Bold Bad Ben the Beastly Bandit

The townsfolk are terrified of Bold Bad Ben. No one dares even to peep out of the window to see what he looks like. Living in a cave in the mountains, Bold Bad Ben terrorises the people of the town by stealing and vandalising the property. He announces his arrival each time by singing this dreadful song: ‘I am Bold Bad Beastly Ben, I beat the women and eat the men. I’ll steal your sheets, your shoes, your hair, And hide them in my mountain lair!’

The toy maker and his talking horse decide to see Bold Bad Ben in his own territory. Reminiscent of Oz, in The Wizard of Oz, Bold Bad Ben turns out to be far from terrifying. He is, in fact, a rather insecure little man who felt isolated and so tried to destroy things he couldn’t be a part of. The toy maker invites Bold Bad Ben to join him as an employee in his toy workshop. A warm story, accompanied by a liberal smattering of humorous black and white illustrations, with witty speech bubble asides. Originally published by Collins in 1979. Ann Jungman also wrote Vlad the Drak (reviewed in BfK, No.138).