What do you think?
Rate this book
Milly-Molly-Mandy
The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook
The stories of Milly-Molly-Mandy and her family and friends have charmed generations of children since they first appeared in 1925. The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook, written and illustrated by Joyce Lankester Brisley, is a collection of twenty-one classic tales about this resourceful and thoughtful little girl reflect with accuracy the dilemmas and challenges of a child's world. Young children today will love to hear how Milly-Molly-Mandy decides to spend her first penny, looks after a hedgehog, and spends her first night away from home. These timeless stories are perfect for reading aloud, for older children to read by themselves, or as a story before bedtime, and will bring back many happy memories for many parents and grandparents. The book's endpaper feature a two-page map of Milly-Molly-Mandy's village complete with drawings of cottages, fields, streets, and shops making it easy for children to follow Milly-Molly-Mandy from place to place.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1928
68 people are currently reading
1665 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Lankester Brisley
60 books43 followersJoyce Lankester Brisley (6 February 1896 – 1978) was an English writer. She is most noted for writing and illustrating the Milly-Molly-Mandy series, which were first printed in 1925 by the Christian Science Monitor.
The second of three daughters of George Brisley, a pharmacist, of Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, Brisley's sisters - Ethel Constance, the eldest, and Nina Kennard, the youngest - were also illustrators. They studied art firstly at Hastings School of Art, then, following their parents' divorce in 1912 and the subsequent relocation of the girls and their father to Brixton, at Lambeth School of Art.
All three sisters illustrated postcards for the publisher Alfred Vivian Mansell & Co., with Nina (who also illustrated Elinor Brent-Dyer's Chalet School series) and Ethel becoming quite prolific. Brisley died in September 1978 at the age of 82.
The second of three daughters of George Brisley, a pharmacist, of Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, Brisley's sisters - Ethel Constance, the eldest, and Nina Kennard, the youngest - were also illustrators. They studied art firstly at Hastings School of Art, then, following their parents' divorce in 1912 and the subsequent relocation of the girls and their father to Brixton, at Lambeth School of Art.
All three sisters illustrated postcards for the publisher Alfred Vivian Mansell & Co., with Nina (who also illustrated Elinor Brent-Dyer's Chalet School series) and Ethel becoming quite prolific. Brisley died in September 1978 at the age of 82.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
September 14, 2020
Extremely charming! I haven't read all the stories yet but the ones I have read are filled with warmth, humor and a gentle understanding of children, imparting wisdom and empathy effortlessly and without being obnoxiously preachy. Though the village life is "old-fashioned" by today's standards, the children yearn to be independent as well as helpful, and I think this is timeless.
ETA Sept 2020: I requested this via ILL so I could share it with my own children now that they are old enough to appreciate the stories. The stories are even more dear to my heart now and both my boys (ages 7 and almost-5) enjoyed them, too. The book that arrived is titled "The BIG Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook" and was published in May 2000 by Kingfisher. The illustrations are by Clara Vulliamy. (Funny coincidence, I don't think I had ever encountered her work before and then we quite serendipitously ended up with three of her books from the library at the same time!) On one hand, I was miffed that the original illustrations were replaced. Why, oh, why? The originals are delightful. That said, perhaps some children today would be happier with the full color illustrations and I must say Vulliamy's do a fairly good job of capturing the spirit of the originals.
I enjoyed Vulliamy's Forward and include this excerpt as is so beautifully captures the charm and enduring appeal of these stories:
"One glance at the map of the village -- which Milly-Molly-Mandy so rarely leaves -- tells us that her world is small: living in a nice white cottage with her extended family, where the neighbors all know each other; playing out of doors with her friends, inventing their own fun, safe and free. [...] The children's days a full of adventure and incident. And more telling still are the many ways the children find to fill the time while waiting for the big event -- the snow, the party, the day at sea... timeless, beautifully observed and described with charm, humor, and subtly."
ETA Sept 2020: I requested this via ILL so I could share it with my own children now that they are old enough to appreciate the stories. The stories are even more dear to my heart now and both my boys (ages 7 and almost-5) enjoyed them, too. The book that arrived is titled "The BIG Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook" and was published in May 2000 by Kingfisher. The illustrations are by Clara Vulliamy. (Funny coincidence, I don't think I had ever encountered her work before and then we quite serendipitously ended up with three of her books from the library at the same time!) On one hand, I was miffed that the original illustrations were replaced. Why, oh, why? The originals are delightful. That said, perhaps some children today would be happier with the full color illustrations and I must say Vulliamy's do a fairly good job of capturing the spirit of the originals.
