Jim at the Corner

by Eleanor Farjeon, Edward Ardizzone (illustrator)

This endearing tale by two celebrated collaborators concerns 80-year-old Jim, who has enthralled young Derry with tall tales of the sea--without ever leaving his street corner

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Classics, Adventure

101 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1934

About the author

Daughter of Benjamin Leopold Farjeon, sister of Herbert Farjeon and J. Jefferson Farjeon.

Eleanor Farjeon was an English author of children's stories and plays, poetry, biography, history and satire. Many of her works had charming illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. Some of her correspondence has also been published. She won many literary awards and the prestigious Eleanor Farjeon Award for children's literature is presented annually in her memory by the Children's Book Circle, a society of publishers.

Awards:
Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing (1956)

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet tale about a poor man that sits day to day at the street corner and tells the little boy who befriends him about all of his adventures on the seas. And if the tales seem a little far fetched and too fanciful to be true, there is truth in the small nuggets of meaningful lessons of each.

Ages: 6 - 11

Cleanliness: a man smokes a pipe. Someone is called a "booby." A sailor has earrings.

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!

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[Zp · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories in the book are very exciting and funny. Every story has a talking animal that either helps Jim or makes life harder for Jim. My favorite story is when he sailed to the South Pole. I really love the interesting stories and Jim's life as a sailor.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly delightful collection of stories told by the old sailor, Jim. The stories were fantastical and funny - stories of talking to a catfish at the bottom of the sea, living as the king of a kingdom in the sky, scaring away the waves that crashed against the ship, and being mistaken as a chimpanzee by his fellow sailors. All were accessible and amusing to my 21st century kids, except the one that required an explanation of what cod liver oil was. I held my breath at first waiting for racist references, and I had almost let it out when we got to the very last story when he describes the chimpanzee from the jungle eating "like a Christian." Darn! Almost a perfect collection of short stories.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like Farjeon's work. You might, too, and this is avl. on openlibrary.org. Not only are Jim's stories wonderful tall tales, but the intergenerational friendship is so heartwarming.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

An old-fashioned book about a retired old sailor who sits at the street-corner telling stories about his childhood and his time on the sea to passersby, especially children, and specifically to 8-year-old Derry, who seems to stop by nearly everyday.

The book was written in 1934, when the stories told by old Jim would have already felt old-fashioned - some reflect an outlook of life at the turn of the century, most are fantastical yarns.

Altogether, it feels quaint and gentle. The entire neighborhood knows Jim and gives him clothing and other necessities - he may be homeless, or just poor, but is treasured by the people who live near his corner.

The dated feeling of the text (from its vocabulary and what people focus on) combined with the b&w line drawings by Ardizzone allow readers to place this in the world of the olden days. Farjeon avoided ugly stereotypes - although there is a chapter in the "South Seas" that includes a chimpanzee who is mistaken for a person, something that could be funny if you put aside the painful racist history of colonization and exploitation.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, not great. These quite enjoyable little stories make for a quick read.

Unfortunately, while the NYRB edition does mention both a 1934 and 1958 copyright, it doesn't explain that this book was first published in 1934 with different illustrations as part of Jim at the Corner and Other Stories, with just these 10 stories also published as The Old Sailor's Yarn Box. The wonderful Ardizzone illustrations first appeared in 1958. But it's important to know that this is not a work that was written toward the end of her life.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea of an old sailor sitting by a mailbox and chatting with a little neighbor boy every day seems
hopelessly old school - what parent would let a child do such a thing today? Yet that is Farjeons' story frame, and it works. As always, Edward Ardizzone's illustrations add charm to the stories. They're like looking through the wrong end of a telescope: clear and yet distant vignettes of other times and places.

[Derek Henderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Best thing are the illustrations. Lazily conceived twaddle. Ms Farjeon seems to think that fantasy means anything that comes to mind, with no internal consistency. Fantasy doesn't work unless it's grounded in something, but this book just floats away in its own airiness. E. Nesbit does this kind of thing much, much better.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book with really fun tall tales from old Jim. I marvel at the imagination of the author to think of these stories. Derry and his family come up with an 80th birthday present for Jim that I wasn't expecting.

[Nicholas & Megan Clinch · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Jim Can forecast the weather perfectly, & the fog really does blow in for 3 days. His stories are from long ago, & it makes you wish there were more chapters.”
E, age 9 3/4

[Rachel Dorminy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of magical adventure stories told from the perspective of an old sailor. The stories are short and fun; a good read aloud for young ones.

[Dave Pier · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated, but kept my son interested enough with its regular supply of wild inventions.

[Margaret Gipson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book. Do you have a little boy who likes tall tales told by Grandpas? This is the read aloud you are looking for.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a DELIGHTFUL book!

[Jobiska (Cindy)]

I finally read this sweet little book. I am usually not much of a one to enjoy tall tales, but this is an exception, mainly because of the fluid yet fanciful way they are told by the old sailor. He's not a braggart, just has stories to tell--maybe that's why this works for me.

[Linden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Ardizzone!