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1. The Conjuring Wizard
   Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
2. The Astonishing Curtains
   Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
3. Tick-a-Tock, the Greedy Rabbit
   Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
4. Sly-One and the Honey-Pot
   Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
5. Snippitty's Shears
   Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
6. What Bill and Betty Found
   Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
7. The Adventurous Duck
   Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
8. Ho-Ho's Bad Penny
   Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
9. Spot and the Biscuit-Tin
   Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
10. The Sailor Doll Goes to Sea
    Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
11. Selfish Sammy
    Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
12. Goosey-Goosey-Gander
    Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
13. The Rabbit's Whiskers
    Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
14. Angelina Jane
    Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
15. The Big Box of Chocolates
    Story: Enid Blyton Readers 4
16. Oh, You Crosspatch!
    Story: Enid Blyton Readers 5
17. The Goblin and the Rocking-Horse
    Story: Enid Blyton Readers 5
18. The Blackberry Gnome
    Story: Enid Blyton Readers 5
19. Paddy-Paws and the Star
    Story: Enid Blyton Readers 5
20. Peppermints for Granpa Pim
    Story: Enid Blyton Readers 5
21. Belinda and the Bulbs
    Story: Enid Blyton Readers 5
22. Tuppy's Beautiful Sunshade
    Story: Enid Blyton Readers 5

The Conjuring Wizard

Jimmy is dreadfully disappointed because instead of being able to attend a party, he's in bed with a cold. Mother looks so sad about his misfortune that Jimmy makes up his mind to be cheerful so when he hears some children arriving next door for the celebration he pretends not to care about his misfortune.

After tea, Jimmy is lying back half asleep when there's a knock at his door. Instead of the maid entering, a queer looking man wearing a cloak and pointed hat enters the room and tells Jimmy that he's come to see how he's faring. Jimmy lets on that he's feeling rather dull because the party next door is having a conjuror which he'll miss. He describes a trick performed by one conjuror at a party he went to last year ... the performer had actually made a goldfish appear out of his handkerchief and then it had swum round in a glass of water.

The man tells Jimmy a trick like that is nothing much and then tells him he could make a goldfish come out of the boy's pyjama pocket. Unbelievably, that's exactly what he does! Jimmy is suitably amazed and then he watches as the wizard causes several rabbits to appear, run around the room, and then disappear up the chimney. More magic is performed and the boy ends up laughing no end when the poker and shovel begin dancing with each other. Next the coal scuttle is upended over Jimmy's bed and he finds all the lumps of coal have turned into small toys. More amazing tricks are performed and then, just as the wizard is about to tell Jimmy all about himself, there's a knock at the bedroom door. The man vanishes through the window and all signs of magic vanish, including the toys which turn back into coal once more.

Mummy enters with the doctor.

The Astonishing Curtains

Grandma has given Mary a lovely doll's house for her birthday and a five-shilling gift from Grandpa has allowed her to fit it out with some fine furniture. Auntie Susan has supplied a further two shillings for curtains which she'll be getting when the furniture's been arranged. It takes Mary four days before she's ready to purchase some material for the curtains but when she takes out her coin to buy some material it ends up rolling across the floor and disappearing down a hole by the wall. Mary is very sad indeed because short of levering up the floorboards, nothing can really be done about her loss.

That night, the toys come out to play as usual and they're unusually cross with the clockwork mouse because they reckon it's his fault Mary lost her coin. The clockwork mouse asks,

"What do you mean?"

Then we learn about his friend who'd made the hole so that he could enter the nursery to visit him. The clockwork mouse is very upset at his purported part in the tragedy and he begins crying.

"I w-w-wish I c-c-could get M-M-Mary some nice n-n-new c-c-curtains," he sobs.

The big doll says that if she had the material, some curtains could be put together on the sewing-machine. They know Mary wants red ones and the teddy bear remarks that some red-creeper grows over the garden, but how can they obtain some of the leaves? The doll suggests asking the brown mouse so next time it scampers up and enters Mary's nursery the request is made.

Curtains manufactured from creeper leaves! Can such a project be undertaken?

Tick-A-Tock, The Greedy Rabbit

Tick-a-Tock finds three gold pieces lying on the ground one day, which he takes to his burrow and hides away feeling very rich indeed. He takes them out and counts the coins every now and again but soon feels that he'd like some more ... imagine if he had twelve to count over and over. Tick-a-Tock would like that very much indeed so he begins thinking about getting some more gold pieces although it's a rather useless exercise he has in mind because, being a rabbit, he has no need for money. Grass is free - as is the bark he sharpens his teeth on and his burrow, so why would he need any currency at all?

It's in the book: "He was a silly rabbit."

After some thought Tick-a-Tock decides to do start doing odd jobs for people so a sign is constructed to that effect - Odd Jobs Done, Apply inside today. The local fairies are quite pleased because their current opinion of Tick-a-Tock is not all that positive; perhaps he's turning over a new leaf. They spread the news and Tick-a-Tock's very first customer is Sammy Squirrel who asks him if he could play postman and deliver some party invitations. Certainly! Tick-a-Tock takes the invites and before long they're all safely in everyone's letter boxes because rabbits are fast runners. When the task is completed Sammy is visited and a request made of him for one gold piece. Sammy Squirrel is surprised because he doesn't think a person should pay for a simple kindly deed - and besides he hasn't got any gold coins. When Sammy berates Tick-a-Tock ever so slightly over this, the rabbit storms out tearing up his invitation as he goes and swearing to make Sammy pay up come hell or high water.

A fairy upon whom her parents have bestowed the name Fuff-fuff, is Tick-a-Tock's next customer and she requests that he carry a new dandelion clock from the hedge to her house because her old clock is no use anymore. This assignment takes just two minutes and the fairy is delighted, but when asked for payment she screams,

"You must be joking. We don't get paid for kind deeds in Fairyland."

She shuts the door on Tick-a-Tock in disgust and doesn't open it even when the knocker is banged twelve times. Tippitty the elf is next. He's been flying all night and now, being very tired, he wants to be carried to cousin Pippo who's quite ill. This is a ten-minute job for Tick-a-Tock yet he still doesn't get recompensed when holding his hand out for payment. Tippitty means to spend any money he possesses on his sick cousin.

