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Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep
"A classic tale of tyranny overcome. . . . Voake makes this neglected gem — an unforgettable read-aloud — look new." — KIRKUS REVIEWS (STARRED REVIEW)
Elsie Piddock is a born skipper. By the time she’s seven, the tireless girl can even outskip the fairies and is rewarded with a gift of rare and lasting value. Can she use it many years later to save the children’s fabled skipping grounds from a greedy, factory-building lord? Charlotte Voake’s exuberant art pairs with Eleanor Farjeon’s unforgettable tale for a match made in picture-book heaven.
Elsie Piddock is a born skipper. By the time she’s seven, the tireless girl can even outskip the fairies and is rewarded with a gift of rare and lasting value. Can she use it many years later to save the children’s fabled skipping grounds from a greedy, factory-building lord? Charlotte Voake’s exuberant art pairs with Eleanor Farjeon’s unforgettable tale for a match made in picture-book heaven.
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1937
About the author
Eleanor Farjeon
197 books66 followersDaughter 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)
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)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
April 24, 2018
Farjeon's unassuming little book is a charming tale of community fighting developers that, with its whimsical disregard for physics and its macabre nuances, will likely appeal to fans of Roald Dahl.
Elsie Piddock is a born skipper. With a swish-swish! and a tappity-tap! she skips rope as never so. Even the fairies, who are fond of skipping themselves, take notice. When a greedy landowner threatens to build factories on the cherished hill where generations of skippers have swished and tapped beneath the new moon, Elsie puts her skipping skills to work to save the day.
Elsie Piddock is a born skipper. With a swish-swish! and a tappity-tap! she skips rope as never so. Even the fairies, who are fond of skipping themselves, take notice. When a greedy landowner threatens to build factories on the cherished hill where generations of skippers have swished and tapped beneath the new moon, Elsie puts her skipping skills to work to save the day.
In the Strong Skip, [Elsie Piddock] went right under the earth, as a diver goes under the sea, and the rabbits, whose burrows she had disturbed, handed her up again.
But in the Skip Like a Feather she came down like gossamer, so that she could alight on a spider-thread and never shake the dew-drop off.
May 1, 2021
A favourite read of my daughter's when she was small. Having often taken it out of the library yesterday we found a copy to keep.
Elsie Piddock loves skipping and is exceptionally good at it, the girls skip outside their houses to the rhyme
Andy Spandy Sugardy Candy
French Almond Rock
Bread and butter’s for your supper
All your mother's got
Soon her talent at skipping attracts the attention of some little people who reward her and help her out later in life at a time that help is needed.
A very special story and a great skipping rhyme!
Elsie Piddock loves skipping and is exceptionally good at it, the girls skip outside their houses to the rhyme
Andy Spandy Sugardy Candy
French Almond Rock
Bread and butter’s for your supper
All your mother's got
Soon her talent at skipping attracts the attention of some little people who reward her and help her out later in life at a time that help is needed.
A very special story and a great skipping rhyme!
February 11, 2024
I love this classic! I love how powerful a character can be and how magical stories can truly be!
This is the story of a small community in which lived a girl who gets to eat only bread and butter because it’s all her mother could afford. Encouraged by the little girls skipping nearby her house, she asks her parents for a skipping rope but little does she know that it would change her destiny and the faith of her community several decades later.
Read this lyrical fun story. It’s a story of good triumphs over evil; belief in magic and the spirit of never giving up for everyone’s good.
I love the illustrations! I love this special edition so much!
The story is taken from the second collection of the author’s work in 1935. This story shouldn’t be forgotten and needs to be told and retold.
This is the story of a small community in which lived a girl who gets to eat only bread and butter because it’s all her mother could afford. Encouraged by the little girls skipping nearby her house, she asks her parents for a skipping rope but little does she know that it would change her destiny and the faith of her community several decades later.
Read this lyrical fun story. It’s a story of good triumphs over evil; belief in magic and the spirit of never giving up for everyone’s good.
I love the illustrations! I love this special edition so much!
The story is taken from the second collection of the author’s work in 1935. This story shouldn’t be forgotten and needs to be told and retold.
May 10, 2021
This gentle, fantastical little tale is about Elsie Piddock, a “born skipper,” who skips so well she is noticed by the fairies who skip on Mount Caburn every month at the full moon.
