Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep

Eleanor Farjeon (1881–1965) is regarded as one of this country’s finest writers of poems and stories for children. In 1956 she was awarded both the Carnegie Medal and the Hans Christian Andersen International Medal; her hymn “Morning Has Broken” is a favourite around the world. Eleanor lived for many years in a little village called Houghton. The children of the village used to gather outside her cottage to play their favourite skipping games, and one day Eleanor went and asked them to recite their rhymes for her. These rhymes, which have been passed down from generation to generation, can be found word-for-word in Elsie Piddock Skips in her Sleep.

Charlotte Voake is a distinguished and much-loved illustrator of children’s books. Her picture book Ginger was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal and won the Smarties Book Prize Gold Award. Charlotte visited Mount Caburn while preparing the illustrations for this book, and found it "an extraordinary place. I could well imagine Elsie Piddock skipping there with Andy-Spandy, Flea-Foot and Heels-o'-Lead. The atmosphere is magical."