Juliana Horatia Ewing (nèe Gatty) was born on August 3rd, 1841, the second child of Reverend Dr. Alfred Gatty and his wife Margaret (nèe Scott). Alfred and Margaret began their married life together when he accepted the ‘living’ as vicar of Ecclesfield near Sheffield, a role that he was to carry out for an incredible sixty-three years. They had ten children in total, but two died as infants. Juliana (known within the family and henceforth here as Julie) was renowned by all who knew her as a memorable actor, mimic and comedian. These characteristics are evident throughout her writing, but she was also a gifted verbal storyteller, inventing stories in the nursery for her eager and increasingly demanding younger siblings. She inherited her storytelling skills from her mother, who was also, among other occupations, a well-known children’s author. Margaret recognized Julie’s literary genius very early on and gave her daughter every possible encouragement, enabling the publication of her first story in Charlotte Yonge’s literary magazine Monthly Packet in July 1861 when Julie was still just a teenager. In her lifetime, she was a literary superstar almost the equal of Charles Dickens, and her books were read throughout the English-speaking world well into the twentieth century. She was idolised by many in Victorian and Edwardian society. John Ruskin, Henry James and Arnold Bennet all admired her work, and Rudyard Kipling was so heavily influenced by her that he wrote in his autobiography that, “I owe more in circuitous ways to that tale (one of Mrs. Ewing’s books) than I can tell. I knew it, as I know it still, almost by heart. Here was a story of real people and real things.” Mrs. Ewing’s particular skill is in capturing a reader’s attention, with her highly figurative narration creating vivid and realistic scenes and events that even her younger readers will have no difficulty imagining. But what is most significant, is that like Dickens and Kipling, her writing and storytelling were (and still are) just as relevant and enjoyable for adults as they are for children. This is quite simply because Mrs. Ewing’s writing is so very, very good, and ranks with the greatest children’s authors. Her stories invoke a wide spectrum of emotion, but whatever the outcome, the reader will feel uplifted for having identified fully with her utterly credible characters. They all play their part in letting us know exactly how their creator thought. That above all she valued family life, and that respect, duty, faith and loyalty should be the norm for everyone irrespective of background. The stories in this book are enhanced by the evocative illustrations of Randolph Caldecott and Gordon Browne who both worked very closely with Julie on several of her books. Here, as always with these two renowned artists, the result is a series of simple yet stunningly descriptive illustrations, each one a work of art.