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How the heather looks : a joyous journey to…
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How the heather looks : a joyous journey to the British sources of children's books (original 1965; edition 2022)

by Joan Bodger

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418560,752 (4.25)5
Over forty years ago, Joan Bodger, her husband, and two children went to Britain on a very special family quest. They were seeking the world that they knew and loved through children's books. In Winnie-the-Pooh Country, Mrs. Milne showed them the way to "that enchanted place on the top of the Forest [where] a little boy and his Bear will always be playing." In Edinburgh they stood outside Robert Louis Stevenson's childhood home, tilting their heads to talk to a lamplighter who was doing his job. In the Lake District they visited Jemima Puddle-Duck's farm, and Joan sought out crusty Arthur Ransome to talk to him about "Swallows and Amazons." They spent several days "messing about in boats" on the River Thames, looking for Toad Hall and other places described by Kenneth Grahame in "The Wind in the Willows." Mud and flood kept them from attaining the slopes of Pook's Hill (on Rudyard Kipling's farm), but they scaled the heights of Tintagel. As in all good fairy tales, there were unanswered questions. Did they really find Camelot? Robin Hood, as always, remains elusive. One thing is certain. Joan Bodger brings alive again the magic of the stories we love to remember. She persuades us that, like Emily Dickinson, even if we "have never seen a moor," we can imagine "how the heather looks." First published in 1965 by Viking in New York, "How the Heather Looks" has become a prized favorite among knowledgeable lovers of children's literature. Precious, well-thumbed copies have been lent out with caution and reluctance, while new admirers have gone searching in vain for copies to buy second-hand. This handsome reprint, with a new Afterword by Joan Bodger, makes a unique and delightful classic available once more. "From the Hardcover edition."… (more)
Member:diagonalwalnut
Title:How the heather looks : a joyous journey to the British sources of children's books
Authors:Joan Bodger
Info:[Australia]: Living Books Press, 2022.
Collections:Your library
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How the Heather Looks: A Joyous Journey to the British Sources of Children's Books by Joan Bodger (1965)

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» See also 5 mentions

Showing 5 of 5
I read this book with a friend of mine in Kelowna, Canada. We made a Pinterest board out of it. ( )
  Eurekas | Apr 22, 2023 |
A lovely, restful sort of book, as the author describes her family's travels around England in 1958, searching for the locations of their favourite stories. I was amazed at how much they did find, and wonder what would be left of that today.

I intend to look for the author's autobiography, The Crack In The Teacup, but anyone who wants to stay in their happy place after reading How the Heather Looks should probably not delve too deeply into biographical material. ( )
1 vote SylviaC | Nov 24, 2015 |
family travelling England in search of places described in their favorite children's books. It was fun and I enjoyed it. I found it slow in parts where I didn't care very much about the books. I was surprised how many of the books I had read and enjoyed. It is a trip I might like to take myself. ( )
1 vote njcur | Feb 13, 2014 |
As a journey: "How the Heather Looks" ~ The author describes her family's travels around England in 1958, searching for the locations of their favorite children's stories.

http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol7/no2/heather.html

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780771011184&view=pri... ( )
1 vote nbtOO | Mar 27, 2007 |
books about books, children's books
1 vote | cuicocha | Sep 5, 2011 |
Showing 5 of 5
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Bodger, Joanprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Lang, MarkIllustratormain authorall editionsconfirmed
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[None]
Dedication
To John and Ian, and to Lucy who went back to find the door
First words
We were bound for Whitchurch, just thirty miles down the road from Liverpool. A few hours before we had disembarked from a staid, broad-beamed Cunard liner which had taken more than a week to cross the Atlantic.
Quotations
I never saw a moor,
I never saw the sea;
Yet I know how the heather looks,
And what a wave must be.
(Emily Dickinson)
I have been informed that [this] is the book most often stolen by retiring children's librarians (Afterword)
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Over forty years ago, Joan Bodger, her husband, and two children went to Britain on a very special family quest. They were seeking the world that they knew and loved through children's books. In Winnie-the-Pooh Country, Mrs. Milne showed them the way to "that enchanted place on the top of the Forest [where] a little boy and his Bear will always be playing." In Edinburgh they stood outside Robert Louis Stevenson's childhood home, tilting their heads to talk to a lamplighter who was doing his job. In the Lake District they visited Jemima Puddle-Duck's farm, and Joan sought out crusty Arthur Ransome to talk to him about "Swallows and Amazons." They spent several days "messing about in boats" on the River Thames, looking for Toad Hall and other places described by Kenneth Grahame in "The Wind in the Willows." Mud and flood kept them from attaining the slopes of Pook's Hill (on Rudyard Kipling's farm), but they scaled the heights of Tintagel. As in all good fairy tales, there were unanswered questions. Did they really find Camelot? Robin Hood, as always, remains elusive. One thing is certain. Joan Bodger brings alive again the magic of the stories we love to remember. She persuades us that, like Emily Dickinson, even if we "have never seen a moor," we can imagine "how the heather looks." First published in 1965 by Viking in New York, "How the Heather Looks" has become a prized favorite among knowledgeable lovers of children's literature. Precious, well-thumbed copies have been lent out with caution and reluctance, while new admirers have gone searching in vain for copies to buy second-hand. This handsome reprint, with a new Afterword by Joan Bodger, makes a unique and delightful classic available once more. "From the Hardcover edition."

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