Elizabeth Clark was born in 1875, and was a prolific writer of children's stories - taking her inspiration from classic authors such as The Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen, and a whole plethora of folk tales that she was told as a child.
Originally published in the 1930s, the Elizabeth Clark Story Books became an essential selection of stories for children of the era. Gathering together several stories in delightfully illustrated books, I remember my Nan somehow managing to pick up a couple at a Jumble Sale, delightedly dishing them out to her book-loving grandchildren (including me).
Though initially taken by the fabulous illustrations from Nina K. Brisley, the stories were also of huge appeal. I was an early reader and devoured anything with a magical or fantasy theme so these books were utterly perfect.
In "The Farmer and The Fairy", one of the stories in Volume 4 of Elizabeth's anthology collection (all of which are being brought back by Pikku), you'll find a magical tale of a farmer and his wife who capture one of the magical folk one day, and swiftly decide that the fairy can be put to work to reverse their fortunes. Of course, like all good stories, there's a twist in this tale as their lives definitely change, but not necessarily for the better!
Gathered together with other fantastic stories, it's always interesting to see what Charlotte will think of these tales - and whether she'll enjoy them as much as she does more modern fare.
Thankfully they're interesting, intriguing and magical enough to still be a delight to read even today.
You can check out the whole range on Pikku's website.
"The Farmer and the Fairy (and other stories)" By Elizabeth Clark and Nina K. Brisley is out now, published by Pikku Publishing (kindly supplied for review).