BY THE AUTHOR OF BALLET SHOES
with beautiful illustrations by Edward Ardizzone
'A joyous, sunlight book. For me, the best Noel Streatfeild of all' HILARY MCKAY
'"You have a whole wing of the house to yourselves. The glorious world outside to play in. All that the earth brings forth to feed you, and you stand there asking foolish questions until my head reels. Help yourselves, children, help yourselves." Then, flapping her cloak as if to shoo off a clutter of chickens, Great Aunt Dymphna was gone.'
Summer will be different for the Gareth children this year. Their father, an epidemiologist, is ill abroad, and their mother must go to help him. So Alex, Penny, Naomi and Robin are sent to Ireland to stay with an eccentric distant relative.
Great Aunt Dymphna is like nobody they've ever met. She lives in a ramshackle house, quotes swathes of poetry and flits about like a great bat. And, to the children's consternation, she expects them to fend for themselves. Despite tears and many mishaps, they learn something new every day, and living with Great Aunt Dymphna becomes an adventure.
This is Book 21 in the Virago Modern Classics Series. See all Virago Modern Classics books here.
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Noel Streatfeild was born in Amberley, Sussex in 1895. Her first novel, Ballet Shoes, is her best-known book but she went on to write many well-loved books for children, including Circus Shoes which won the Carnegie Medal in 1938. In 1983 she was honoured for her contribution to children's publishing when she was awarded an OBE. She died in 1986.
More about Noel StreatfeildEdward Ardizzone (1900-1979) illustrated over 200 books and was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal for Tim All Alone. He was awarded the CBE in 1971.
More about Edward Ardizzone
