Harry's Holiday

Celia writes with beauty, knowledge, and grace about the natural world. This book has much to teach its readers about bullying, friendship, loneliness, old age, finding your voice, and our responsibility to the environment. The wonderful illustrations add to a beautifully published book.

The contrast between the two books, from farm (Tales of Harry Also) to seaside (Harry's Holiday) is beautifully portrayed. This time Harry goes on a wonderful adventure to the seaside meeting amazing new friends like Lara, the seagull, and Reuben, the starfish fairy, with her new farmyard pal, Hilary. The way Celia develops themes like bullying and pollution of the seas is masterful and like all good fairy tales happy endings arrive at a cost and hopefully greater awareness of our precious world. Threaded through the chapters her wonderful illustrations illuminate the story. I recommend this to anyone who loves their imagination to blossom around a good story.

HARRY’S HOLIDAY How wonderful to meet Harry and all his friends again! There is much excitement as Harry gets beautiful clothes for a holiday at the seaside where a whole new world is waiting for him: the sounds, the smells, the immense horizon, the colours of the sea, new friends and a life-threatening adventure. Here again, Celia’s skills as an author and illustrator allow us to enjoy the subtleties of all she describes with such a strong love and understanding of nature.

On World Book Day I would like to sing the praises of this wonderful local author's work; The Tales of Harry Also and, fresh of the press, Harry's Holiday, by Celia Norman Smith. Written for children as well as adults, Celia is a most gifted traditional story teller, weaving magic and realism seamlessly, using metaphors to illustrate the challenges we can all face through life. Taking us on a journey with Harry Also, the most charming of scarecrows, she highlights the value of friendships, nature, the seasons and our own courage and self worth in overcoming the harder aspects of life, to be stronger, wiser, lighter. Her books are full of wisdom, kindness, and observations, familiar and fresh. The first of the trilogy is set in the nearby Campsie Fells, whilst the second book sees Harry heading to our very own Angus coast on his holidays, what fun one little scarecrow can get up to! We have several signed copies of each in stock, classics in the making

Harry's Holiday: A charming fantasy adventure featuring a host of characters getting involved in events happy, scary, wondrous and exciting. Nigel Gatherer and June McEwan on behalf of Crieff Community Arts