Sam's Big Day

My reservations about the erratic quality of the cat on the Mat 'series' were confirmed by this further addition to the set. A winner I thought at first. A jolly tale about the driver (Sam) of a little, old steam engine that no-one wants until the big main-line engine breaks down and Sam is called to the rescue, driving the little engine and saving all passengers, getting them to the station right on time. Hooray! Very simply told but jut the sort of tale of triumph to appeal to infants, especially steam engine fans (and which infant, in these days of Thomas, is not a steam engine fan?)

But, oh dear, there's more. After this heroic epic the final page shows Sam sitting in this chair and announces, 'But it was all a dream.' My class just couldn't believe it. Too young and imaginative to have ever used the idle junior's cop-out 'Then I woke up and it had all been a dream', the let down was enormous. One little boy, in great indignation announced, 'It's all spoilt!' and refused to listen any more. Another girl suggested 'It'll be all right if you sticky tape the lat page down.' And, indeed, she was right.

Which just goes to show that both writers and publishers can lack that 'ear' which hears the discordant note. This book is the product of tone-deafness.