The book has a cliff-hanger ending. Can you think of other stories that use this technique? Can you think of a cliff-hanger ending for a story of your own? The book begins with the sentence, “There was once only the sound of bees and the wind in the wiry grass, the low murmuring of moles in the cool dark earth and the song of birds in the high blue sky.” Could you use this sentence as the starting point for your own story? Thematically, the work falters. What really is a story about two children trying to find their place in the fictional world they inhabit gets lost in the action. The primary themes are really not there until the end, and this is primarily because this is a plot driven story (if I haven’t said this enough). I would have liked to have seen more character development, and focus towards the themes listed above. Given the nature of the story, I would have liked a little more closure; given the nature of the plot, it could have been paced a little slower. All in all this is a solid story, just one with a few holes that have to be plugged up.

In the story, ‘SOMEONE nurtured a little piece of wilderness’. Can you write some instructions to teach others how to look after a plant? Young Ned and his sister Opie are on the hunt for their Pa. Only Opie knows that their father is also the illusive criminal kingpin known as PA. As they search for their missing patriarch, the siblings undertake a number of exciting adventures involving giants, horse rustlers, and a thrilling cross-country race in which the winning gets an exclusive face-to-face meeting with PA! Varmints tells an analogy, or parable, that mirrors our history in a condensed form. There are those who love the hum of bees, the whisper of the wind, the wilderness - and then others arrive, with their tall buildings that "scratched the sky where birds once sang. Those gentle sounds faded and were gone." Every day, more newcomers arrived, the noise grew and grew until they couldn't think ... "So they stopped thinking." One of the creatures grows plants in his home. What do plants need to grow? Can you grow some of your own? This is a three-week Writing Root using the film (which can be found online) and text of Varmints by Helen Ward and Marc Craste. The sequence of learning starts with children entering the classroom to find seeds and flowers mysteriously left with an urgent letter of appeal from the main protagonist in the text, urging children to look after them and learn all they can about these gifts. Children will go on to plant the seeds and write instructions about the process, collecting subject-specific vocabulary as they go. Children will also dissect the flowers left behind, identifying and labelling the various parts and explaining their various roles in reproduction and pollination. Children will be given opportunities to describe flowers, write letters and make speeches to a secret society of gardeners who plan to change the world through the power of nature. This series of lessons culminates in children writing an explanation text about the life cycle of a plant with a clear structure. Synopsis of Text:This book was awesome. Science Comics' Andy Hirsch did such a magnificient job on this all-ages graphic novel by First Second. The story was excellent and very funny and yet poignant at all the appropriate times. Extremely original while mixing in iconic elements from the Old West, Varmints would have ranked on my top of 2016 list if I had found this book in time. But that's okay- better late than never.

This book demands attention. From the curious creature staring out at the reader on the cover, to its large physical nature and wild typography and breath-taking art, Ward and Marc Craste's creation needs a patient orator and audience. A variety of themes could be interpreted - loss of natural habitat through urbanisation, loss of identity, societal collapse, Communism(?!), enduringly persistent hope and the joy of love - but therein lies the crux of reader response and exploratory talk. Varmints reminds me of Helen Ward's The Tin Forest also. Once, the only sounds to be heard were the buzzing of bees in the grass, the murmuring of moles in the earth, and the song of birds in the sky. These warmed the hearts of those who cared to listen - until the others came to fill the sky with a cacophony of noise. With dramatically lit artwork and a spare, intriguing text, Varmints tells of a pastoral world in need of protection and of the souls who love it enough to ensure its regeneration. Text Rationale: A varmint is an animal that is considered to be a pest. Can you think of animals that this definition might include? Could you write a report about them? But someone is nurturing a little piece of wilderness, and at the right time takes it to the right place... and that little bit of wilderness grows. Look at the use of light and darkness in the illustrations. Could you use a similar style in your own drawings?How does the use of colour change as the story progresses? Could you use this technique in a storyboard for your own story? This story has been turned into a short film. Watch it and compare it with the book. Which do you prefer? Why?