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I wasn't sure that my four -year -old would follow all this very well, but actually she found it quite funny. Reading it aloud to her also added a little something extra to the story too, and I much preferred it the second time through. There is one moment I wasn't keen on, when Heron sees Crane walk off dejected and feels bad about her behaviour and says ''And what if he should do something terrible! Why, he may even throw himself into the swamp and drown!'' I'm not sure suicide is something I want to discuss with a four -year -old, but fortunately , we managed to pass by that page without any 'Mommy....why did the Heron say that?' questions arising.

Quentin Blake's illustrations are what really make the story work, I think. I loved all the expressions on the Heron and Crane's faces, and they support the comedy of the Crane and Heron walking back and forth all the time. The subject matter puts this picture book perhaps into an older children's category - it is, after all, a story about rejection and pride. I don't think many two and three -year -olds would follow it, so my buy and borrow recommendations are for those intending it for a slightly older audience, though at first glance it does look like a pre-school picture book. It is a little odd, but it's a grower...I like it better each time I read it!

For another collaboration between John Yeomans and Quentin Blake see [[The Bear's Water Picnic by John Yeoman and Quentin Blake]] or [[Beatrice and Vanessa by John Yeoman and Quentin Blake]].

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