Ragamuffin Scarecrow

Author: Ruth Dallas

Illustrator: Els Noordhof

National Library of NZ Entry

Following her Children in the Bush series, Ruth Dallas ventured into picture-book territory with Ragamuffin Scarecrow. This whimsical tale follows a humble scarecrow who falls for a lady scarecrow. Joined by a horse and a goose, the quartet embarks on a delightfully absurd adventure, stumbling through a series of brainless blunders. True to folk-tale tradition, their missteps lead to a cheerful resolution, complete with a happy-ever-after glow.

The book’s true distinction lies in its collaboration with New Zealand artist Els Noordhof, whose striking woodcut illustrations—carved from kauri logs—bring a rustic charm to the pages. Printed by hand in the University of Otago’s Bibliography Room, this limited run of 750 individually numbered copies (mine is #450) makes it a rare treasure. Tracking down the rest today would be a collector’s quest!

Spanning 19 pages, the story unfurls at a leisurely pace, with Noordhof’s woodcuts punctuating the text every few pages. While it’s not Dallas’s finest work—the narrative leans heavily on its silliness without much depth—it remains a charming, collectible piece. The craftsmanship and quirky tale make it a lovely keepsake, even if it doesn’t linger long in the mind.

Ruth Dallas and the artist Els Noordhof, seen here with Maslen examining proofs of Dallas’s Ragamuffin Scarecrow, printed in the Bibliography Room in 1969.

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