Spirit of Hope
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Cover Story
The anarchic hero of many daring adventures, William, as depicted on our cover by Thomas Henry in one of his effective, humorous pen and ink illustrations, is now a period piece. A William de nos jours illustrated by Tony Ross and aimed at a younger audience stands alongside him. This new William will be featured in adaptations of the stories by Martin Jarvis. Richmal Crompton, author of the William books, is the subject of this issue's Authorgraph. Thanks to Macmillan Children’s Books for their help with this November cover.
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The first few pages of this picture book introduce us to the idyllic dockside home of the Fairweathers: dad the docker, his wife, six kids and sundry pets. When dad's working day is over, life is one long romping tumult of games and songs, picnics and storytelling. Then one evening the family are told that their home is to be destroyed to make way for a matchstick factory. Despair approaches alongside the diggers, but just as the happy house is about to be swallowed, community action triggered by an inspiration Mum draws from one of the family games saves the day. This is an optimistic book, proclaiming the power of play and solidarity in the face of adversity, but older readers might find an undercurrent of sadness in the contrast between its resolution and the realities of eviction and homelessness.
