"In this charming book for confident readers he does for the vole what Babe author Dick King-Smith did for the pig. This is Moorhouse's first book and a real breath of fresh country air in an increasingly urban children's book market." Alex O'Connell, Children's Books of the Year, The Times "Move over, Ratty. Sylvan's here: An Oxford academic's new children's book could rival 'The Wind in the Willows.'" Independent on Sunday "Peppered with references to spoors, territory, scents and feeding grounds, it's essentially a story about a group of siblings, led by a feisty little fellow called Sylvan, who leads his brother and sisters to a new home. All about the human values of heroism and friendship." Spectator "Not even Kenneth Grahame could be put forward as having captured this natural environment and its inhabitants with such immediate, completely satisfying authenticity. Moorhouse's lyrical prose is captivating, and this is without a doubt an exceptional piece of storytelling." Helen Mulley, Teach Primary "A gripping and moving tale for children." Martin Chilton, The Daily Telegraph "A wonderful, exciting adventure with appealing characters that you grow to care about. An utterly lovely book and highly recommended." The Bookbag "A real adventure story, packed with incident and details of life along the river bank, it is beautifully lyrical, simple, yet comforting. Filled with compassion and affection." Carousel "Really impressive debut." Books for the Year 2013, Books for Keeps "Tom Moorhouse combines the beauty and cruelty of nature with a gripping story and a host of wonderful characters to make this a truly special book." Louise Haines, The Best New Children's Books: Summer 2014 (in association with The Guardian)
