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1942 children's novel by Denys Watkins-Pitchford From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Little Grey Men: A story for the young in heart is a children's fantasy novel written by Denys Watkins-Pitchford under the pen name "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.
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 |
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]
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.[6]
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 Jeanie Deans, and later a flying machine named Wonderbird, they travel to Ireland and colonise a ruined chapel surrounded by a loch.[7]
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.[8] The book's popularity among Generation X children in the UK meant that it was reprinted twice, during the early 1970s and mid 1980s.[9]
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.[10] 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][11]
The novel was one of Syd Barrett's favourite books; an excerpt from it was read at his funeral.[12]
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]
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