Tick-a-Tock now starts making himself a dreadful nuisance. He marches round to Sammy's, Fuff-fuff's, and Tippitty's dwellings every day shouting loudly for his money and making such a fuss that in the end the harassed individuals manage to amass enough cash to buy their peace of mind. They hand Tick-a-Tock three gold coins.

The greedy rabbit is delighted of course, but no one requests his services anymore.

One day when Tick-a-Tock is running through the woods a sudden gust of wind causes a nearby tree to crash down breaking one of his legs and trapping him under a branch. Pain and agony abound ... is there no one around who can help him? He will have to be carried home and then a nurse will have to stay with him until the leg is mended.

Any takers?

Sly-One And The Honey-Pot

Honey is much enjoyed by Fairy Sweet-Tooth and she has fifteen hives of bees to prove it. She collects the honey and stores it in pots housed in a barn at the back of her dwelling. Next door to her lives a brownie named Sly-One and almost instantly we might begin suspecting what's going to happen. The brownie craves some of Sweet-Tooth's honey but, although she's generous to her other neighbours, Sly-One is never the recipient of any nectar because of his nature. The Saucepan-Man always sends Fairy Sweet-Tooth a new pot on her birthday, and the Ribbon-Woman often gives her a decorative strip to match her best dress. Sly-One? He wouldn't even throw back her ball when it landed in his garden, so there you are!

One year the honey quota reaches record proportions, and despite Sweet-Tooth donating several pots of produce to neighbours and other friends, her barn is still so full that one remaining pot of honey has to be left outside all alone. Sly-One catches sight of it, craves it, and contemplates! Sweet-Tooth won't give the honey to him of course so he visits the green elves and says he'll sell a pot of honey to them very cheaply indeed, but it must be kept a secret. He then tells them to call at the barn located behind Fairy Gables which is Sweet-Tooth's abode and the pot of honey will be left out for them. They can pay him the money when he next calls.

At 11 o'clock next day, as she always does, Sweet Tooth goes for a ride on her pet snail with a servant behind her - and Sly-One goes out as well. He wants to call into a lot of shops thus making everyone aware of his presence so that no one will suspect him of anything untoward that might occur back at Fairy Gables. The plan takes its course and later Sly-One finds Sweet-Tooth crying bitterly when he arrives home. The fairy asks him if he'd taken her pot of honey and Sly-One is very angry indeed to be suspected of such an act ... at least he pretends quite convincingly to be affronted by the implied accusation. He snaps back telling her that if she suspects him, just ask the Ribbon-Woman or Saucepan-Man where he was that morning, and anyway he tells her,

"Serves you right seeing you're so mean with your honey!"

Sweet-Tooth says she'll hunt for it herself and if she sees anyone eating honey she'll enquire as to how they came by it. This makes Sly-One feel uncomfortable because he knows what chatterboxes elves are so he dashes off to tell the green elves not to eat their honey just yet, because it's not quite ripe! I don't think honey needs to ripen, but the elves act accordingly and then all kinds of things start happening and a cloud of fearsome creatures also becomes involved.

A very satisfying story that stretches to eleven pages.

Snippitty's Shears

Snippitty arrives back from holiday to find his garden in a dreadful mess. As he doesn't want to spend all week clipping and cutting greenery, a visit to Puddle's shop is necessary because Puddle sells all kinds of things from pins to a balloon. Snippitty enquires about purchasing some shears with a cutting spell in them whereupon Puddle reaches up and takes down a glittering pair from the shelf. When Snippitty asks how much they cost, he's told,

"Five shillings."

Snippitty's not sure if he heard right but Puddle assures him they're worth every penny - they'd cost more than ten shillings in the next town. Snippitty's actually aware of this. He also knows that Puddle's shears would be very powerful indeed, but being a mean little chap, he makes an offer of three shillings and then begins arguing with the proprietor. Puddle looks at the mean little gnome then smiles to himself and says,

"All right. You can have them for three shillings."

Snippitty grins in delight to think he's got his own way, and after paying over the money he exits. Upon his arrival home the shears are stuck into the grass and Snippitty gives the order,

"Shears do your work!"

The shears do their work and there's little more to say because ... it's been said before.

What Bill And Betty Found

What did they find?

They discovered a parcel in the lane when coming back from Mrs. Brown's house. They'd been to deliver the lady's washing which their mother had laundered, and there it was - an unaddressed package. Bill picks it up and figures it must have dropped off the carrier's cart. He declares -

"The delivery man always has tea at Mrs. Robinson's and think how worried someone will be if they don't get their parcel."

So, despite poor Betty being awfully tired, he says they'd better call in. It takes them half an hour to reach the village and then trudge to where the delivery cart is parked, and after a knock at the door Jim appears. He's delighted to reclaim the parcel. He still has its label which had somehow slipped off before it dropped down into the road. He puts it back on and then asks Bill and Betty,

"Who do you think the parcel is for?"

Well, with such a question being asked, the reader may well indulge in a little speculation. Meanwhile there's a treat in store for the children because not only are they offered a ride home in Jim's cart, but they're also invited to have a cuppa and some chocolate cake. What a treat - and all because they went out of their way to perform a good deed; but there's more!

This tale has a fine ending.

The Adventurous Duck

Timothy leaves the toyshop where he's just purchased a floating duck with the half-crown his uncle gave him. He takes it down to the sea and places his duck in the water where it attracts stares from all the other children who think it looks simply wonderful bobbing up and down on the waves. Unfortunately, the duck floats out too far for Timothy to retrieve it, so all the boy can do is to watch his newly acquired toy drifting further and further away.

The duck is frightened when an enormous seagull swoops down and grabs hold of it. The bird flies high in the air and then drops the duck causing it to fall towards a sailboat containing a little girl who manages to catch it. She now has a new plaything which will be shown to her Auntie when she calls in later for tea. Now we can wonder whether or not Timothy comes into the story again?

As it's only three pages long with pictures included, he'd better hurry up.

Ho-Ho's Bad Penny

The meanest gnome in Lemon Village goes by the name of Ho-Ho and he lives in Marigold cottage. Digging in his garden one afternoon he discovers a silver penny and this delights him no end until he looks more closely and discovers it's a 'bad' penny and worth hardly more than a farthing. What a nuisance - but not to worry. When Binny the baker calls, Ho-Ho pays for his bread with the useless coin and as Binny's a little short-sighted he just pops it into his bag and says good-day to the gnome.