I enjoyed Vulliamy's Forward and include this excerpt as is so beautifully captures the charm and enduring appeal of these stories:
"One glance at the map of the village -- which Milly-Molly-Mandy so rarely leaves -- tells us that her world is small: living in a nice white cottage with her extended family, where the neighbors all know each other; playing out of doors with her friends, inventing their own fun, safe and free. [...] The children's days a full of adventure and incident. And more telling still are the many ways the children find to fill the time while waiting for the big event -- the snow, the party, the day at sea... timeless, beautifully observed and described with charm, humor, and subtly."
July 16, 2023
I had seen this classic children's early reader for years in homeschool catalogues and curriculum lists without knowing how charming and cottage core it was going to be. In a series of delightful slice-of-life stories with no stakes whatsoever, Millicent Margaret Amanda (Milly-Molly-Mandy) cheerfully helps everyone in her small English village, from the shopkeeper to the blacksmith to a baby hedgehog. Life in her white cottage with the thatched roof where she lives with her parents, grandparents, and aunt and uncle is idyllic and nothing bad ever happens, but it doesn't feel saccharine or sickly sweet. A cozy soothing balm of a book, perfect for early readers or adults.
March 2, 2023
I never read Milly-Molly-Mandy as a child, but Lucy Mangan convinced me to give it a try via her memoir Bookworm. Gosh, what I missed. I would have devoured this book as a new reader and have begged for one more story as a read-aloud!
I thought Milly-Molly-Mandy was three children, like Betsy-Tacy-Tib. But she’s just Millicent Margaret Amanda. And she lives with 6 adults (parents, grandparents, aunt & uncle) who make her life both smooth and hilarious. Little-Friend-Susan is perhaps the most adorably-named character in all of literature and I will die on this hill.
I adore the way Brisley writes. Just the right kind of language that is simple to understand but offers more than only “age-appropriate” words. Milly-Molly-Mandy calls her parents “Farver” and “Muvver” and it would be so fun to read this aloud with all the accents. Brisley’s illustrations are adorable, though tiny button eyes are not my favorite.
Even though I’m a historian, I don’t long for “simpler” times gone by (perhaps because I spend my life trying to understand the complexities, not just imagining the fun parts). But there is Something™ about the purchasing power of a single penny in ye olden days that Speaks to Me. When I was a kid, one gumball cost a QUARTER. The story “Milly-Molly-Mandy Spends a Penny” has lived rent-free in my brain for weeks now and it’s not being evicted anytime soon.
Milly-Molly-Mandy is one of those IPs that has made it across the pond, but hasn’t quite gotten into the popular consciousness over here. I’d recommend it to lovers of vintage British children’s literature, especially of the young-reader variety. This particular storybook is more of an episodic chapter book. It might look like a novel, but there’s no character development, overarching plot, et c. But there aren’t enough pictures for this to be a collection of picture-book stories either. It’s just the way it is, and I enjoyed it very much.
I thought Milly-Molly-Mandy was three children, like Betsy-Tacy-Tib. But she’s just Millicent Margaret Amanda. And she lives with 6 adults (parents, grandparents, aunt & uncle) who make her life both smooth and hilarious. Little-Friend-Susan is perhaps the most adorably-named character in all of literature and I will die on this hill.
I adore the way Brisley writes. Just the right kind of language that is simple to understand but offers more than only “age-appropriate” words. Milly-Molly-Mandy calls her parents “Farver” and “Muvver” and it would be so fun to read this aloud with all the accents. Brisley’s illustrations are adorable, though tiny button eyes are not my favorite.
Even though I’m a historian, I don’t long for “simpler” times gone by (perhaps because I spend my life trying to understand the complexities, not just imagining the fun parts). But there is Something™ about the purchasing power of a single penny in ye olden days that Speaks to Me. When I was a kid, one gumball cost a QUARTER. The story “Milly-Molly-Mandy Spends a Penny” has lived rent-free in my brain for weeks now and it’s not being evicted anytime soon.
Milly-Molly-Mandy is one of those IPs that has made it across the pond, but hasn’t quite gotten into the popular consciousness over here. I’d recommend it to lovers of vintage British children’s literature, especially of the young-reader variety. This particular storybook is more of an episodic chapter book. It might look like a novel, but there’s no character development, overarching plot, et c. But there aren’t enough pictures for this to be a collection of picture-book stories either. It’s just the way it is, and I enjoyed it very much.
