Angel Mae: A Tale of Trotter Street

by Shirley Hughes

Christmas is coming and Mae Morgan's mum is expecting a baby. At school, Mae is delighted to be given the part of the Angel Gabriel in the nativity play. But will the new baby steal her glory?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Christmas, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1999

About the author

Shirley Hughes is the illustrator of more than two hundred children’s books and has won many prestigious awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal twice. She is the author-illustrator of DON'T WANT TO GO! and OLLY AND ME 1 2 3. She died at her home in London on the 25th of February, 2022.

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shirley Hughes' illustrations are always exquisite and delighted me as a child. It is with great joy that I find they are equally delightful to my own children thirty years down the line.

Hughes' is most well known for her books Dogger and her series of stories about Alfie and Annie May.

These are the tales of Trotter Street and are more contemporary in flavour. Mae lives with her family in a flat in Trotter Street. Her mother is expecting a baby at Christmas and Mae is unsure of whether she is happy about the arrival of the new baby. An added burden is Mae's role as the Angel Gave-You (Gabriel) in the upcoming nativity play.

As both the arrival of the baby and the performance of the play coincide, there are some tense moments as we see Mae and her family juggle with family responsibility and stardom.

Hughes' lasting appeal is that she continues to observe and accurately record the lives of small children faithfully. She is mistress of the nuances and details that make these stories so real and attractive to children. Her lessons are always subtle and never preachy, but I would highly recommend this to anyone with smaller children suffering with sibling rivalry issues or jealousy over new arrivals. There is much to identify with and plenty of talking points generated both by the illustrations and the text.

[Katharina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shirley Hughes is an absolute favorite in our home. Her stories and art are gold.

[Isobel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is Christmas time and a family are expecting a baby. The children in the family are taking part in a play and Mae is very proud to be the angel Gabriel, she’s calls ‘angel gave you.’

The story is told as a narrative with pictures postponed above the text.

The reader would need to bring their experiences when reading the text; children will understand what a school play is like and how it can be exciting to have your family members watching you. The book could also be read to children that have not taken part in a nativity play and therefore it would be a good book to introduce children to the roles in the nativity. It would also teach the children about the importance of being brave and not tuning the show for everyone. In the book Mae falls over the chair but she stands up and continues to sing.

[Rithavenba · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's almost Christmas and Mae and her brother Frankie are going to have a baby! But when she got to school for the Christmas play, she was so excited when her dad got there in time she fell down and she almost ruined the play! But she didn't! And just in time! She and Frankie got a baby sister! The whole family was so happy! The end.

[Nitoy Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the usual fair of Hughes book but it is a nice story. It's sort of a Christmas and expecting a new baby in the family story. The artwork is amazing but Hughes didn't bring some of those one page spread for her artwork that feels like you're reading a comic.

Read the book here: "Angel Mae"

[Rebecca Gomez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice story, very true to life.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book on placement today!! It is such a lovely Christmas story, Mae's family and what they're getting up to around Christmas!

[Tesh]

I remember enjoying it :)