As of 2024, no official eBook version exists. Because the rights are tied up between Editorial Sudamericana (which is now owned by Penguin Random House) and Belgrano’s literary executors, the story exists in a legal gray zone. You cannot buy it on Amazon Kindle or Google Books.
The central question of the book—"Is there not room for everyone?"—challenges the idea of excluding others (the birds) to protect one's own resources (the vegetables).
The story unfolds through the protagonist’s diary entries, documenting his growing paranoia as he realizes the scarecrow is not keeping crows away—it is herding something. The narrative blurs the line between agrarian myth, political trauma (a subtle critique of Argentina's Dirty War), and existential dread. The ending is famously ambiguous: Is the scarecrow a protector, a prisoner, or a hunter?
The piece was considered "dangerous" by the military junta because it encouraged children to question and exclusionary practices .
"El espantapájaros" de Margarita Belgrano (suponiendo la obra homónima por la autora argentina conocida por literatura infantil y juvenil) se inscribe en la tradición de relatos que combinan lo cotidiano con lo fantástico para explorar temas humanos profundos desde una perspectiva accesible. La historia, centrada en la figura simbólica del espantapájaros, funciona tanto como fábula moral como vehículo para reflexiones sobre soledad, pertenencia y transformación.
It sounds like you’re looking for a guide to understand or locate the story by Margarita Belgrano . However, I must start with an important clarification:
Gabito feels pity for the hungry birds and realizes that the scarecrow's faceless, frightening appearance is what keeps them away. One night, he sneaks into the garden to draw a friendly face