A Kid for Two Farthings

I've never met a book that was more like... a kitten. It comes at you with wide-eyed affection and a single-minded determination to snuggle down on your lap and purr. Mankowitz tells a robustly sentimental story in which the wonder of childhood meets harsh reality, but comes through intact because it's been responsibly protected, preserved. - Adam

Wolf Mankowitz grew up in London’s East End, and that’s where he returns for this charming vignette of growing up in a Jewish community on Fashion Street. Six-year-old Joe has one wish, for his father to return from Africa. When he finds a baby wish-granting unicorn in the market, he brings him home to raise until he is old enough to grant wishes. Perhaps then his friend and neighbor, Mr. Kandinsky, can get his garment press, and his assistant Shmuel can get his girlfriend an engagement ring. While others might think his pet is only a goat kid with one horn bud, Joe knows the world is a lot more exciting than they realize.

I enjoyed this novella for its glimpse into a very specific time and place and the light-hearted view of that show more world through a child’s eyes. show less

'He held...a piece of tattered string, and at the end of the string a small unicorn'
By sally tarbox on 3 Oct. 2012
Format: Paperback
Whimsical little story set among the Jewish community of London's East End of the 30s. Vivid descriptions transport you to a very different world- the markets, the struggling clothing manufacturers, the wrestling matches...
The hero of the book, 6 year old Joe, lives with his mother (his father is away in Africa on unspecified business) over Mr Kandinsky's tailor shop. While his mother works at a milliner's, Joe spends most of his time with the tailor, and a bond grows between them.
Mr Kandinsky tells Joe about unicorns, a wonderful description combining magic and pragmatism:
'Every animal when it was made by show more the Almighty was given one extra-special present...But the unicorn got the most special present of all. He was given a magic horn...It could grant anybody's wish- straight off. And this horn consequently was worth £10,000 cash on sight'.
So when Joe sees a unicorn (a small deformed goat) going for five bob, he has to have it. Whether it manages to grant the wishes of Joe's friends (a victory in the wrestling ring for Shmule, a trouser press for Mr Kandinsky and the return of his father from Africa), you will have to see.
Although targeted at an adult audience by Bloomsbury Press, I have another edition which is certainly a children's book with illustrations; I would say it could be enjoyed by either group. show less

I can still hear these people talk; the characters are that real. It’s a street in London, but it could be a street in NYC in the middle of the last century. Six-year-old Joe finds a unicorn for sale and he buys him in the hopes that the unicorn can satisfy some wishes. I like how this all works out in a way that is both fantastical and realistic.

This was not a bad book but not too memorable either. The book nicely evokes the mid-20th century working-class Jewish community in London. Characters were somewhat undeveloped and the prose, while effective with its slangy, casual feel, was not to my liking.

Six year old Joe lives in a boarding house with his mother and their friend Mr. Kandinsky, a trousers maker. His mother worries about his father who is away on business. Mr. Kandinsky tells Joe stories about unicorns, prompting Joe to buy one at the market – a kid goat. He takes care of his goat and observes the conflicts of the adults around him. Mr. Kandinsky wants a patent steam press for his shop and his assistant Shmule wants to win his big wrestling match and buy a ring for show more his fiancée Sonia. Joe also observes the employees of his mother’s shop, the men at the Tailors’ Union, various transients and the spectators at the wrestling ring. The book is more about daily life than plot- or character- driven. show less

A young boy living with his mother, and looked after by their kind tailor/landlord, in the East End, wants a unicorn for a pet. And one day he finds one in the market for 5 shillings.
A cute-enough story, but it hasn't aged well.