Binny drives off to Sandy Burrow and finds that Loppy the rabbit doesn't require any bread today, however Loppy shows the baker a lovely barrow he's fashioned that very morning. Binny's impressed and asks Loppy if he could buy it for himself whereby the rabbit sells it to him for a silver penny which he places straight into his pocket upon receiving it. The penny is of course the 'bad' one.

Loppy decides to buy himself a much-needed new kettle with the penny, so he visits Tinkle's kettle and saucepan shop and purchases a fine kettle for, you've guessed it, a silver penny. Shortly, another customer enters the shop and after obtaining some change from Tinkle for the bus, he travels home with the bad penny in his pocket and learns that Wimple the pixie is calling for some rent that afternoon.

Like all coins supposedly do, that silver penny is moving from pillar to post to pillar. Right now it's in Wimple's pocket and destined to travel much further. Most readers would be able to gauge what might eventually happen. Mother Puff also makes an appearance as does Mr. Dumps the policeman

An enjoyable twelve pages long

Spot And The Biscuit-Tin

Timothy and Judy are Spot's master and mistress whom he loves very much indeed, and right now Tim and Judy are reviewing their finances because it's Baby's birthday tomorrow. They're currently rich enough to buy about a third of a meat pie with the twopence they've managed to dig up however their mother enters the room with news that may come in handy - intruders have stolen old Mr. Giles' valuable spoons and forks. Apparently they emptied a tin of biscuits and used it to carry away their ill-gotten gains.

Spot's listening to all this and thinking it'd be nice to find the missing biscuit tin. He then tugs at Judy's skirt because he wants to be up and away so Judy and her brother, thinking they might be able to locate the stolen goods, set off with him to see what can be seen. They search all morning in the hedges and ditches and anywhere at all where they think someone may have hidden some booty ... but to no avail.

Judy says that it looks like the burglars, who have actually been caught, will be able to retrieve the stolen property when their prison sentences finish because they themselves certainly haven't been able to find anything at all. The children decide to return home for dinner but Spot doesn't accompany them because he's got an idea and wants to put into action. Hard work never hurt anyone they say, and Spot's not scared of exerting himself for a good cause.

Baby does receive a very acceptable birthday gift.

The Sailor Doll Goes To Sea

The finest doll in the nursery is Jack, the sailor doll.

At least that's what Jack tells all the toys, and perhaps there's good reason to go along with this because he can dance the horn-pipe and whistle it too. The golliwog has a comeback however - he informs the sailor doll that he's nothing but a fraud having never been to sea like a proper Jack Tar. This causes the sailor-doll to go red, but then he shouts defiantly that he's going to sea that very day and they'll never see him again!

The golliwog looks round and spotting a wooden boat he suggests the sailor doll could use that for his journey; so all the toys help to carry it outside.

"Look! There's the sea," shouts the golliwog pointing to a duck-pond, and this causes the sailor doll to begin trembling. Bravado in the nursery is all very well but when one's bluff is called it can be mildly unsettling. However he can't turn back now, so when Golly and Teddy launch the boat, Jack steps in and shakes hands with everyone before being pushed out 'to sea.'

"Good-bye, good-bye!" the toys shout as the sailor doll drifts off to where some ducks are gathered. He shouts fiercely and they swim away, but then a frog starts climbing into the vessel although he slips rapidly back into the water when Jack tells him he'll call the ducks over to eat him up if he doesn't get off. The sailor doll's now feeling quite proud of himself - but his adventures aren't over by any means.

A stickleback suddenly leaps out and lands in the boat, so the sailor doll obligingly returns it the water and then asks the fish if he could bump the boat along with his nose seeing there are no oars. The stickleback does so but accidentally overturns the craft which means that Jack's now wet all over, so he climbs up onto the obliging fish's back and is whisked away to the other side.

There you are - Jack has crossed the sea and is now in a strange land. Talk about 'adventures' ... and he's only just starting. Admittedly, after trudging round the edge of the pond for a bit he begins thinking of the toys and he starts feeling a little sad. In turn, the nursery inhabitants, despite their views of the sailor, are beginning to adopt a similar frame of mind.

So, what action, if any, can be taken?

Selfish Sammy

Millie and James are staying with Cousin Sammy who happens to be a very dislikeable boy. He won't let them play with his best toys and they can't even read any of his books unless he keeps hold of them. He's greedy as well and always takes the biggest slice of cake or the bun with most sugar so Mille and her brother are beginning to wish it was time to go home, although the fringe benefits are pretty high in their estimation. Aunt Mary, Uncle Hugh and Grandpa live by the sea so the children can build sand castles and go shrimping, and of course there're plenty of swimming opportunities. It's just a shame their cousin is of such an unpleasant nature.

One day Grandpa says he'll supply funds for each of them to buy a prawning net and there'll be two prizes instituted - one will go to whomsoever brings the biggest prawn back, and one for the child who catches the most. To meet the challenge, Millie, James and Sammy set off to buy nets whereupon Sammy first purchases for himself a really fine one and then buys two small, silly little nets for Millie and James. James remonstrates, just a little, but Sammy's excuse is that as he's the oldest, he must have the best.

How can you argue with that?

James does at least attempt to argue by reminding Sammy that he's only three days older than he is but Millie implores them not to quarrel, as it's time-wasting. To the sea and to the rock pools they head, and very soon the children are hard at work snaring prawns. Millie suggests that she or James might at least win the 'biggest prawn' section of the competition - and very soon James catches a prawn that looks quite prize worthy. Then Sammy manages to catch a 'monster' with enormous whiskers so it looks as if the expensive net is going to win him both prizes because he also hauls in dozens of prawns. Millie catches twenty-two and James manages to net twenty.

Grandpa rings the tea-bell and it's now time to bring in their prawns. Sammy counts a catch of fifty-seven all told so it looks as if he'll definitely be the recipient of both prizes because he also snagged that great big monster, remember? They're now clambering over the rocks on their way back to the cottage where the day's results will be judged. We all know that Enid Blyton tales tend to balance out, and those who have been wronged in some way, often display pleasantness.

