Description

A touching story about a little boy who lives on his own with his working mother. Whenever he is naughty, his mother threatens him with Mrs Cole, who appears to be a disreputable character living nearby in total squalor. He imagines children being starved, whipped and even stewed. Then one day he runs away from home and despite his fears, finds himself outside Mrs Cole's house. She invites him in and he discovers that Mrs Cole's noisy, chaotic kindly house is welcoming and warm and her house becomes somewhere to go when he is good. ' An intriguing mix of realism and fantasy is the key element in one of the most outstanding young children's picture books for some time...with exceptional illustrations by Michael Foreman' - Financial Times

Promotion info

A brilliant, touching story about a little boy who lives with his working mother who learns to make new friends and not judge people by their appearance.

Reviews

"Funny, touching and true" Sunday Telegraph "One of the most outstanding young children's picture books for some time." Financial Times "Michael Foreman deserves all the applause he gets." Independent

Author description

Nigel Gray was born in Northern Ireland and brought to England as a child. He went to the University of Lancaster as a mature student and was awarded a BA in English in 1974. In 1984 he was awarded an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. He has taught Creative Writing at several universities and writing workshops in schools, colleges, libraries and prisons. Michael Foreman is one of the most talented and popular creators of children's books today. His highly acclaimed books are published all over the world. He is married and has three sons. He divides his time between St Ives in Cornwall and London.