Much to my own surprise, I found myself tearing up when I read this story (and doing it again when I read it to my daughter). To me, there is something beautiful in the way Elsie’s love of skipping--and through it, her unstated love of home, goodness, hope, community, and heritage--becomes magic capable of defeating a powerful antagonist. It is also beautiful that Elsie's biggest moment comes when she is an old woman.
It sounds clunky to say that she’s a “strong female heroine,” but she is, without even noticing it or caring.
Do read this book! My daughter loved it too.
Much to my own surprise, I found myself tearing up when I read this story (and doing it again when I read it to my daughter). To me, there is something beautiful in the way Elsie’s love of skipping--and through it, her unstated love of home, goodness, hope, community, and heritage--becomes magic capable of defeating a powerful antagonist. It is also beautiful that Elsie's biggest moment comes when she is an old woman.
It sounds clunky to say that she’s a “strong female heroine,” but she is, without even noticing it or caring.
Do read this book! My daughter loved it too.
January 16, 2024
This is a treat! It’s a fairy tale in two parts - maybe a 30 or 45-minute read-aloud. I could sense my audience (nephew and niece) getting restless as we started in on the second half, and then laughing in delight as we arrived at the conclusion. Even my brother (half listening across the room) was amused.
March 19, 2016
I'd never heard of this book, though I have heard of Farjeon. With a new version coming out, I was happy to expand my knowledge of children's writing. And this is just lovely.
A fairy tale, this is probably going to be picked up more by girls (skipping, fairies), but really, I think boys might enjoy this one too. Elsie is so keen to try skipping like the older children that she makes her own rope - and discovers she's a natural at it. Her brilliance catches the attention of the fairies, who test her skills and are so impressed that they teach her unearthly tricks. Back in the real world, Elei begins to grow up, and puts away her childhood toys... It is many years later when her little village's land is in danger from a greedy Lord that Elsie has a chance to shine.
This is a perfect little bedtime tale (over one or two nights), magical and wistful, with a heroine children will enjoy - a girl and an old woman who defies the rich folk. It isn't too challenging a read for young children to follow, though readers themselves will need to be capable enough (aged around 8).
The Voake illustrations complement it perfectly, a combination of nostalgic and simple used watercolour drawings. The cover (and title) will probably put off most male readers (flowers, a girl skipping), but I would love to see boys listening to this - it would be great for classroom reading in primary schools.
Though this seemed rather quaint to me, the skipping did take my back to my own childhood, and I did feel cheered by the triumphant ending and Elsie's legacy. My son is 5 and I think I'll be able to read this to him before long, and I'm fairly sure he'll enjoy it.
A lovely edition (mine is the little hardback) that will be a treasured gift.
With thanks to Walker Books for the sample copy, sent for review purposes.
A fairy tale, this is probably going to be picked up more by girls (skipping, fairies), but really, I think boys might enjoy this one too. Elsie is so keen to try skipping like the older children that she makes her own rope - and discovers she's a natural at it. Her brilliance catches the attention of the fairies, who test her skills and are so impressed that they teach her unearthly tricks. Back in the real world, Elei begins to grow up, and puts away her childhood toys... It is many years later when her little village's land is in danger from a greedy Lord that Elsie has a chance to shine.
This is a perfect little bedtime tale (over one or two nights), magical and wistful, with a heroine children will enjoy - a girl and an old woman who defies the rich folk. It isn't too challenging a read for young children to follow, though readers themselves will need to be capable enough (aged around 8).
The Voake illustrations complement it perfectly, a combination of nostalgic and simple used watercolour drawings. The cover (and title) will probably put off most male readers (flowers, a girl skipping), but I would love to see boys listening to this - it would be great for classroom reading in primary schools.
Though this seemed rather quaint to me, the skipping did take my back to my own childhood, and I did feel cheered by the triumphant ending and Elsie's legacy. My son is 5 and I think I'll be able to read this to him before long, and I'm fairly sure he'll enjoy it.
A lovely edition (mine is the little hardback) that will be a treasured gift.
With thanks to Walker Books for the sample copy, sent for review purposes.