So, could this possibly occur?

Goosey-Goosey-Gander

Mr. and Mrs. Tubby own a large grey gander which is of course a male goose, and it follows Mrs. Tubby round like a dog. Mr. Tubby looks after the sheep on Farmer Giles' hillside and the couple get by quite reasonably with a little help from their garden that supplies vegetables for Mrs. Tubby's tasty soups.

One day an accident occurs. Mrs. Tubby slips on the kitchen floor, twists her ankle, and ends up in bed under doctor's orders. Apart from the pain in her leg, the circumstance is a pain in the neck because there's so much to be done in the cottage and as Mr. Tubby's out minding the sheep all day, there's a problem. However, a solution is devised in the form of nine year old Mary - Mr. Tubby's niece. Mary is conscripted and proves to be the most useful girl in the world ... what with her cooking and scrubbing and washing-up and bed-making prowess, she's an absolute treasure. She also feeds the gander and when delivering her uncle's dinner to him in the field she leaves Goosey to shut the gate. He can do that quite efficiently by pushing it shut with his beak.

Eventually, Mrs. Tubby becomes mobile once again but now there's a big worry. How will they pay the doctor's bill which works out at the princely sum of sixpence per visit? They have no money put aside so, after some thought, a decision is made ... Goosey-gander will have to be sold. Now this is a vey sad note indeed upon which to end this narrative because Goosey is such good company. He often sits with Mr. Tubby when he's out minding the sheep; still, the doctor's account has be paid. Goosey's not happy about this at all. He might be sold at the market to be fattened up and well ... anything could happen to him.

One moonlit night Goosey's sitting on one leg in his little shed thinking sad thoughts when he suddenly hears a noise. Waddling to the door he looks up into the hills and sees a dark figure going into the sheep-field. It certainly isn't Mr. Tubby because he can be heard snoring in the house and it's not Farmer Giles because he's big and fat. The figure is actually that of Jim Hookey, an inveterate poacher who was warned off the land only a week or so ago. He'd been trapping hares on the property and had been told that he'll be put into prison if he continues trespassing. The story goes on to report how Goosey saved the day (or night) in a very brave manner and, as many tales end -

They all lived happily ever after.

The Rabbit's Whiskers

Take the most trivial subject, and Enid Blyton will be able to write something about it. Mr. Woffles who lives in Toyland, and who is very proud indeed of his fine whiskers, sets off to the hairdresser one day because he's going to the teddy bear's party that evening and he wants to look his very best.

Noticing how proud he is off his whiskers and seeing the word 'hairdresser,' and knowing Enid Blyton, brought forth a horrible thought!

The hairdresser who is a wooden doll takes up his scissors and then the supposition becomes quite real - Mr. Woffles' exceptional whiskers are no more. They're on the floor! The barber's answer to Mr. Woffles' irate question as to why he snipped off his whiskers goes as follows -

"Sorry sir, but you didn't say I wasn't to."

Mr. Woffles leaves the premises groaning like anything and forgetting to pay for the haircut, but in no way is the hairdresser going to pursue the matter. When Mr. Woffles meets Mrs. Plush Duck and Mr. Sailor Doll they wonder what on Earth the matter is with their friend and then both notice his lack of whiskers. They're very sympathetic indeed and Mrs. Plush Duck thinks hard.

"Come with me to the gooseberry bed and we may be able to supply you with replacements."

Off they go but unfortunately Mr. Woffles has to tell Mrs. Plush Duck and Mr. Sailor Doll that gooseberry hairs are just too short for him to use as whiskers; then Mr. Sailor Doll remembers he'd seen a lot of whiskery-looking things lying in the nearby pine wood. It turns out he means 'pine-needles' but when Mr. Woffles has had some of those stuck into his cheeks, he doesn't like it at all so they have to do some more thinking. While they're turning the problem over in their minds, along comes Blackie the spaniel who's very friendly with Old Mother Hubbard. He asks them what the matter is and then scratches his head whilst they tell him of their problem.

Surprisingly, the day is saved and after a quick visit to the Toy Hospital, it turns out that Mr. Woffles has a wonderful time that evening.

Angelina Jane

She's a doll of course ... and beautiful with it. Her description is as follows: Bright golden curly hair, shining blue eyes, rosebud mouth and the loveliest pink silk dress you can imagine. Unfortunately, Angelina Jane ("Call me Angelina") is disliked because she's vain and selfish; also, she won't countenance being called just 'Jane' by the other toys.

Angelina Jane sulks. If only she lived in a proper nursery where the other dolls might even call her 'Queen Angelina' and not just plain Jane as she's frequently called. In actuality the others are a kindly lot ... the train offers Angelina rides if she asks nicely, and the clockwork bus is happy to take her anywhere she wishes. The goldfish even allowed Angelina to bathe in the tank one very hot day and the toy sweetshop man has always offered her a sweet when she's hungry. The golliwog often cooks her a nice meal on the little stove so there's no way the toys in general could be classed as hateful. It's just that airs and graces are not encouraged.

Drastic action ensues.

Angelina hightails it. Yes, very unexpectedly she leaves the nursery one day, determined to find a home where she'll be treated as she should be treated - and the thought of being made a queen still lingers. She wanders determinedly on until she spies a small house and noticing it has a nursery she enters and makes her way upstairs. When she barges in the toys stare at the newcomer thinking how beautiful she is with hair shining in the sunlight and her eyes as blue as forget-me-nots.

No time is wasted - Angelina announces she's come to live with them all and they can count it as a great honour to have a queen as beautiful as she. We know she's vain but that particular statement really piles it on. Unfortunately the teddy-bear informs her they happen to have a queen already.

Angelina shouts, "Where?" looking round to see if there's another doll as beautiful as her.

"There she is," says the bear pointing to a sweet-faced, straight-haired doll in a cotton frock who's sitting in a chair knitting from a big ball of wool.

We don't need to read what Angelina Jane says to the doll because it can be easily imagined and the response she gets makes her so angry that she actually smacks the doll's face! The toys rush up angrily but the little queen-doll waves them away saying she's not really hurt and that she's prepared to make a bargain with the 'pretender.' Angelina can stay and try to be queen and if they like her better, she can be crowned as the royal personage.

