Usborne Big Book of Little Stories

Abstract

This is a square book about 8 on a side. Among its fifteen stories are The Emperor's New Clothes, retold by Susanna Davidson, and GA, retold by Leslie Sims. Mike and Carl Gordon illustrate the former and Merel Eyckerman the latter. There is something of Quentin Blake in the funny drawings for the former. They do several stories and do them well. The accent in GA is less on singing and more on avoiding work. The ant here immediately invites the grasshopper in to get warm and to eat. The art has a laid-back quality that suits this story perfectly, by contrast with the Gordons' busy style. It is curious that the back cover claims that the publisher is Educational Development Corporation in Tulsa. The book's final pages reveal that it was first published by Usborne Books in London. This book is remarkably heavy.