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I Was a Rat! or The Scarlet Slippers; The Scarecrow and His Servant

Two Tales

Part of Everyman's Library Children's Classics Series

Author Philip Pullman
Illustrated by Peter Bailey
Hardcover
$28.00 US
Knopf | Everyman's Library
On sale Nov 04, 2025 | 368 Pages | 9780593804377
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A must-have for every child's library: two enchanting tales by the bestselling author of The Golden Compass, in a special hardcover omnibus edition with newly colorized illustrations

When a bolt of lightning brings Scarecrow to life, he proves to be a courteous but pea-brained fellow with grand ideas. He meets a boy, Jack, who becomes his faithful servant, and the two embark upon a terrifying series of adventures—including battles, brigands, broken hearts, and treasure islands. But little does the Scarecrow know that he is being followed by a family who desperately wishes he’d never sprung to life.

“I was a rat!” So insists a scruffy boy named Roger. Maybe it’s true, but what is he now? A terrifying monster running wild in the sewers? The Daily Scourge is sure of it. A victim of “Rodent Delusion”? The hospital nurse says yes. A lucrative fairground attraction? He is to Mr. Tapscrew. Or is Roger just an ordinary small boy? Only three people believe this version of the story, and it may take a royal intervention—and a bit of magic—to convince everyone else. A playful parody of the press, I Was a Rat! is a magical weaving of humor, fairy tale, and adventure.

Everyman's Library pursues the highest production standards, printing on acid-free cream-colored paper, with full-cloth cases with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, silk ribbon markers, and European-style half-round spines.
© Bryan Appleyard

PHILIP PULLMAN is one of the most acclaimed and best-selling writers at work today. He is best known for the His Dark Materials trilogy: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, which has been named one of the top 100 novels of all time by Newsweek and one of the all-time greatest novels by Entertainment Weekly. In 2004, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He lives in Oxford, England.

To learn more, please visit philip-pullman.com or follow him on facebook at Philip Pullman author, and on Twitter at @PhilipPullman.


View titles by Philip Pullman
Peter Bailey is a British illustrator, educated at the University of Brighton's School of Art, who has illustrated over 140 books, including Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials and Tony Mitton’s books The Storyteller’s Secrets and Tale of Tales. He lives in Merseyside, England, with his wife and fellow illustrator Sian. View titles by Peter Bailey

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A must-have for every child's library: two enchanting tales by the bestselling author of The Golden Compass, in a special hardcover omnibus edition with newly colorized illustrations

When a bolt of lightning brings Scarecrow to life, he proves to be a courteous but pea-brained fellow with grand ideas. He meets a boy, Jack, who becomes his faithful servant, and the two embark upon a terrifying series of adventures—including battles, brigands, broken hearts, and treasure islands. But little does the Scarecrow know that he is being followed by a family who desperately wishes he’d never sprung to life.

“I was a rat!” So insists a scruffy boy named Roger. Maybe it’s true, but what is he now? A terrifying monster running wild in the sewers? The Daily Scourge is sure of it. A victim of “Rodent Delusion”? The hospital nurse says yes. A lucrative fairground attraction? He is to Mr. Tapscrew. Or is Roger just an ordinary small boy? Only three people believe this version of the story, and it may take a royal intervention—and a bit of magic—to convince everyone else. A playful parody of the press, I Was a Rat! is a magical weaving of humor, fairy tale, and adventure.

Everyman's Library pursues the highest production standards, printing on acid-free cream-colored paper, with full-cloth cases with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, silk ribbon markers, and European-style half-round spines.

Author

© Bryan Appleyard

PHILIP PULLMAN is one of the most acclaimed and best-selling writers at work today. He is best known for the His Dark Materials trilogy: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, which has been named one of the top 100 novels of all time by Newsweek and one of the all-time greatest novels by Entertainment Weekly. In 2004, he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He lives in Oxford, England.

To learn more, please visit philip-pullman.com or follow him on facebook at Philip Pullman author, and on Twitter at @PhilipPullman.


View titles by Philip Pullman
Peter Bailey is a British illustrator, educated at the University of Brighton's School of Art, who has illustrated over 140 books, including Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials and Tony Mitton’s books The Storyteller’s Secrets and Tale of Tales. He lives in Merseyside, England, with his wife and fellow illustrator Sian. View titles by Peter Bailey

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