Angelina proudly settles down to survey the scene and shortly a small bear approaches to ask if she could tie his bow back on for him. The prospective queen gives him short sharp shift - she's not here to tie bows on baby bears. No indeed! She goes over to where the queen-doll is still knitting and asks her what she's making. When she learns it's a scarf for the golliwog her distaste knows no bounds,

"Fancy spending your time knitting for a dirty black golliwog!"

Despite being informed that he isn't dirty and that black is his proper colour, Angelina still comments that it's not proper for a queen to be knitting. The next few pages bring rather bad times for Angelina but after Enid Blyton has imparted the expected psychological musings via the little queen-doll, there's hope over the horizon for the outwardly beautiful and inwardly not-so-beautiful doll.

She moves out of the nursery though.

The Big Box Of Chocolates

Peter Penny was so helpful to old Dame Twinkle when she hurt her foot and couldn't get about that she decides to give him a present. However, Peter Penny politely declines the offer because his upbringing is such that he wouldn't dream of expecting a reward for any service rendered to an elderly lady. However, Dame Twinkle insists and asks him if the big box of chocolate animals in Mrs. Peppermint's sweet-shop would be an acceptable gift whereby Peter Penny's shining eyes tell her all she wants to know. The little folk of the village have been in to see (and covet) the exciting collection of confections, and now Peter Penny is to be the proud owner; but true to form, he'll hold a party so that all his friends can share the goodies. Dame Twinkle presents the chocolates with all her love to Peter Penny when he next visits and after placing them into his net-bag he sets off to purchase some bacon, sausages, rice, cocoa, flowers, and a new saucepan which he squashes down into his bag. Unfortunately on his way home through the Magic Wood, a dreadful thing happens. The bag develops a hole out of which falls the precious box of chocolate animals. Peter Penny is singing as he walks along so he doesn't notice anything has departed ... and the saucepan blocks anything else from slipping out.

Now it happens that a woman is following not very far behind. She's Mrs. Twitter who sell canaries in her little shop and, as she always does when traversing the Magic Wood, Mrs. Twitter makes a wish.

"I do wish I could find a nice present lying on the ground waiting for me."

Coincidence indeed, because the very next moment her wish unfortunately comes true. How could the word 'unfortunately' be associated with discovering a beautiful box of chocolate animals right before your eyes? It's unfortunate because chocolate always makes Mrs. Twitter feel indisposed, so now she's wondering what to do with them.

"I know. I'll give the chocolates to old Mister Ho-Ho seeing he's been ill in bed for a while."

She delivers the chocolates to Mr. Ho-Ho's maid who takes them up to the invalid but, unfortunately (again) the doctor has forbidden his patient to eat chocolate; and so on it goes with the chocolates travelling to other destinations. Silvertip the elf is a recipient as is Mother Hooky's little boy ... her 'naughty' little boy. Smarty the gnome and old Mister Candleshoe come into the tale and at one stage, near the end, Peter Penny experiences a kind of turning point in his life against which he has to battle.

Something we may have experienced ourselves.

Oh, You Crosspatch

Theo and Kitty are feeling irritable! They're in the nursery, it's raining heavily, and Nurse won't let them venture outside so they're ready to quarrel at any minute. Theo suggests they play with his engine, and then his wrath is raised when Kitty tells him she's tired of his "silly engine." She proposes they amuse themselves with her new doll - and I won't bother putting down what Theo's reaction is to that remark. They both call each other 'crosspatches' and then when Kitty starts playing with her doll, she finds that its bonnet is loose so she fetches a needle and some cotton from Nurse's work-basket; but when she returns the bonnet is nowhere to be seen.

"You've taken it you horrid boy! Give it to me at once!"

It appears she's blaming the correct individual but he won't produce it because, seeing she wouldn't play 'trains,' why should she be able to play with her doll. Logical? Anyway she could still play with her doll of course, but instead Kitty calls her brother a "nasty mean thing" and then starts crying as girls often do! This isn't the end however because, amidst her tears, Kitty suddenly dashes over to Theo's railway lines and stamps on them in order to balance things up a little ... we could suppose. Theo's reaction is to produce the doll's bonnet and rip it in half!

His railway lines are quite bent which means he won't be able to use them again and the doll's bonnet has pretty well expired, so Kitty howls whilst Theo stamps with rage just as Nurse comes running in to berate and tell both they ought to be ashamed of themselves. She places them in opposite corners of the room to dwell on their foolishness whilst she clears up the toys and exits.

In their corners, Theo and Kitty spend time contemplating the situation and realising how silly they've been; then both begin figuring out a way of making amends. Kitty resolves to have a word with cousin Dora, whilst Theo thinks the boy next door might be the answer to his problem although sacrifices will need to be made. Their resulting actions end up being 'hapless' (for want of a better word) but at least the ending as recorded by Enid Blyton runs thus:

" ...as far as I know they have never been cross again."

The Goblin And The Rocking-Horse

The tail belonging to Janet's rocking-horse parted from its body at one stage so the little girl saved up her money and purchased him a new one. The rocking-horse is very grateful indeed; in fact, so grateful that he resolves to do something for his little mistress in return, should the opportunity become available.

Janet has a two teddy-bears, three lovely dolls, a great big golliwog, a pink rabbit, a black cat and a white dog. She also possesses a fairy doll with long silver wings and a crown on her golden curls. Her name is Goldie-Locks, for obvious reasons, and instead of sleeping in the toy cupboard at night with the other toys, she sits in a little red chair that Janet has given her.

The scene is set.

An ugly goblin has come to live in a tree that grows just outside the nursery window and he seems to enjoy making faces at the toys. One day he insults the golliwog by criticising his tongue,

"Fancy having a black tongue instead of a red one!" he calls out through the open window.

A silvery voice speaks up,

"Don't be impolite!"

The goblin looks to see who it is that would dare to reprimand him and is immediately smitten when he spies the fairy doll. He ventures a remark which causes her to blush before requesting of him not to come peeping into the nursery again. After all, pulling faces isn't a very nice thing to do.

Maybe not, but the goblin continues looking through the window at the fairy doll because he thinks she's so beautiful. Unfortunately for him, she wants nothing to do with her admirer and asks him again not to enter because he's ugly and has no manners. Her sentiments are echoed by the rocking-horse who warns the goblin that he's risking being bitten if he dares to visit again.

