. Ruth Brown’s gorgeous two-page spreads illustrate the countryside of the Yorkshire Dales, United Kingdom.
Yet, Herriot invites deep thinkers to expand upon a superficial reading when he identifies Smudge as the kind of lamb who isn’t “happy until they’ve found a way out of the field.” Smudge plays with his peers just fine, but he becomes bored. He doesn’t run away from home; rather, he seeks the whole world to explore. “Oh, the sensation of freedom was wonderful. . .” Given Smudge’s exceptional nature, what do we make of the ending: “He would never ever try to get out of the field again.” ?
This story is read aloud
online by Storytime with
Will.
My Picture Book Talk for this story is here.
