It is important to say that this book shouldn’t be republished without at least a little editing and similarly shouldn’t be used in a class. There are a couple of bad pages, the worst of which is when after getting covered in mud the boys dance round and one of them says “We’re wild black savages.” The book then commenting that this is because they are such funny little ones. I think this is particularly bad in book for young children as it leads into and normalises those attitudes before a critique of racist tropes has had a chance to develop. If it were to be reissued it would have to either edited to remove these bits or just include the three stories that don’t feature problematic elements.

The book has many delightful pictures, particularly those of nature. The pictures are very expressive and I have included a good variety below, my favourite is probably the little girl tugging at her mum's hand while she is trying to do the ironing. The stories several times make a virtue of imaginative play, for instance the dragon made of cardboard and blankets as featured on the cover. I also want to have a go at making roast potatoes in particular shapes as they do.

It is a great shame that this book is so much of it’s time, a better recommendation for light tales full of nature might be Jan Perry Stories by Modwena Sedgwick which is beautifully written, if for a slightly older audience, and quietly philosophical in nature. For delightful stories of little children I would heartily recommend Anna Hibiscus, fantastic own voice stories - a little in the mode of oral storytelling - about a girl and her extended family living in Nigeria.