Joyce Lankester Brisley (1896–1978)

First sentence: Once upon a time there was a little girl. She had a Father, and a Mother, and a Grandpa, and a Grandma, and an Uncle, and an Aunty; they all lived together in a nice white cottage with a thatched roof.

Premise/plot: Milly Molly Mandy stars in a collection of stories. This book was originally published in 1928. There are other Milly Molly Mandy books. The stories--at least in this initial collection--are episodic. Each story stands more or less on its own. It features show more (relatively) the same cast of characters: her immediate family (see above) and her friends Toby and Susan.

The stories in this collection:

Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes Errands (I would personally say go ON errands, but the table of contents says otherwise)
Milly-Molly-Mandy Spends a Penny
Milly-Molly-Mandy Meets Her Great-Aunt
Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes Blackberrying
Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes to a Party
Milly-Molly-Mandy Enjoys a Visit
Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes Gardening
Milly-Molly-Mandy Keeps Shop
Milly-Molly-Mandy Gives A Party
Milly-Molly-Mandy Gets to Know Teacher
Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes to a Fete
Milly-Molly-Mandy Has A Surprise
Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes to A Concert
Milly-Molly-Mandy's Mother Goes Away
Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes to the Sea
Milly-Molly-Mandy Minds a Baby
Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes on an Expedition
Milly-Molly-Mandy Helps to Thatch a Roof
Milly-Molly-Mandy Keeps House
Milly-Molly-Mandy and the Blacksmith's Wedding
Milly-Molly-Mandy Has a New Dress

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one thoroughly. I did. It is old-fashioned for sure. These stories are like licks on a lollipop. I don't know that any one story stands out as wow or amazing. But taken together there is something satisfying about spending time with Milly-Molly-Mandy. I'm not sure how much appeal this character will have for young children or children. Perhaps if introduced to the stories by someone who passionately loves these characters, these books, and takes the time to pass on the tradition???

This is a book that I [and probably plenty of other adults] could imagine being read by their grandparents when they were little. And that adds an element of sentimentality perhaps. show less

Millicent Margaret Amanda, known to her friends and family as Milly-Molly-Mandy, lived in a nice white cottage with a thatched roof, in a small, close-knit village in the south of England (probably the author's native East Sussex), sometime in the 1920s. Her adventures at home and abroad, with her Mother and Father, Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle and Aunty, little-friend Susan and Billy Blunt, and all of the other villagers, are detailed in the twenty-one short stories contained in this show more anthology...

Sweet but not saccharine, Millly-Molly-Mandy is a charming young literary heroine, and her activities would make for the perfect bedtime reading, a chapter or two per night, for younger children who want more involved stories. I have long been aware of this classic British children's book character, who debuted in 1928 with Joyce Lankester Brisley's Milly-Molly-Mandy Stories, and who went on to star in five more collections, but it wasn't until this new printing of The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook came into work that I had the opportunity to read about her doings. I'm so glad that I did, as I enjoyed every selection here immensely. The language is simple but descriptive, the accompanying artwork, done by Brisley herself, just lovely. There is a wholesome quality to these tales, an innocence that I found very pleasing, and a sense of basic morality that was very appealing. Most of all, there is a sense of love - family love, the love of close friends, and the love of the wider community - that was heartwarming. This collection draws only from the first four Milly-Molly-Mandy books (and I'm not sure it includes all the stories from those four), so I finished it wanting to track down more! If only they were more widely available in the states... show less

This was one of my favourite books when I was little so when I saw it in an op shop for $1 I had to pick it up!
Milly-Molly-Mandy is a little girl who lives with her Father, Mother, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle & Aunty in the big white house with the thatched roof. The book is a collection of stories that are just delightful. They all have a lesson at the end of the story that will get your kid's brain working! Being a children's book it's veeery slow paced but I think it's perfect for the times show more we're living in right now.
This is a beautiful read that children will love & adults will find comforting as an old foavourite. show less

I am reading this aloud to my five year old and we are both adoring it. The stories are simple and kind, dating from (and perhaps glorifying) a time when life seemed better and less complicated. It is a wonderful introduction to rural life in times past and a great before bed read for little ones who can handle more challenge than your average picture book