Answering a post on social media (I think it was on Threads) led to an impulse buy. Please meet a book I hope to find a way to reread:- West of Widdershins by Barbara Sleigh.
This collage of photos is described by Be My AI.
A collage of four images of a book titled “West of Widdershins” by Barbara Sleigh.
Top middle image shows the front cover with an illustration of a whimsical character playing a drum, wearing a hat and blue clothes, standing among green bushes. Below the bushes, there is a black cat holding a blue fish in its mouth.
Top left image shows the back cover text describing the book as a collection of nineteen fairy tales by Barbara Sleigh, mixing traditional and contemporary tales. It mentions stories about mermaids, monsters, giants, princesses, and more modern tales. The illustrations are credited to Victor Ambrus.
Top right image shows the contents page listing nineteen stories:
- The Girl Who Got a Fairy in Her Eye
- The Four Golden Guinea-pigs
- Miss Peabody
- Princess Peridot’s Choice (noticing a typo in “Choice” as “Choiicc”)
- Tilly Ribbands
- The Two Hungry Heroes
- Simon and the Unicorn
- Minching and Munching Mouseling
- Parradiddle Pete
- Great Dynamo and the Wandering Weed
- Charlie Brown and the What-not
- The Mermaid and the Monster
- Mrs. Scruby and the Spanish Spider
- Sammelkin
- Benno and the Secret Code
- The Stone People and the Alderman
- Jerusha Jane
- The Duchess of Houndsditch
- Moggie Mewling
Bottom image shows the title page inside the book with another black-and-white illustration of whimsical characters, including a girl, a cat, and possibly a witch stirring a cauldron. The text reads: “West of Widdershins: A gallimaufry of stories brewed in her own cauldron by Barbara Sleigh.”
I know you’re asking what is a gallimaufry it’s a jumble of things. It’s pronounced Galley More Free.
This book was published in 1971 and reprinted in 1973 and I remember reading it having borrowed it from the school library but was it in junior or senior school?
I ought to start by explaining the school system as I grew up in here in Hertfordshire in the UK.
Children started Primary School (or Infant School) as “rising fives” Starting in the September after their 4th birthday so as an Autumn baby I started in what is now known as Reception class September 1966 in a Bishops Stortford Primary School then what is now called in Year 1 September 1967 in a Welwyn Garden City Infant School. My brother being a Spring Baby could have started in September 1968 or had his school start deferred* until the start of the term after his 5th birthday so started in the Summer Term of 1969.
*Deferment is mentioned in Hertfordshire’s latest school admissions policies I don’t know for sure if this was available when I was a child.
I started year 1 in Junior school September 1969 so depending on how soon after publication it was bought by the school the book could have been in our library when I was in year 3 of Junior school or I may have read it in year 4.
Some books were kept as teacher only books that were read to us.
If it was a Junior teacher only book I must have found it in my Senior school library as I remember it as a school library book and I started Senior school September 1973.
I do remember how excited I was to read this book way back when (and am sure we’d had at least 1 story from it read to us in class in Junior school).
We all have (or should have) much loved childhood favourite books that hold magical memories… however it’s nerve wracking to hold that memory in my hand feeling the electric excitement while also wondering if it will be as magical to revisit.
It will be worth the inevitable headache to find out.
Have you got a favourite book from your childhood that you wish you could revisit?
Until next time.
Was that a dinosaur? 2.0 
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