A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant

Philippa Pheasant lives near the village of Fairhurst. Each day, she crosses the road to get blackberries, and often cars whiz by, nearly hitting her. When she is visiting the village, she sees a school crossing guard and decides that might be just the thing for her to use to help her forest friends to be safe crossing the road.

She makes herself a uniform and gets to work. She even writes a letter to the mayor, but Philippa doesn’t hear anything from him until his beloved cat, Darling Treasure, sneaks out and becomes lost in a forest she doesn’t know. That is when Philippa Pheasant does something truly heroic and the people of Fairhurst recognize her contributions to the safety of the forest animals.

Briony May Smith is both the author and illustrator of this sweet picture book. The writing is lovely, the characters are all enchanting, and the story is compelling. The charming illustrations are filled with delightful details, sure to keep little listeners eyes on the pages. This is sure to become a favorite, and youngsters will ask for it to be read over and over.