E.S.P.

E.S.P. is the name given to Eric Stanley Pigeon, a newly fledged pigeon, by Old Smelly, the tramp. Smelly lives in the park just across from the newsagents where Eric Stanley was born, so inevitably the two meet when Eric Stanley crash-lands on his first flight. The two become friends and Smelly discovers that E.S.P. has a special talent: he can pick, or rather peck, winners from the newspaper. It seems that Smelly's days sleeping in the park are over as his winnings grow daily but he reckons without the intervention of E.S.P.'s father. Gambling is a somewhat unlikely subject for a children's book but as always Dick King-Smith knows what makes a winner so far as his readers are concerned; his deft style, choice of words and sense of humour make this a 'dead cert' for those just going solo and its subject matter means that its age appeal will be wide.