The movie adaptation of ‘The Highway Rat,’ directed by Jeroen Jaspaert, stays true to the original book’s storyline. The story teaches valuable lessons about greed and kindness, presented in an engaging and entertaining way.

Draw a picture showing the inside of one of the Highway Rat’s bags. What different items has he stolen? The story of ‘The Highway Rat’ is set in a timeless, mythical landscape, giving it a universal appeal. The movie version also includes mild peril which can spark discussions between you and your child about how actions have consequences. When and where ‘The Highway Rat’ takes place 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.Did you know that ‘The Highway Rat’ was inspired by Alfred Noyes’ poem ‘The Highwayman’? Or that the book has been translated into over 20 languages? These are just a few of the many fascinating facts about ‘The Highway Rat’. Cosplay tips: How to dress like your favorite ‘The Highway Rat’ characters 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. 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 Highway Rat is our new book for our Literacy lessons in Year 1. They have all really engaged with the story and the characters. It has provided us with many different discussion points - one child pointed out to me today that the Highway Rat is naughty not only because he steals people's food, but also because he talks to strangers! This gave us the opportunity to have a little PSHE talk about 'stranger danger', and why the Highway Rat has not been making good choices! Welcome to an exciting journey as we dive deep into the world of ‘The Highway Rat’, a charming creation by Julia Donaldson.

Written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Shaffer (The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom), The Highway Rat is a delightful story. It’s largely written in verse which lends it a tremendous pace and sense of excitement that will engage younger children, particularly in years one and two. The moral issue of theft which forms the central conceit of the book lends itself to further extraction and questioning. Using talk partners, you can ask children to come up with responses to particular questions – is The Highway Rat right to steal their food etc? What would you do if The Highway Rat stole your food? We have spoken about how the book rhymes, and how it can be read in a rhythmical way. The second time that we read it, the children were able to join in with some of the repetitive sentences, which they all really enjoyed.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’ 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 Highway Rat’ is a delightful children’s picture book written by Julia Donaldson and beautifully illustrated by Axel Scheffler. His unique storytelling style has made him a favorite among viewers. Similar media to ‘The Highway Rat’ There are several memorable quotes from ‘The Highway Rat’ that have resonated with readers and viewers alike.While there hasn’t been any official announcement yet, the possibilities are certainly intriguing. Jeroen Jaspaert’s other media contributions 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. The Highway Rat gets fat from eating everyone else’s dinner. Can you think of a healthy diet to help him keep fit? 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?

My real breakthrough was THE GRUFFALO, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately - he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow - but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes. Look at the use of rhyming words in the story. Can you think of other words which rhyme with the ones used?

Aubry’s music perfectly complements the story, enhancing the mood and atmosphere throughout the film. Curiosities and fun facts about ‘The Highway Rat’ 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? 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. Additionally, films like ‘Peter Rabbit’ and ‘Paddington’ share a similar charm. Other notable works by Julia Donaldson