Originally written for the BBC's Listen With Mother radio programme, these stories were based on Dorothy's recollections of her own childhood with her naughty little sister. For fifty years, stories about the funny, loveable, mischievous little girl have enchanted children all over the world, perfectly complemented by Shirley Hughes' warm and nostalgic illustrations. These stories are perfect for bedtime reading, or as read-alone books for slightly older children. First experiences, significant events and childhood emotions are dealt with brilliantly and with a tremendous sense of fun.
Born as Dorothy Violet Ellen Brown into a working-class family, her father taught her to read at an early age, enabling her to write her first story at four years of age. Her stories, poems and articles were published throughout her twenties, and at this time she married her husband Frank Edwards and had two children, Jane and Frank.
Edwards' most famous stories are of My Naughty Little Sister, which she conceived to keep her daughter, Jane, quiet whilst on a family holiday in 1950. She wrote five books of these stories.
She also published several anthologies of short stories, folklore and poetry for children, chiefly on the subjects of magic, witchcraft and ghosts. Two of these are Ghosts and Shadows 1980 and Mists and Magic 1983.
She was shortlisted for the Whitbread Award for children's literature for The Witches and the Grinnygog 1981, a novel for children about the survival of benign pagan witchcraft in modern Britain. This novel was later adapted for television.
Edwards was part of the 1950s radio show Listen with Mother, and she also wrote for Playschool and Jackanory.
Another of my childhood book which I should have read years ago. These are short stories of a naughty little girl who gets up to mischief, not much really to say probably would have enjoyed more when I was a child.
I love these books. They're adorable and charming, and naughty little sister is a character to remember. My 7yo daughter likes reading these books too! I think it reminds her of her little sister who is a mischievous one.
Better than Milly-Molly-Mandy, but similar in lots of ways. She's not actually naughty! Very nice short stories. Not read the parade one before, particularly good.
This is a favourite book from my childhood. I have wonderful, cosy memories of listening to my mother reading it out loud to myself and my two sisters. Just listened to it again now, as an adult, on audio book. It brought back that same feeling of delight... It has lost nothing over the years!
A childhood favourite of mine, I was delighted to receive a set of these books for Christmas. So what of my thoughts so many years later?
Well, I found all five books in the series quite charming BUT I did find My Naughty Little Sister to be more annoying than I had remembered her. OK, so she wasn't always naughty, sometimes just mischievous, and she nearly always saw the error of her ways which I suppose meant she wasn't a total brat but, even so, she was irritating.
First published in the early 1950's I did find the stories quite dated in lots of ways (and I'm not just talking about the use of language or the construction of sentences), the books take you back to a world of hot, buttered toast and frothy milk, to a world where children, in many ways, had much more freedom, to a time when parents won't so suspicious of their neighbours - I've never known any little girl who could count so many grown men as their friends ..... in book one alone there is talk of the milkman, the baker, the coalman, the window cleaner, and the 'shoe mender man' all of whom are friends of My Naughty Little Sister.
Still, a great nostalgic read, I would loved to have shared these stories with our two nieces who alas are now, aged 22 and 13, probably too old to truly appreciate them as I did as a child
Si adik tetap saja serba-ingin-tahu. Dan, si kakak selalu menceritakan tingkah polah si adik dengan sangat gamblang sehingga pembaca (saya) dapat menyelami kehidupan keluarga kakak-beradik ini. Tetangga-tetangganya, tukang pos, tukang susu, tukang pembersih kaca, tukang roti, dan si Harry Bengal, tentu saja, jangan kelewatan. Nuansa kanak-kanaknya benar-benar manis. Suka!
I love, love, love the My Naughty Little Sister books, even 20 years later. My favourite story in the set is My Naughty Little Sister and the Solid Silver Watch.
I don't know if children these days will enjoy them as much as I did at their age but they are totally worth a read.
Sebenarnya bukan benar-benar nakal sih..., hanya saja ia melakukan hal-hal lucu yang tidak tepat, bahkan kesannya menggemaskan, dan nakal hanyalah istilah untuk keganjilan tesebut... baca review-ku di http://jasminehamd.blogspot.co.id/201...
Sisters that can get away with anything that they do wrong as their mother does not believe that can happen. However in another way this was a slow if interesting collection of the irrational antics of the Little Sister. A good short story collection for journeys in the car.
I enjoyed reading these as a child, but I'm not sure how much children now would like them since the world they portray is very different. Giving it to the school library.