Edward Ardizzone's Little Tim books

For his fifth birthday, the elder lad has received a deluge of "little Legos" to his great delight.  From us he also received two books by Edward Ardizzone: Tim All Alone and Johnny the Clockmaker.  We'd found a few of the "Little Tim" books at the library and went looking for more when the lad's birthday appeared on the horizon.  The stories center on Tim, a young boy who dutifully completes his studies and says his prayers -- and goes out to sea.  He is a hard-working, brave, helpful, considerate lad who befriends gnarled sea captains, orphaned boys, privileged but sweet little girls curious about the world outside their nurseries, and skittish little cats aboard the various sailing ships Tim boards.

Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain, the first of the Little Tim books, was published in the mid 1930s, with several more following over the next twenty or so years.  With just the right amount of suspense and a quest for adventure, charming watercolor and pen and ink illustrations, and a host of compelling characters, these books have secured their place among our lads' favorites.

In Johnny the Clockmaker the titular lad builds his own grandfather clock in spite of the skepticism he encounters (regrettably) from his parents, teachers, and friends.  While we aren't so keen on the rough treatment the lad endures, we love the determination, creativity, and use of his time and abilities to build something constructive rather than live up (or down) to the insulting barbs he bears from the people around him.  In a nod to the cruelty children can sometimes show to one another, Johnny is called a "baby bunting" by some of the other kids on the playground.  Our lads think this is the funniest moniker and have applied it to not only each other (which is probably better than telling one or the other to go to Dallas) but also various stuffed animal friends around the house.  They mean it in the nicest way possible, I'm sure. 

Much like Esther Averill's books, we find these by Edward Ardizzone to be delightful forays into storytelling of an earlier era and style.  We like the throwback to a simpler and more straightforward depiction of right and wrong, and the lads like the adventure, colorful characters, and fodder for the imagination these books provide so handily.