January 15, 2019
I've owned Milly-Molly-Mandy Stories for as I long as I can remember, but don't really have any strong memories of it from when I was a child. Like I know I had it, but I don't treasure it the way I do other books. I wanted to give this a re-read though before donating it, and I'm so glad I did. The characters, the little town, the slice-of-life storylines; it all makes for such a sweet collection. And the illustrations are beyond adorable. Having read this copy as a last goodbye, I could not be more surprised to say that I plan on eventually reading the other collections available at my library!
May 7, 2021
What darling little stories about Milly Molly Mandy and her adventures with her family, their farm and the friends she has in town! Each chapter is short and a great length for children just learning how to sit and listen to a chapter book. There are whimsical illustrations too.
I definitely recommend these stories and plan to read them to my little girl when it's becoming time to move on from picture books.
Ages: 4 - 9
Cleanliness: nothing really to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
I definitely recommend these stories and plan to read them to my little girl when it's becoming time to move on from picture books.
Ages: 4 - 9
Cleanliness: nothing really to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
August 1, 2019
Millicent Margaret Amanda, known to her friends and family as Milly-Molly-Mandy, lived in a nice white cottage with a thatched roof, in a small, close-knit village in the south of England (probably the author's native East Sussex), sometime in the 1920s. Her adventures at home and abroad, with her Mother and Father, Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle and Aunty, little-friend Susan and Billy Blunt, and all of the other villagers, are detailed in the twenty-one short stories contained in this anthology...
Sweet but not saccharine, Millly-Molly-Mandy is a charming young literary heroine, and her activities would make for the perfect bedtime reading, a chapter or two per night, for younger children who want more involved stories. I have long been aware of this classic British children's book character, who debuted in 1928 with Joyce Lankester Brisley's Milly-Molly-Mandy Stories , and who went on to star in five more collections, but it wasn't until this new printing of The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook came into work that I had the opportunity to read about her doings. I'm so glad that I did, as I enjoyed every selection here immensely. The language is simple but descriptive, the accompanying artwork, done by Brisley herself, just lovely. There is a wholesome quality to these tales, an innocence that I found very pleasing, and a sense of basic morality that was very appealing. Most of all, there is a sense of love - family love, the love of close friends, and the love of the wider community - that was heartwarming. This collection draws only from the first four Milly-Molly-Mandy books (and I'm not sure it includes all the stories from those four), so I finished it wanting to track down more! If only they were more widely available in the states...
Sweet but not saccharine, Millly-Molly-Mandy is a charming young literary heroine, and her activities would make for the perfect bedtime reading, a chapter or two per night, for younger children who want more involved stories. I have long been aware of this classic British children's book character, who debuted in 1928 with Joyce Lankester Brisley's Milly-Molly-Mandy Stories , and who went on to star in five more collections, but it wasn't until this new printing of The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook came into work that I had the opportunity to read about her doings. I'm so glad that I did, as I enjoyed every selection here immensely. The language is simple but descriptive, the accompanying artwork, done by Brisley herself, just lovely. There is a wholesome quality to these tales, an innocence that I found very pleasing, and a sense of basic morality that was very appealing. Most of all, there is a sense of love - family love, the love of close friends, and the love of the wider community - that was heartwarming. This collection draws only from the first four Milly-Molly-Mandy books (and I'm not sure it includes all the stories from those four), so I finished it wanting to track down more! If only they were more widely available in the states...
January 19, 2020
I wish I could give this book six stars, we loved it that much. The stories were so fun to read aloud, and they brought up many questions about country life in England 100 years ago. MMM is a delightful girl with a delightful family and community, and her adventures are modest and realistic and simple. She doesn’t get into scrapes or misbehave; she simply lives her lovely life without conflict or climax. While this might sound boring, we found it comforting and entertaining—we enjoyed learning about how things used to be while having the confidence that things were never going to be spoiled for this darling girl. So I suppose some might find this book bland, but we found it deliciously predictable, interesting, and beautiful. The perfect counter to real/tumultuous life.
Read
July 27, 2021It was very long and it was also very exciting. I just liked a lot of chapters. I liked the chapter about the party at Milly Molly Mandy's house.
August 20, 2023
Such a charming little book first printed in 1928! I read it to my four year old and she loved it. I only had to explain some old fashioned words or concepts along the way, and she begged me to read from it each day. My nine year old also read it on her own and enjoyed it. Each chapter is a different story about a small girl and her daily life in a country town. A perfect “first chapter book” for young children.
