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The Little Gentleman
One day old Mr. Franklin asks Bet to go out to the field and read aloud from a book about earthworms. Why? Who is listening? Soon, Bet becomes the most trusted friend of her listener, who turns out to be a bewitched mole. At first she and the mole simply sit together in their field, reading, talking, sharing hopes and fears. But soon Bet is helping the Little Gentleman unravel his long and legendary past -- a past that includes the death of a king and a pouch of magic herbs. Bet begins to believe the mole's powers are stronger than he knows. She thinks he can even shift her size and take her exploring in his tunnels if he tries. Nothing is impossible. When the mole finally reveals his deepest wish, Bet knows she can help him. But will it change everything?
208 pages, Library Binding
First published January 9, 2004
2 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Philippa Pearce
78 books114 followersPhilippa Pearce was an acclaimed English author of children’s literature, best remembered for her classic time-slip novel Tom’s Midnight Garden, which won the 1958 Carnegie Medal and remains a staple of British children’s fiction. Raised in Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, in the Mill House by the River Cam, Pearce drew lifelong inspiration from her rural upbringing. Educated at the Perse School for Girls and Girton College, Cambridge, she studied English and History before working as a civil servant and later producing schools’ radio programmes for the BBC.
Her debut, Minnow on the Say (1955), inspired by local landscapes and a childhood canoe trip, was a Carnegie runner-up and later adapted for television. Tom’s Midnight Garden, also rooted in her childhood environment, became her most celebrated work, inspiring multiple adaptations for stage, screen, and television. Pearce went on to publish over thirty books, including A Dog So Small, The Squirrel Wife, The Battle of Bubble and Squeak, and The Way to Sattin Shore, with several earning further Carnegie commendations.
Married briefly to Martin Christie, with whom she had a daughter, Pearce returned to Great Shelford in 1973, where she lived until her death in 2006. Her legacy continues through the annual Philippa Pearce Lecture, celebrating excellence in children’s literature.
Her debut, Minnow on the Say (1955), inspired by local landscapes and a childhood canoe trip, was a Carnegie runner-up and later adapted for television. Tom’s Midnight Garden, also rooted in her childhood environment, became her most celebrated work, inspiring multiple adaptations for stage, screen, and television. Pearce went on to publish over thirty books, including A Dog So Small, The Squirrel Wife, The Battle of Bubble and Squeak, and The Way to Sattin Shore, with several earning further Carnegie commendations.
Married briefly to Martin Christie, with whom she had a daughter, Pearce returned to Great Shelford in 1973, where she lived until her death in 2006. Her legacy continues through the annual Philippa Pearce Lecture, celebrating excellence in children’s literature.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
June 1, 2022
ENGLISH: A book about a girl who reads and speaks to "the little gentleman," a mole. The mole knows a lot and is surprisingly long-lived. Darwin is one of its favorite authors. Tennyson, too: the mole asks to be read "The Lady of Shalott." In this context, his taste happens to be similar to Anne Shirley's.
When the mole tells his history to the girl, it comes out that he's the same mole whose molehill caused the death of William III (William of Orange) king of England. The mole then gets involved in the attempts of the Stuarts to recover the throne, and gets bewitched twice.
ESPAÑOL: Un libro sobre una niña que lee y habla con un topo. El topo, que sabe mucho, es sorprendentemente longevo. Darwin es uno de sus autores favoritos. Tennyson también: el topo pide que le lean "La dama de Shalott". En este contexto, su gusto resulta ser similar al de Anne Shirley.
Cuando el topo le cuenta su historia a la niña, resulta que es el mismo topo cuya topera causó la muerte de Guillermo III (Guillermo de Orange), rey de Inglaterra. El topo luego se ve mezclado en los intentos de los Estuardo por recuperar el trono, y es embrujado dos veces.
When the mole tells his history to the girl, it comes out that he's the same mole whose molehill caused the death of William III (William of Orange) king of England. The mole then gets involved in the attempts of the Stuarts to recover the throne, and gets bewitched twice.
