Always Room for One More (Owlet Book)

Say you're traveling across Scottish fields and a storm breaks out. Where do you stay for the night? Whether you're a tailor or a sailor or a gallowglass or a fishing lass, you'll be relieved to hear good Lachie MacLachlan shouting from his doorstep, "There's room galore. Och, Come awa' in! There's room for one more, always room for one more!" In this sing-song story, derived from an old Scottish nursery tale, Lachie's boundless magnanimity, while well-received, backfires. The welcoming chap invites all passersby into his home, until the wee house literally explodes with his goodwill. Luckily, the grateful visitors devise a plan to help Lachie and his family (and themselves as well).

Sorche Nic Leodhas tells Lachie's story in the lilting, rhyming brogue of a time-worn Scottish folktale. A glossary helps readers through the less intuitive dialect, and Loedhas also provides a musical score so the main chorus of the legend can be sung as originally intended. Nonny Hogrogian's illustrations combine intricately crosshatched line drawings with sponge smudges of moss and berry hues. The effect, impressive enough to earn Hogrogian the Caldecott Medal, is one of a dreamy, watery heath, populated by jovial elfin sprites. The generosity of this tale is addictive, and readers will love being welcomed into Lachie's fold, time and time again. (Picture Book)