Like the titular pie, life is sweet for a professor and his cab-driving older brother. The themes in this heart-warming Eugenia Collier story (poverty, family, sacrifice, education and gratitude) lie in how the two got where they are. A close-knit family works together to survive poverty, with the older children caring for the young and leaving school as soon as possible. The family can afford for only one child (the professor) to complete his education. Although his brother proudly hails him as a “somebody”, it is clear that their childhood experiences have helped both make successes of their lives. More…
A Fish Named Dog
Like many children, the girl in this story by Christyne Morrell for Spider Magazine dreams of having a pet dog or cat. Unfortunately, this is not to be. Her parents give her a goldfish instead! To make sure her mother and father know what she really wanted, she names the fish “Dog.” This must have hurt the fish’s feelings because, much to the girl’s surprise, it begins to live up to its new name. By the end of the story the girl and fish are happy, her friends are amazed, and some readers may never want to eat fish again. More…
Two Friends
Set during the four month the siege of Paris of 1870-1871, this story by Guy de Maupassant stereotypes (from a French perspective) the patriotism and valour of two Frenchmen and the barbaric brutality of the Prussian (German) soldiers surrounding the city. After a few drinks, two friends on opposite sides of the political spectrum (one a monarchist, the other a republican) set off to escape the deprivation and boredom of the besieged city by going fishing in the “no-man’s land” between the two armies. Themes: friendship, loyalty, patriotism, courage, the brutality of war. More…
Pret in the House / Ghost Trouble
This light-hearted children’s tale from master storyteller Ruskin Bond reflects a once common Indian belief that ghosts and other spirits (pret) inhabit certain types of tree. If something happens to such a tree, these are set free and must find a new home. There are many kinds of pret. Fortunately, the one that moves into a family’s house in this story is of the mischievous rather than dangerous or hungry variety. When its playful pranks become too annoying, the family decides to move away. This does not prove as easy as they thought! Themes: superstition, progress, family connectedness. More…
The Serial Garden
Joan Aiken’s Serial Garden is part of a collection of old-style children’s stories about the Armitage family, who seem to think it completely normal as impossible events take place around them. In the story, a picture on a cereal packet leads a young boy to a magical garden that has been inhabited for fifty years by a haughty princess pining for her lost lover. The boy almost manages to reunite the couple, but his mother accidentally dashes his plan at the last minute. Fortunately, the princess now has a dog to keep her company for the next fifty years! More…