The Little Grey Men
 First edition (UK) | |
| Author | BB |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Denys Watkins-Pitchford (the author)[1] |
| Cover artist | Watkins-Pitchford |
| Series | The Little Grey Men[2] |
| Genre | Children's fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Eyre & Spottiswoode |
Publication date | 1942 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 201 pp (first ed.)[1] |
| OCLC | 752520061 |
| LC Class | PZ8.W3 Li[1] |
| Followed by | Down the Bright Stream |
The Little Grey Men: A story for the young in heart is a children's fantasy novel written by Denys Watkins-Pitchford under the nom de plume "BB" and illustrated by the author under his real name.[2] It was first published by Eyre & Spottiswoode in 1942 and it has been reissued several times.[3] Set in the English countryside, it features the adventures of four gnomes who may be the last of their race. At the same time it features the countryside during three seasons of the year.
Watkins-Pitchford won the 1942 Carnegie Medal recognising The Little Grey Men as the year's best children's book by a British subject.[4]
A sequel was published in 1948, Down the Bright Stream; later issued as The Little Grey Men Go Down the Bright Stream (Methuen, 1977). Jointly they may be called the Little Grey Men series.[2]
The original novel was adapted for television in 1975.[5]
Plot summary
The last four gnomes in Great Britain live beside Folly Brook in Warwickshire; they are named after the flowers Baldmoney, Sneezewort, Dodder and Cloudberry. After Cloudberry goes exploring one day and does not return, the others make the tremendous decision to build a boat, the Dragonfly, and set out to find him. This is the story of the gnomes' epic journey, set against the background of the English countryside, beginning in spring, continuing through summer, and concluding in autumn, when the first frosts are starting to arrive.
Characters
The Gnomes
- Dodder is the oldest and grumpiest gnome, and the leader of the group. He has a wooden leg.
- Baldmoney acts as the helmsman and mechanic on the gnomes' boat Jenny Deans, and later invented a glider[disambiguation needed] named Wonderbird.
- Sneezewort is the youngest, most sensitive gnome who follows the lead of his older brothers.
- Cloudberry is a boastful and rebellious loner who often leaves the group to explore the forest.
Supporting characters
- Squirrel is the gnomes' friend who accompanies them on their adventures
- Ben is an owl who provides the gnomes with mouse skins for clothing.
- Sir Herne is a heron.
- Otter helps pull the Jenny Deans to safety after her clockwork motor breaks.
- Mr Brockett is a badger.
- Woodcock is a friend of the gnomes who has his own island at the heart of an Irish loch.
- Nanny goat lives on a farm and allows the gnomes to milk her.
- The Farmer is Nanny Goat's owner. Baldmoney uses his best Sunday shirt to build Wonderbird.
- Mr Shoebottom is an alcoholic gas station owner who repairs the gnomes' boat after it is discovered by his son.
- Pan, the Greek guardian of nature, is the unseen deity who protects the gnomes and forest animals, as in the Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
Villains
- Cruel Giant Crum is a human who kills any animal that enters his wood. The gnomes witness his death.
- The Worm of Death is a treacherous, sadistic adder who preys upon defenceless chicks.
Sequels
Down the Bright Stream
In the first sequel (published 1948), the four gnomes are forced to leave their home after it is damaged by flooding. Using their clockwork boat the Jenny Deans, and later a flying machine named Wonderbird, they travel to Ireland and colonise a ruined chapel surrounded by a loch.[6]
The Forest of Boland Light Railway
Years earlier, a community of gnomes in the Forest of Boland build a narrow gauge railway to transport their miners to the gold mines and cope with the growing yields of ore. Some wicked goblins steal the steam locomotive named the Boland Belle, overrun the town and enslave the population, but are eventually driven out of the forest by a friendly tribe of Cowzies.[7] The book's popularity among Generation X children in the UK meant that it was reprinted twice, during the early 1970s and mid 1980s.[8]
Literary significance and reception
This novel has been described as the most distinguished fantasy of the war years, a fantasy which sought to capture the beauty and wonder of an English year, a timely and timeless book. Through the choice of gnomes for the protagonists, the author was able to get closer to nature and show more effectively the hazards wild creatures face.[9] The authenticity of the natural history satisfied the preference of the Carnegie committee for realism over fantasy, and the book won the award for the most outstanding children's book of 1942.[4][10]
Television adaptation
In 1975 The Little Grey Men was adapted into a 10-part animated series, called Baldmoney, Sneezewort, Dodder and Cloudberry, by Anglia Television in the U.K.[5]
References
- ^ a b c "The little grey men: a story for the young in heart" (1st edition). LC Online Catalog. Library of Congress (lccn.loc.gov). Retrieved 2018-02-19.
- ^ a b c BB at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved 2012-09-10. Select a title to see its linked publication history and general information. Select a particular edition (title) for more data at that level, such as a front cover image or linked contents.
- ^ "The Little Grey Men (1942)". FantasticFiction. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
- ^ a b Carnegie Winner 1942. Living Archive: Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners. CILIP. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
- ^ a b "Baldmoney, Sneezewort, Dodder and Cloudberry". BFI Film & TV Database. British Film Institute. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
- ^ \ BB Society
- ^ Good reads
- ^ Worldcat
- ^ Marcus Crouch, Treasure Seekers and Borrowers: Children's Books in Britain 1900–1960, The Library Association, 1962, p. 92.
- ^ Keith Barker, In the Realms of Gold: The Story of the Carnegie Medal, Julia MacRae Books, 1986.
External links
- The Little Grey Men in libraries (WorldCat catalog) —immediately, 1949 US edition