August 11, 2019
I first encountered Milly-Molly-Mandy as a very young child, and re-visit the books now and then.
Do they spark joy? Yes, they do. :)
Do they spark joy? Yes, they do. :)
September 28, 2018
Delightful! The sweet innocence of childhood.
October 10, 2015
I can't help but think of my mother as I close this book and put it away. Written back in the 1920's it's not entirely crazy to think she might have read this when small (she was born in 1930). The drawings make me picture her...she dressed much that way in old pictures. I think, living on the edge of a rural community, that perhaps her life might have been something like this.
This is gentle storytelling at its best. No, there really isn't any conflict. The stories are really vignettes - peeks into life back in the late 1920s for this little girl and her family. The things that happen to her are probably things that happened to many little girls in many families just like that back then. I almost want to say that there's nothing special about these stories, but there is. This is a bright shining look at the past, about loving your family and living at peace with yourself, with your neighbors. About being considerate and doing for others.
There's a hint of too much 'niceness' that harkens back to the old morality tales foisted on children in the 1800s - a sort of, do good and good things will follow. Thankfully there's none of the darkness - the disobedience of rules that ends in grave consequences. So if being 'nice' is a flaw, then so be it. Sometimes we need books that just...make you feel good to read them.
Overall, I'm glad I picked this up and read it. This is a book I've seen bandied around the homeschooling world for awhile. While the overall pace of the book might be a bit slow for some children, I wouldn't hesitate to give this to a beginning reader to enjoy. Definitely five stars!
This is gentle storytelling at its best. No, there really isn't any conflict. The stories are really vignettes - peeks into life back in the late 1920s for this little girl and her family. The things that happen to her are probably things that happened to many little girls in many families just like that back then. I almost want to say that there's nothing special about these stories, but there is. This is a bright shining look at the past, about loving your family and living at peace with yourself, with your neighbors. About being considerate and doing for others.
There's a hint of too much 'niceness' that harkens back to the old morality tales foisted on children in the 1800s - a sort of, do good and good things will follow. Thankfully there's none of the darkness - the disobedience of rules that ends in grave consequences. So if being 'nice' is a flaw, then so be it. Sometimes we need books that just...make you feel good to read them.
Overall, I'm glad I picked this up and read it. This is a book I've seen bandied around the homeschooling world for awhile. While the overall pace of the book might be a bit slow for some children, I wouldn't hesitate to give this to a beginning reader to enjoy. Definitely five stars!
November 30, 2025
Reading this to E (age 5) again. It is so worth revisiting often. We've lost count now how many times we've enjoyed it together.
Original Review:
These adorable stories had my preschooler instantly smitten. They are gentle and wholesome, and made it into her daily imaginative play. The chapters are a good length, slightly challenging (but just the right amount) and helping her learn to listen to longer stories without pictures on every page. At age 4.5, this has been just the right time for her.
Original Review:
These adorable stories had my preschooler instantly smitten. They are gentle and wholesome, and made it into her daily imaginative play. The chapters are a good length, slightly challenging (but just the right amount) and helping her learn to listen to longer stories without pictures on every page. At age 4.5, this has been just the right time for her.
October 19, 2008
This delightful books takes us back in time to a British village. Milly-Molly-Mandy is a very proper and clever girl (almost too much so) who has a little adventure in every chapter. They aren't big adventures--little things like getting a prize at a party or going on a fishing trip, but they are cute.
My five year old son seemed to like it, although he complained once that it was about a girl. I don't think this would be his first choice. He likes more masculine literature!
My five year old son seemed to like it, although he complained once that it was about a girl. I don't think this would be his first choice. He likes more masculine literature!
February 22, 2017
Just the breath of fresh air that I needed in a tough week. This is quite British (the family lives in a white thatched-roof cottage) and completely delightful. I am now filled with nostalgia for things I have never known and I love that feeling. Milly-Molly-Mandy is a sweetheart of a little girl and her family is simply wonderful.
September 6, 2014
I felt like reading this children's classic again! I haven't read Milly-Molly-Mandy stories since I was very young - they were among my favourites. I adore the illustrations. I want to live in an attic and be able to buy a chick for a penny!
October 9, 2020
We absolutely loved these simple yet charming stories! So delightful! This book inspired lots of fun activities for us like trying three-legged racing and cutting out paper dolls. Definitely one of my favorite read alouds.
June 13, 2013
I loved these books when I was younger. Loved the map of the village inside the cover. Do little girls still read books like this I wonder.
