Barbara Euphan Todd

When John and Susan see the scarecrow standing in the middle of a field in the pouring rain, he doesn't look that remarkable. Just like any other scarecrow really. But when he turns up at the cottage to warm himself by the fire, they realize that this is a very special scarecrow indeed. The scarecrow's name is Worzel Gummidge, and he's about to fill the children's world with fun and magic. This welcome new edition of a classic and much-loved story is being published just in time for Worzel's return to our TV screens.

Better known for her Worzel Gummidge books, Barbara's first and only adult novel was written partly as a homage to her husband Commander Bower who Died in the Second World War. It describes a middle-aged woman who goes on a cruise in 1939, is swept overboard and lives as a castaway on a desert island for three and a half years with only a ships carpenter, another castaway, there for companionship.

Following the successful television series based on Barbara Euphan Todd's children's classic, Keith Waterhouse, Willis Hall and Denis King bring us a new, effervescent stage musical of the story of Worzel Gummidge. The naughty, petulant, greedy, yet always lovable scarecrow is here with all the familiar characters: Aunt Sally, Sergeant Beetroot and Sue and John. Brought to life by the Crowman, Worzel creates havoc and farce wherever he goes in his frenzied efforts to win Aunt Sally's unwilling hand until he finds himself before the scarecrow court on a very serious charge. But the final resolution is a happy one with a birthday cake enormous enough to satisfy even Worzel's appetite!5 women, 13 men