The goblin is very angry and returning to his apple tree, he starts brooding. More than anything he wants the fairy-doll because he's in love with her. He requires nothing short of marriage so that he can have her to himself and then she'd have to be nice to him.

The accompanying picture says it all - the goblin has crept into the nursery as usual, and there he is sweeping the poor fairy doll up into his arms and making off. However it so happens that at the very moment this outrage takes place, the fairy-doll's owner is actually in the nursery. Janet gazes wide-eyed at what's happening and then calls out,

"Where are you taking my doll? Stop, stop!"

The toys are terribly frightened but the rocking-horse, acting quickly, bids Janet to jump on his back (which she does) and then he rocks out of the nursery door, down the passage and out into the garden at speed. The goblin races into Bluebell Wood with his captive - followed by the rocking horse with Janet urging him on.

The goblin has a plan. If he can catch the eleven o'clock bus that runs through the wood he'll be safe - but the rocking-horse is on to this. He's rather tired after all the exercise but right now, being aware of a splendid chance to pay Janet back for his fine new tail, he rocks forward almost causing Janet to fall off. They arrive just as the bus is coming to a stop and the goblin, clasping his reluctant companion, reaches out to board it.

Things are looking very grim indeed.

The Blackberry Gnome

Donald and Bess aren't having much luck with their blackberrying because most of the fruit is unripe or two squashy. They decide to venture deeper into the woods so following a rabbit path they end up in a shady part under the trees with very little sunshine managing to trickle through. Suddenly they hear a whistling noise.

Bird?

They crawl on their hands and knees through the bushes but instead of spotting a bird, they perceive the funniest little man they've ever seen. He has a little brown face with bright bird-like eyes, pointed ears and he's wearing bright blue knickerbockers, long green stockings and a hat. Donald thinks he might be a gnome. They watch him picking blackberries at an incredible rate and filling several baskets with the fruit. Finally, wiping his brow with a hanky, the thirsty little man pulls out his key to unlock a door embedded in the nearby oak tree and disappears through it, leaving the baskets outside.

Scene two of this unexpected adventure occurs when the children suddenly notice some mischievous little faces peering out from the undergrowth. Out scamper about twenty pixie-like creatures with wings on their ankles and wrists. The children hear their feet making pit-a-pat sounds like drops of rain falling on the ground as they grab baskets of blackberries and race away before Donald or his sister can utter a sound.

Meanwhile, after partaking of a refreshing drink the gnome appears once again only to receive a shock upon finding that his blackberries have vanished. The children can't hep giggling at his crestfallen face but hearing them, the goblin dashes round the bush to confront the children. Naturally he assumes they've appropriated the fruits of his labour but when Donald denies they had anything to do with the missing blackberries, the gnome refuses to believe him. He claps his hands.

Half a dozen little men looking just like the gnome suddenly appear and when they're told about the missing fruit that had been picked for the Fairy Queen's party, they take hold of the children and drag them to another oak tree that also has a small door in its trunk. Donald and Bess are bundled in, the door locked, and a guard is left outside whilst the other gnomes disperse.

The children are frightened. Then, while sitting on the floor with Bess crying her eyes out they suddenly hear a voice. Looking up they see someone they actually know perched above them! Coincidentally it's the squirrel who lives in their garden. He tells them his name is Frisky and then, after he's listened to their story, they're told he'll go right away to inform the Fairy Queen herself. Presumably there's an opening somewhere above because he disappears.

After a while the door is unlocked and the children climb out to witness a wonderful sight. In a gleaming mother-of-pearl carriage drawn by two swallow-tail butterflies is the daintiest little creature they've ever seen ... the Fairy Queen in person. Frisky has kept his word, and he explains the children's presence whilst a crowd of gnomes and brownies creep up to observe what's going on. The gnome who lost his blackberries is amongst them and when the royal personage reprimands him for not listening to the children's story he mumbles something and then asks,

"Who stole the fruit if these children didn't?"

Donald offers a clue,

"Their feet sounded like drops of rain."

That does it! Everyone knows who the culprits were - the Pit-a-Pats; but can these naughty creatures be made to toe the line by a mere five individuals - Donald, Bess, the blackberry gnome, Frisky, and the Queen herself. Having her with them would surely carry some weight but after all, as Bess had noticed, 'she's small and dainty.'

At the end of this tale, the children are waiting impatiently for eleven o'clock to arrive.

Paddy-Paws And The Star

One night Paddy-Paws witnesses a sight that people don't often see - a shooting star with a long bright trail.

The little rabbit is quite astonished and then, after analysing the situation in a careful and controlled manner, his findings are to the effect that if a star is falling it stands to reason the moon will be next. If that entity descends from the sky, what a to-do there'll be.

"My goodness - can the fallen star be under that hedge? I can see something shining there!"

He'd better spread the news, so Paddy-Paws races off to report the occurrence to Velvet-coat who's busy digging up a mound of earth. The mole is astonished and he suggest they set off straight away to see Prickles and ask him about it. They do so, and the hedgehog advocates a visit to Bushy (this could go on forever). Sharp-eyes is the next actor in this drama - followed by Brock, and the list ends there because the badger suggests they all take a close look at the object in question. They troop back to the hawthorn hedge and there they stand - gazing at the fallen star.

"Go and get it," says Sharp-eyes to Paddy-Paws but he's too scared to and so are the rest of them, excepting for Brock. He's game but as the object is approached it moves slightly causing a degree of fright to the onlookers who immediately skedaddle to their various homes!

The story concludes with a typically 'Blyton' explanation.

Peppermints For Granpa Pim

In the trunk of a pear-tree just outside the nursery window there lives Mother Pim and her two well-behaved children Little-Toes and Twinks. Next to their mother, they love Granpa Pim who visits them every Wednesday and Saturday and he always expects to find a dish of peppermints on the table being a big fan of those particular sweets.

One Wednesday Little-toes and Twinks are sent to purchase the usual peppermint supply from Tickles the Grocer but on their way home a large brownie confronts them and demands a peppermint. When the children tell him they're for Granpa Pim, the brownie cries out,

"That nasty old man! He slapped me yesterday for merely putting my tongue out at him. Give me those peppermints!"