August 11, 2020
I read this aloud to Bea and she loved it! Such sweet stories.
October 30, 2018
My kids loved this book as a read-aloud, and I appreciated that the stories were all simple and interesting. They are very gentle stories, usually having as their central focus Milly-Molly-Mandy doing something new or trying something by herself, but they were charming rather than boring. My 5yo can easily sit through two stories and still be sad when we stopped.
It has 21 stories of around 10 pages each, so it's a good book for reading a chapter a day. Each chapter is a self-contained story and doesn't depend on the others.
The only thing I didn't like: the name "Milly-Molly-Mandy" is SO LONG to read dozens of time per story! And the same thing with "little-friend-Susan" (who was always referred to that way) and "Father and Mother and Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle and Aunty" (who were often spelled out that way as a whole group)--my throat kind of gets sore by the end of stories, so I wish those names would have been a bit more concise.
It has 21 stories of around 10 pages each, so it's a good book for reading a chapter a day. Each chapter is a self-contained story and doesn't depend on the others.
The only thing I didn't like: the name "Milly-Molly-Mandy" is SO LONG to read dozens of time per story! And the same thing with "little-friend-Susan" (who was always referred to that way) and "Father and Mother and Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle and Aunty" (who were often spelled out that way as a whole group)--my throat kind of gets sore by the end of stories, so I wish those names would have been a bit more concise.
Read
April 20, 2025This year, inspired by the fabulous City of Marion Libraries account on Instagram, I'm re-reading some childhood favourite books.
"Milly-Molly-Mandy lives in a tiny village in the heart of the countryside. She is always busy doing things, and whether she is earning money to give a party, minding the village shop, having a picnic or going sledging, you're sure to have fun when Milly-Molly-Mandy's around! The adventures of this lively little girl and her chums little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt first appeared over eighty years ago and they have been delighting children ever since."
Not rating my childhood books because that's not the point. This was a lovely read that made me smile. MMM leads such a simple, quaint life by today's standards, but there is so much joy in the little things. The illustrations are so sweet too.
"Milly-Molly-Mandy lives in a tiny village in the heart of the countryside. She is always busy doing things, and whether she is earning money to give a party, minding the village shop, having a picnic or going sledging, you're sure to have fun when Milly-Molly-Mandy's around! The adventures of this lively little girl and her chums little-friend-Susan and Billy Blunt first appeared over eighty years ago and they have been delighting children ever since."
Not rating my childhood books because that's not the point. This was a lovely read that made me smile. MMM leads such a simple, quaint life by today's standards, but there is so much joy in the little things. The illustrations are so sweet too.
August 9, 2019
Sweet and wholesome--perfect for the times my children needed a story free from peril or scariness. I was initially concerned that my son might consider it "girly," but he responded to it quite well. I think that's because the stories are grounded in village life. We get to read about the blacksmith using gunpowder, the children "minding" a shop, and other situations fascinating to boys and girls alike.
August 30, 2017
Every bit as charming as I remember it! I enjoyed these stories as a little girl and was able to take something different away from them as an adult. Milly Molly Mandy is the sweetest child and these stories are all simple, good old-fashioned fun. No big moral lessons, no preaching, just lovely children's stories exactly the way they should be.
January 26, 2024
Violet and I read this one together and before we even finished she said it was definitely a 5 star book! Each chapter is disconnected from the others and is just its own short event in the sweet, idealistic life in. a bygone era with her family and friends. We will be reading more in this series soon.
February 27, 2020
I haven’t counted the read alouds to my kids in my book count before but this year I’m amending that. This sweet story book is just brimming with adorable scenarios any young child can relate to. Love it:
June 12, 2025
Matthew gives the story a 5 star. He likes to see me log the books. But I would say a 3. It was written in the 1920s. They are simple and innocent little stories, but kind of slow I think. He will listen to anything apparently!
March 26, 2018
This is a fun book that my girls love. I enjoy reading it except for the repeated use of “Milly-Molly-Mandy” instead of a pronoun. Some sections are more tongue-twister-like than others.
May 21, 2022
picked this up at the charity shop for a quid and it has given me a boost of such pure happiness i can't honestly be objective. the nostalgia levels are off the charts
March 3, 2023
Best children's book, must read.
June 24, 2023
#12 read aloud
Sonlight PreK book list
Sweet little stories with lovely characters and relationships. My boys loved! Will have to check out the other books.
Sonlight PreK book list
Sweet little stories with lovely characters and relationships. My boys loved! Will have to check out the other books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews