This
is a book of short stories written by a younger Terry Pratchett
while he was a junior reporter for the Bucks Free Press.
He wrote them during the period 1965-73 for younger readers,
and here they are in book form. Here you can read about the
origins of the Carpet People, and see prototypes for many
other characters and events in his later books. Oh and it
is a fun read for children too, if they can pry it away from
the adult fans in the household. Discover what happens when
a bus goes back in time, an overly quiet village decides to
attract some tourists, Santa gets a job at the zoo and one
of King Arthur’s more junior knights goes on a quest.
There are two tales of the Carpet People, and of some other
tiny folk living on a speck of floating dust. While reading
the stories it is best to remember that they were written
over forty years ago and things were rather different then.
Women do not feature much in them to start with, although
there is nothing sexist, racist or anything else that ends
in ist; think of it all as social history, albeit very entertaining
social history. It is even illustrated, and I liked the different
sized print and even the odd black page when the lights go
out. It makes for a good introduction for children to the
works of this talented writer, and there is even a page at
the back showing what to read if you fancy tales about witches,
tiny folk, talking animals or adventures. In fact, what’s
not to like? |