The bag is snatched and in a trice the brownie is gone, making Little-toes and Twinks burst into tears of rage. They race home to tell their mother who's pretty blasé about the incident and simply gives them another sixpence to buy more peppermints; but they're out of luck because Mr. Tickles' shop has closed for the day.

When Mother Pim learns this she's worried - and well she might be because Grandad's likely to fly into a dreadful rage when he finds no peppermints in the bowl. He might even refuse to take Twinks and Little-toes to the Queen's party on Saturday - and what a disaster that would be.

The children are dreadfully worried, but when their thinking caps are donned, Twinks has an idea. Peter and Nancy, the children who live next door, have a toy sweet-shop so why not creep in and get the shopman to sell them some peppermints when the kiddies are at dinner? Mother Pim's doubtful about this because she feels any sweets in a toy sweet-shop wouldn't be real ones, but they might as well try seeing there's nothing much else they can do. So ... an encounter with the smiling sweet-shop proprietor ensues, and for the price of six tiny pennies some peppermints are acquired - but can they be the real thing?

Peter and Nancy receive a surprise when they re-enter the nursery to continue playing with their sweetshop.

Belinda And The Bulbs

Nurse takes Belinda shopping for some daffodil bulbs and the little girl hopes that Mummy will let her plant them. Nurse says that if she's good Mummy might allow her to but unfortunately Belinda is not all that satisfactory this morning. She steps right into the middle of three puddles, rubs her gloves in some wet paint, and even bounds across the road without holding Nurse's hand which makes that woman very cross indeed. Belinda is informed that her mother will not be asked if she can plant the bulbs, whereupon the naughty girl snaps,

"I shall help with them all the same!"

Nurse buys a big bag of daffodil bulbs and then after visiting the grocer for some bacon, onions, and soap they turn homewards. Belinda sulks all the way and when they arrive home she wants to ask Mummy about planting the bulbs but Nurse tells her she can't and instead sends the girl upstairs to tidy her hair.

As soon as Belinda hears Nurse go into the drawing room she creeps downstairs again to take up the basket that's been left in the hall. In it is a paper bag which she opens.

"These are the bulbs. Good!"

She hides the bag and then after getting out her mother's four big bowls she goes outside to fill a wooden container with earth and carry it upstairs. This has to be done twice but now everything's ready - each bowl soon contains earth and about six bulbs which are then placed into the landing cupboard, because Belinda had seen Mummy do that last year. She then runs back to the nursery and takes out her sewing so that when Mummy and Nurse come in, there she is - innocently engrossed in her needlework.

"Did you bring the bulbs for me to plant?" asks Mummy, and Nurse assures her she has whereby she takes out a bag from the basket she's holding!

The best laid plans of mice and girls often go astray.

Tuppy's Beautiful Sunshade

Down by the cornfield Marjorie's wheeling a pram and in it sits her doll holding a dear little sunshade to shield her from the hot sun beating down with intensity. Suddenly her left foot begins hurting so she takes off her shoe and holds it upside down ... but nothing drops out. So what caused the pain? Feeling inside the shoe she locates a small nail sticking out, but as she's about a mile from home, the shoe is replaced and Marjorie hobbles on her way. After a while though she has to stop because walking is too painful, and the nail has already made a hole in her stocking.

"What's the matter?"

Marjorie looks round in surprise and sees a little man with long beard, pointed cap, tunic, leather apron and pointed shoes. It looks like we have a cobbler and in the Enid Blyton world one was almost bound to turn up. Sure enough - there's a work bench nearby with scores of shoes lying about and gay-coloured pieces of leather lying on the ground. It appears the cobbler would be happy to extract the nail from Marjorie's shoe or else hammer it down for her, but the little girl can't see how he could perform the task seeing her shoe is about as large as his whole shop. How could he possess a hammer big enough to knock the nail in?

Turns out there's no problem because the little man has access to that power we humans have failed to obtain since the dawn of time ... magic! A few words and a few taps on Marjorie's shoe causes the footwear to shrink and fit easily into the cobbler's hand.

So far I still can't quite figure out where the title fits in.

Marjorie's thrilled to watch the little cobbler hammering away in such an expert manner and when the nail is no longer sticking out some more taps and strange words make the shoe large again so that Marjorie can slip it back on and do up the buttons. She's delighted to feel no more pain and wonders what she can do for the little man in return? What indeed?

This isn't the end of Marjorie's association with the little cobbler,¬ and her dolls are definitely going to benefit in the near and far future.

#1:

'Jane' would have been a handy commonplace name for an Enid Blyton maid although it doesn't seem all that prevalent in these times.

I think every reader would like to know who the wizard was as well, but he got only as far as "My name is ..."

#2:

Lots of Enid Blyton children had nurses. Whether or not they were medically qualified is probably up to the particular family in question and their available finances.

A florin would be worth about four quid in today's currency.

The reason Mary's coin rolled away and disappeared down the mouse hole is that, as most of us have done at one time or another, she spun it on the nursery floor.

A question that may have been overlooked appears in this story. As the brown mouse routinely runs up and down the hole, why couldn't he have rescued the lost florin? Answers please on a postcard! Actually there is an explanation. Before going outside, the mouse " ... tried to retrieve the two shillings but couldn't." Not the best explanation, but at least its been addressed.

What could a florin (twenty-four pennies) buy back in 1950? A newspaper cost only about twopence or threepence so that's an indication.

#3:

Many EB character names are similar, so don't mix up Tick-a-Tock with - Tick-Tock who found himself having to entertain the Princess of the Blue Hills (Eight O'Clock Tales), or Tick-Tock, who winds up clocks in Fairyland (EB's Nature Lover's Book).

#4:

Surely, no matter how full it was, there'd have been enough room in the honey-barn to take one more pot of honey, even if was 'full.'

#5:

This is yet another story with arguably the most reused plot in the entire collection ... but as always, we can enjoy the different characters and slightly changed settings.

#6:

Some women made extra money by laundering clothes in those days when washing machines weren't so widespread (1929).

No smart postal van back then apparently ... just a horse and cart.

Miss Betty and Master Bill Smith live at Hill Cottage in Brambletown.

