Darling little adventure story about three little gnomes going on an odessey to find one of their lost friends. Absorbing. ( )

I had a Folio Society edition but gave it away because Slightly Foxed published the sequel and another BB book.
I just re-read The Little Grey Men and enjoyed exploring the banks and waters of the Folly stream with Sneezewort, Baldmoney and later the one-legged Dodder who set off to search for their brother Cloudberry who went walkabout a year earlier. We meet the forest friends, Squirrel, owls, rabbits, kingfisher and other birds, including the stuck-up pheasants and woodland enemies such as the stoat and fox, and an ogre in the form of a gamekeeper. I'm a bit sad about the fox because I am fond of foxes and not of fox-hunting. There is enjoyment of Nature, the trees, plants and flowers, a visit from Pan, a lot of kindness and some cruelty and sadness, but such is life. The gnomes are affable and resourceful little fellows and I can imagine them living among the roots of one of the trees along the stream that runs past the end of my road. Just one thing puzzled me, the miraculous appearance of a frying pan after everything had been lost in a storm.
Now looking forward to reading the others. ( )

This was one of the books that Meher Baba and the women mandali enjoyed. In 1942 The Little Grey Men won the Carnegie Medal.

Not as whimsical as other older children's fantasies that I enjoy, and also quite dark in some spots. ( )

[This is a review I wrote in 2007]

**Wonderful classic story for all ages!**

Meet the last four gnomes in the British Isles: they are Baldmoney, Dodder (with his wooden leg), Sneezewort and finally Cloudberry.

These gnomes are very old indeed, and have lived for some centuries already. They are the last survivors of the "Little People", excepting rumours of some distant relatives in Ireland!

These four gnomes live by the side of stream in the heart of Warwickshire countryside, with friends such as Ben the Owl, Squirrel, Otter, Kingfisher and others. They live day-to-day by fishing minnow from the stream, and gathering seasonal produce from the wood around them.

"The Little Grey Men" begins with just 3 of the gnomes, Dodder, Baldmoney and Sneezewort. Their brother, Cloudberry has been away from home for over a year. When they last saw him he had decided to set off on an adventure to find the source of the Folly, or stream, and he hasn't been since. The gnomes decide it's time to find their brother, Cloudberry, and so they set off on an adventure...

This is such a delightful story. I wish I'd discovered it as a child, because I know I would have LOVED it! ( )