March 17, 2016
A 1001 CBYMRBYGU. Elsie Piddock is the most amazing skipper ever. Elsie can do the Strong Skip. Elsie can do the Long Skip. Elsie can do the Skip All Together. Elsie is so good she gets tutored by the fairies. And these skipping skills can come in handy when a bad guy comes to town….A modern tall tale.
“In the Sly Skip not a fairy could catch her, or know where she would skip to next; so artful was she, that she could skip through the lattice of a skeleton leaf, and never break it.”
“In the Sly Skip not a fairy could catch her, or know where she would skip to next; so artful was she, that she could skip through the lattice of a skeleton leaf, and never break it.”
February 10, 2017
READ THIS BOOK. To your kids, to yourself, to everybody. The original text was published in 1937, and Charlotte Voake brings the story to life with beautiful, delicate illustrations of the families of Mount Caburn, as well as the Trump-like Lord who wishes to build a wall around the footpaths, and erect one of his factories on the sacred hilltop without any real legal precedence so to do. Eerily similar to the political climate of 2017, 80 years later the problem still persists that an obstinate, money-hungry man of immense power bypasses legality and the common good for his own personal material gains. This book is a wonderful rally cry to keep on your shelves and read to your children as the age-old tradition of greed and corruption rears its ugly head on the world stage once more.
July 27, 2021
This is a lovely story well-suited for bedtime storytelling. Elsie is a natural at skipping rope. She is so proficient at skipping that Elsie draws the attention of the fairies, who teach her incredible tricks. But when Elsie grows up, she puts aside her childhood toys, including her jump rope. When the neighborhood playground is threatened by a greedy developer, Elsie dusts off her special skipping skills and saves the day.
Voake’s illustrations are a perfect complement to the magical story. This volume will make a great gift for those readers who enjoy nostalgia, fairies, or Farjeon’s other fairy tales.
Voake’s illustrations are a perfect complement to the magical story. This volume will make a great gift for those readers who enjoy nostalgia, fairies, or Farjeon’s other fairy tales.
July 5, 2017
I'll round up my 3 1/2 stars to 4 because I love to skip rope with my students, and because I am thinking a snackalong of almond roca is in order. And I can't resist a readaloud that will allow me to use a British accent. This book will immerse the reader in fairy-filled rural England of a century ago. A bit on the longish side, the illustrations update this Eleanor Farjeon tale for today's audience. Written at a 5th grade level with beautiful language and vocabulary, but very appropriate for less mature readers.
August 6, 2013
Lovely tale of a natural born rope skipper, trained by a fairy who returns to the hill of her childhood to skip for the good of her community when it is threatened by a greedy industrialist.
I would love to see more rope skipping as a form of protest.
Can't wait to read this one with my daughter who is a newly minted skipper and believes in fairies.
I would love to see more rope skipping as a form of protest.
Can't wait to read this one with my daughter who is a newly minted skipper and believes in fairies.
October 15, 2014
I've loved this story since I was 9. It has magic, determination, nature against evil and lollipops.
In Grade 2, I wrote a book report about it and I've kept that report for years, to remind me of the name, hoping to get my very own copy. Finally, when my daughter was about 10, I found it had been re-released and throroughly enjoyed reading it to her... and on my own a few times.
In Grade 2, I wrote a book report about it and I've kept that report for years, to remind me of the name, hoping to get my very own copy. Finally, when my daughter was about 10, I found it had been re-released and throroughly enjoyed reading it to her... and on my own a few times.
November 5, 2016
During my senior year in college I was privileged to have Ruth Hill Viguers as my professor for a course in children's literature. She was a wonderful story teller and we all sat on the edge of our chairs as she told us one day of Elsie Piddock. It was one of the moments in my college education that I'll never forget.
February 10, 2017
This is an interesting little story that probably would not have had the impact on me given a different political/environmental climate. However, this "fairytale" is perfect to read to children about the importance of community and its specific customs and fighting for what is best for our children and future generations.
December 10, 2017
This is the sweetest book! I grabbed it just by chance at the library and I'm so happy I did. I read it aloud to my 3.5 year old daughter a little at a time before bed each night this week and we both just fell in love with the story. There's candy, skipping rope, fairies and a triumph of good over greed. Beautiful, delightful book which we plan to add to our personal collection.