The picture of Bill, Betty, and Jim riding in Jim's cart could stir up memories of Anne and Dick who star in the Kirrin series of books. Bill and Betty would be of a similar age to the duo when they featured in 'Five On A Treasure Island. The horse is a typical 'Soper' steed and although Jim looks a little younger that expected, he has the definitive 'Soper' look.

#7:

A Half Crown is worth a quarter more than a florin.

'Auntie' is capitalised in this tale, despite it not being used as an actual name.

#8:

They have silver pennies in Lemon Village. Our pennies were bronze coloured.

The penny Ho-Ho found was a 'bad' one worth about a farthing! A farthing is worth about a quarter of a penny, but how can the 'badness' of a penny reduce its spending power?'

In case anyone wonders, as I did, how Loppy the rabbit could place the penny into his pocket. He was wearing a jacket.

Tinkle is the purveyor of saucepans in this tale. The author's 'Saucepan Man' character (Faraway Tree, series) would have filled the bill quite aptly - and he's better-known; but being an 'itinerant,' a shop setting may not have suited the fellow

There exists at least one other 'Tinkle.' He's a little pixie with a dreadful memory (Fifteen Minute Tales).

The person who wanted some change for a bus fare was Red-coat the brownie.

It would be interesting to view a list of every name that Enid Blyton uses in her collection of tales because there are sure to be several even more outlandish than Mr. Dumps. If a competition was held to locate the most weird of all, perhaps Mr. Watzisname who featured in the 'Faraway Tree' novels would be considered the outright winner - submitting the name originally bestowed upon him of course. I think 'Fuff-fuff' also deserves a mention.

#9:

Stealing spoons and forks must have been quite a lucrative occupation. Maybe it still is.

#10:

The horn-pipe with its naval connections is a dance often performed by groups. Quite an active frolic and, in parts, might resemble tap-dancing to the neophyte.

Enid Blyton, seizing any opportunity to educate, informs us that a stickleback fish had seven spines.

#11:

Sammy was given three shillings to obtain the nets and one would think that each child would have had one shilling with which to purchase their net; but it looks as if Sammy, having charge of the money, paid for his excellent net with part of Millie and James's funds.

I've never looked close enough at a prawn to notice any 'whiskers' but if Enid Blyton says they have whiskers, then I guess 'whiskers' it has to be.

#12:

'Farmer Giles' is mentioned more than once in the EB short stories

It looks as if there's a valid reason why some birds rest on one leg.

In the book it actually says "One moonlight night."

There's a picture of Goosey closing a gate very efficiently.

#14:

Can a mouth resemble a rosebud? With a reasonable stretch of the imagination one might consider them comparable.

A girl or doll considered beautiful is often portrayed as a fairly disliked individual - at least in the initial stages; examples taken from the Blyton school stories have yielded such attractive individuals as Arabella, Angela, Zerelda, Sadie, Alison, and even Melisande who was slightly elevated in the 'looks department.' A grand doll named 'Annabella Mary' featured in (My Enid Blyton Book) and the story-title says it all - 'She Turned Up Her Nose.' Amelia Jane is another doll who was generally disliked although she wasn't necessarily attractive; in her introduction she was described as 'ugly,' however Sylvia Venus (illustrator) gave the doll what could be called a reasonably attractive face.

Angelina Jane recognised her chosen nursery from outside of the house due to the barred window. Bars must have often been placed on nursery windows in Enid Blyton's era.

Forget-me-nots are very small blue flowers. Searching the etymology brought no success and a German reference simply translates as 'Forget me not.'

#15:

Enid Blyton really does like her 'Ho's' and 'Ho-Ho's.' Many characters have been so-named, and a policeman who is one of the main players in her 'Mystery' series of books was very fond of exclaiming "Ho!"

Any avid and not-so-avid EB fan will recognise the oft-used theme of this story. One example is in Rubbalong Tales (Round and Round It Goes).

Mother Hooky's son is named 'Hoppy' and he's a brownie. Note: they're no relation to Jim Hookey (Chapter#12)

#16:

Round 1952 a William Porter anthology was released as a movie with one segment entitled 'Gift of the Magi.' EB couldn't be accused of expropriating the plot from this feature because her version looks as if it hearkens right back to the thirties. However, despite the original story actually dating back to the 1905 mark, I'm sure we can still hold our loyalty.

#17:

Goldie-Locks is twice printed with a hyphen, and once without.

There's an action picture of the bus being followed by Janet on her rocking-horse.

#18:

'Knickerbockers' is a word that doesn't seem to be used much these days; like many expressions it has an interesting history.

Frisky is a good name for any squirrel and it's been used more than once. A 'Frisky' appeared in an 'EB Magazine' A Friend for John (1958).

Arran? The author's wide-ranging knowledge must have helped her a lot when creating her tales because it seems the word has connections with Isle of Arran's fairies and folklore in a general sense. The fairies of Arran live in a wide range of habitats from the cave of Aird-bheinn to the Tor na' Shian of Glen Cloy where the faerie queen sat at twilight - or did she simply make the word up?

#19:

Brock is of course a badger, and Sharp-eyes a fox.

An elf makes a brief appearance in this tale, and the animals are eventually convinced the 'star' sailed back to its rightful position - up there somewhere.

#20:

An elderly pixie has been named Granpa, so 'Granpa' he is.

It states quite categorically that Little-toes and Twinks have yellow wings, but nary a wing can be seen in the pictures. Perhaps they're folded underneath items of clothing.

I think most of us wait patiently for the comeuppance in any tale where some scoundrel commits a wrong deed. Unfortunately, there's the odd occasion when justice simply isn't served; so the brownie who stole Little-toes and Twinks' peppermints benefited from a streak of luck.

#21:

I can't imagine that Belinda would be the same little girl who has a brother named Billy-Bob. Looking at Billy-Bob and his sister's life and times would suggest they're both very good children. Purely as an aside - in the pictures illustrating 'Billy-Bob Tales,' Belinda belies her description - "A small sister who's rather fat."

#22:

Marjorie's doll is named 'Josephine.'

Surely the girl could have gone home in bare feet, despite her concern: "What shall I do? I can't walk without a shoe."

Is it a mistake? The only mention of 'Tuppy' is in the title! My bet is that 'Tuppy' is supposed to be the cobbler's name.