Ladybird books are known and loved the world over. For millions of people, they bring back the golden days of childhood - learning to read, discovering the magic of books, and growing up.
The very first Ladybird book ever was produced by a jobbing printer called Wills & Hepworth during the First World War. The company, based in Loughborough, Leicestershire, began to publish 'pure and healthy literature' for children, registering the Ladybird logo in 1915. Despite the company's claims, however, those books would no longer be politically correct. In the ABC Picture Book, for example, A stood for armoured train!
I don't remember this book from childhood, but it's been sitting on a bookshelf in my parents' house, so I read it. I think this version was a bit too short, and it didn't seem like the main characters understood the story's moral because the parents still got all the money, and the kid still got to go on adventures and return home safely.
I'm pretty sure Tom Thumb used to be a favourite when I was a child but now I find it quite revolting and I never realised quite how much of a con artist Tom Thumb was😧😧😧