September 4, 2020
I really enjoyed this fairy tale, and I suspect it's based on some local legend from somewhere (if not Glynde itself). The pictures are exquisite and as delicate as a faerie and help give the book its 4-stars.
July 6, 2012
This is an environmental tale that dates back to the industrial revolution. There is a really nice recording of it put out by a company called Gentle Wind audio books, which was my first introduction to Elsie Piddock. http://www.gentlewind.com/gw1025.htm Highly recommended.
February 9, 2022
Elsie Piddock wanted to skip rope as soon as she understood how. She became the best rope skipper ever because of what the fairies taught her - in her sleep. When the village is threatened to lose their skipping hill, something fabulous happens. This is a lovely story.
March 7, 2013
Wonderful, magical-just as I remembered. Only now, as an older reader, it struck me as chilling, too- the sleeping , dreaming of childhood becomes the sleeping, slipping into old age & death.
November 10, 2019
What a lovely, wonderful book. I love it so much. It is immensely charming. I wish I'd read it as a child, but I can't wait to share with children I love.
March 15, 2016
Wonderful.
March 28, 2017
Fantastical story for children.
November 21, 2023
An utterly enchanting book. I found a beautiful hardback copy on my bookshelf today while organising my children's book collection. Where did it come from? I can only imagine I must have found it at a second hand shop, but it's in perfect condition. I sat down on the floor amongst the stacks of books and the dust, and was swept away into this lovely fairytale. Little Elsie Piddock is a born skipper who skips off in her sleep to be trained in advanced skipping by the fairies. She is renowned across counties for her skipping, but with time the memory fades and all that remains is a time honoured tradition of little girls skipping the new moon in on Mount Caburn. Many years later, a new Lord becomes the owner of the land and desires to put factories on Mount Caburn. However, Elsie Piddock, who is now 109 years old, comes to the rescue in an ending that is both delightful and a little bit shocking! I wish I had discovered this book years ago, it is a triumph and this new edition has the sweetest whimsical illustrations by Charlotte Voake.
June 28, 2018
Farjeon, Eleanor Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep, illustrated by Charlotte Voake. CHAPTER BOOK. Candlewick Press, 2017. (Reprint from 1937.) $12. 9780763690557
Elsie Piddock is a born rope-skipper, and with the local fairies' help she becomes even better. Her legendary skipping starts traditions in her town -- traditions that continue long after she outgrows rope-skipping, moves away, and becomes forgotten. But when a local lord threatens the town, there is only one person who can help: Elsie Piddock, skipping champion.
This is a charming story that grew on me the more I read. With its nostalgic feel and slow-burning plot, I think it would appeal more to adults than to children, and is unlikely to find a huge audience in a school classroom or library. It is, however, a pleasant read.
EL (K-3) -- OPTIONAL. Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
Elsie Piddock is a born rope-skipper, and with the local fairies' help she becomes even better. Her legendary skipping starts traditions in her town -- traditions that continue long after she outgrows rope-skipping, moves away, and becomes forgotten. But when a local lord threatens the town, there is only one person who can help: Elsie Piddock, skipping champion.
This is a charming story that grew on me the more I read. With its nostalgic feel and slow-burning plot, I think it would appeal more to adults than to children, and is unlikely to find a huge audience in a school classroom or library. It is, however, a pleasant read.
EL (K-3) -- OPTIONAL. Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
March 21, 2022
What a timeless book! I’d heard of this book but not read it until it kept popping up on girls empowerment book lists. Finally, finally, took a moment to read and enjoy. Charming illustrations by Charlotte Voake are equally evocative of the quiet of steel magnolias who live every where and in every time.
April 4, 2018
This was a quick and delightful read. I read it in an hour. An older story repackaged with wonderful illustration for a new generation. I loved it. I light sweet magical tale as relevant today as it ever was.
November 15, 2021
An interesting fable. Halfway through I wasn't sure where the story was headed, but it all comes together nicely in the end. It's a longer story so we had to take it a few pages at a time for my toddler, but it was a sweet story, worth reading again in future.
September 3, 2017
Task: #49 - A book from someone else's bookshelf - 4/5 stars
August 24, 2020
Dolce da morire e semplice come deve essere una favola!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2020
A charmingly illustrated little tale that is perfect for reading aloud. The cadences of the written words are especially well suited for a goodnight story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews