Eleanor Farjeon (1881-1965) grew up in England in a house filled with books, and she and her brothers enjoyed reading stories to one another and writing their own. In America, Farjeon's best-known work may be the hymn "Morning Has Broken," later recorded by Cat Stevens, but in her native country she is beloved as the author of Elsie Piddock Skips in her Sleep, Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard, and, of course, The Little Bookroom. Farjeon was pleased when The Little Bookroom won the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Carnegie Medal, but she turned down another honor—Dame of the British Empire—explaining that she "did not wish to become different from the milkman." At her death, the Children's Book Circle established the Eleanor Farjeon Award in her honor. »

The Little Bookroom

Eleanor Farjeon's Short Stories for Children Chosen by Herself

By Eleanor Farjeon
Illustrations by Edward Ardizzone
Afterword by Rumer Godden

In The Little Bookroom, Eleanor Farjeon mischievously tilts our workaday world to reveal its wonders and follies. Her selection of her favorite stories describes powerful—and sometimes exceedingly silly—monarchs, and commoners who are every bit their match; musicians and dancers who live for aft rather than earthly reward; and a goldfish who wishes to "marry the Moon, surpass the Sun, and possess the World."

Reviews

A wondrous treasure bag, an enchanting, distinguished book for a family to share.
— The New York Herald Tribune

Eleanor Farjeon is a master at presenting the world as romance. Yet there is bite in it. Her worlds of imagination are no simpering constructions, all syrup and sugar, with fairies uprooted from their antique and awesome lineage. They are shadowed with weeping now and then, but the strongest note is affirmation, an exuberance of joy.
— The Horn Book

This is a book any child (and storyteller too) will read over and over again. Mr. Ardizzone's drawings in black-and-white have a touch of the magic Miss Farjeon found in The Little Bookroom.
— Saturday Review

A selection of treasures from Eleanor Farjeon's full store of writing for children. Including some stories which have not appeared before in book form. They make a rich combination: gems for storytelling and reading aloud, for children's own reading, and a few that may be appreciated most fully by adults.
— The Horn Book

Eleanor Farjeon's stories and poems have been a delight to children for many years, and here she has brought together a new collection of some of her own favorite stories... Storytellers will welcome it.
— Library Journal

Also see:

Jenny and the Cat Club Written and illustrated by Esther Averill In Greenwich Village an orphaned black cat lives happily with her master, a sea captain. Still, the gentle Jenny Linsky would like nothing more than to join the local Cat Club, whose members include Madame Butterfly, an elegant Persian, the high-stepping Macaroni, and stately, plump Mr. President.

The Crane Written and illustrated by Reiner Zimnik "A profound, deeply moving allegory that will linger in the minds of readers of all ages. It is a mixture of sheer poetry, religious feeling and all things good and bad, humorous and tragic in life." —Louisville Courier-Journal and Times

The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily Written and illustrated by Dino Buzzati Dino Buzzati's classic tale chronicles the terrible winter that sent the starving bears down into the valley in search of food, as well as their struggles with an army of wild boars, a wily professor who may or may not be a magician, snarling Marmoset the Cat, and, worse still, treachery within their own ranks.

Sign up for our free email newsletters for updates and special offers on NYRB books.