Dippers

by Barbara Nichol, Barry Moser (Illustrator)

Fragments of a handwritten letter have been discovered. Their author’s name is Margaret, and in the letter she describes her memories of a summer of her girlhood long ago when the dippers came up from the Don River.

It was 1912, and a summer full of odd happenings. The letter tells of Margaret’s first encounter with her father, of her mother’s worry that she might lose her job as a maid, and of her little sister’s being overtaken by paralysis and disease.

And, of course, there were the dippers moving up from the river to inhabit the neighbourhood – furry, ungainly, dog-like creatures with leathery wings – creatures unnerving but not dangerous, yet another fact of life to become adjusted to.

Genres: Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Lastoadri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky and gothic.. but nice to read. I loved Louise & Margret..
For sure for older kids.

(Mother used to say to me, "You think every little thing is the end of the world.")

[Bare Necessities · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a quirky and sweet story. While not perfect, it's become sort of a childhood classic. Always pleasant to come back to, around this time of year

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute illustrations. Voice went back and forth between reading as an adult writing about the past and being read as a child writing about her daily life. Enjoyable, though, and does a great job of conveying long ago and far away.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the story, hate the artwork.