Milly-Molly-Mandy’s Winter

Milly-Molly-Mandy's Winter by Joyce Lankester Brisley is a gentle collection of village stories for 5 year olds, all about small kindnesses on cold days and dark evenings.

What happens

First, Milly-Molly-Mandy goes to stay with Mrs Hooker in town for a whole weekend. It's her first time sleeping away from home on her own! She spends her money on presents for everyone (sugar mice for Father, Grandpa and Uncle, two a penny). Then she worries she's bought Mother and Aunty handkerchiefs with the wrong letters on.

Back home, her friends little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt are never far away. On a windy day she offers to carry Miss Thumble's shopping. (There are two Miss Thumbles, and the only way to tell them apart is a hat.) Billy Blunt says it's too heavy and wanders off. Then he comes back pulling his box-on-wheels. That's Billy all over!

He's got a shiny new mouth-organ too. So the pair of them go carol-singing on Christmas Eve, just for love and not for money. They end up in the forge, with Mr Rudge hammering in time and half the village singing along.

There's an evening keeping house with little-friend-Susan while the grown-ups go to a meeting. They tie on Mother's aprons and fry their supper. Then a very gruff knock comes at the door. Who could it be?

The loveliest one is the cosy. Milly-Molly-Mandy wants to make Mother a patchwork tea cosy, so she gathers scraps from the family one at a time. Red satin, green ribbon, a piece of Grandma's velvet, Uncle's spotty tie. The list gets longer every time it's said, and it's a treat if your reader likes joining in. She even minds Miss Muggins's shop for an hour (very solemnly indeed).

Each story is short and complete, so one makes a perfect bedtime read. The same names keep coming back, and you get to know the whole village. The biggest drama is a knock at the door or a worry about the letters on two hankies.

It's worth knowing these are very old-fashioned stories. Money is pennies and half a crown. Three children fry onions on the kitchen stove while the grown-ups are out, and children wander the village on their own.

It's gentle stuff, but some of it is a world away from now. A quick chat about what's changed is probably half the fun. If your reader likes stories where being kind is the whole adventure, this is lovely.

What to read next

If your reader wants to stay in the village a bit longer, Milly-Molly-Mandy's Spring has a tumble into the cow-pond and a party in the barn.