The scarecrow's wedding by Julia Donaldson

Ill. by Axel Scheffler. Scholastic, 2014. ISBN 9781407144412
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Humour. Farms. Scarecrows. Betty O'Barely and Harry O'Hay invite you to their wedding. In rhyming stanzas with a repeating last couplet, the tale rolls along with a rollicking pace, a marvelous story to read aloud to small and large groups.
Harry and Betty make a list of what they will need for their wedding. Each of the items is ticked off as one by one they are gathered from their friends. The cows bring the bells, the geese give their feathers for the dress, the mice find two rings in the rubbish bin and the crab brings along a necklace of shells.
Harry goes off to find the last thing needed for their wedding, the pink flowers. Several animals help him find them, but the snail is so slow that Harry takes all day and night to get there. Meanwhile the farmer makes a new scarecrow to replace Harry. Reginald Rake spies Betty and woos her, but she remains true to Harry. When he arrives back with the flowers they have their wedding
'The best wedding ever, the best wedding yet,
The wedding that no one will ever forget'
with all the items made and brought by their friends.
Children will love the story and its bright illustrations. They will delight in looking for the things mentioned in the text and laugh at the different animals represented. And along the way learn something about hay and fire, as well as noting the play on words. The paper cover turned inside out presents a poster of the wedding day.
Fran Knight