ESPAÑOL: Un libro sobre una niña que lee y habla con un topo. El topo, que sabe mucho, es sorprendentemente longevo. Darwin es uno de sus autores favoritos. Tennyson también: el topo pide que le lean "La dama de Shalott". En este contexto, su gusto resulta ser similar al de Anne Shirley.
Cuando el topo le cuenta su historia a la niña, resulta que es el mismo topo cuya topera causó la muerte de Guillermo III (Guillermo de Orange), rey de Inglaterra. El topo luego se ve mezclado en los intentos de los Estuardo por recuperar el trono, y es embrujado dos veces.
October 15, 2018
I have read only one other book by this author that being 'A Dog So Small'. The story line here had great promise however for me it was nowhere near the high poignant quality of 'A Dog So Small'. Easy reading and not unpleasant but for me far from memorable.
September 20, 2011
The Little Gentleman by Philippa Pearce
The Little Gentleman written by Phillipa Pearce and illustrated by Patrick Benson is the story of a young girl called Elizabeth (Bet) and her developing relationship with a talking mole that lives in a nearby meadow. They become friends and start to share each others life stories and experiences. We learn about the moles immortality and Bet’s role in trying to make him a normal mortal mole. The book focuses on the how young people relate to others and how important friendship is. The animals are seen as innocent and perhaps it is this innocence that reflects the way in which children in our own society view animals such as the mole.
The topic of death is not often discussed within children’s literature and it was interesting to see how this theme was handled by the author. Throughout the book the idea of the death is dealt with sensitively as when Bet comes across the body of a dead heron she is surprised and saddened. The stark reality of the herons’ death reminds us of our own mortality as she stares death in the face. This episode gives the young reader a useful perspective with which to view the immortality of the mole. Death is continually interlinked with the idea of immortality. It is revealed that the mole is immortal and has lived for about 300 years. His great age is made more real to children by the use of historical figures such as Queen Victoria. The mole himself is now tired and wishes to be mortal, and is determined to become a ‘wholly mole.’ The idea of sacrifice is also dealt with when Bet realises that if the mole becomes mortal and returns to the animal kingdom he will forget her. She finds herself not wanting to help him as she doesn’t want to lose a friend. She is then confronted with the consequences of her selfish decision and realises that a selfless act of helping the mole would be the kindest thing to do. This is a value that could be discussed within the classroom environment. There are three main characters in the book. These include the mole, the young girl and Mr Finchley. The mole is characterized as thoughtful and intelligent and he speaks to Bet with knowledge and wisdom gained through his long life. The naming of the mole as the ‘little gentlemen’ reflects this intelligence and his excellent manners. Mr Finchley provides encouragement and support for Bet at the end of the book when she has to deal with the prospect of loosing the moles friendship. The loving relationships and trust the characters have for each-other makes the story heart-warming and suitable for KS2. The small simple black and white illustrations are used frequently at the beginning of each chapter. They set the scene for the next part of the book picking up on key moments. They also help the child to visually imagine the characters, such as the mole, and the historical landscape in which the story is set.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to a child, parent, or class teacher. The language although challenging at times is appropriate for stretching a child’s vocabulary while still remaining a fun enjoyable read. This would make am ideal book for a key stage 2 reader and would make good class read as there are important issues and values to be understood.
The Little Gentleman written by Phillipa Pearce and illustrated by Patrick Benson is the story of a young girl called Elizabeth (Bet) and her developing relationship with a talking mole that lives in a nearby meadow. They become friends and start to share each others life stories and experiences. We learn about the moles immortality and Bet’s role in trying to make him a normal mortal mole. The book focuses on the how young people relate to others and how important friendship is. The animals are seen as innocent and perhaps it is this innocence that reflects the way in which children in our own society view animals such as the mole.
The topic of death is not often discussed within children’s literature and it was interesting to see how this theme was handled by the author. Throughout the book the idea of the death is dealt with sensitively as when Bet comes across the body of a dead heron she is surprised and saddened. The stark reality of the herons’ death reminds us of our own mortality as she stares death in the face. This episode gives the young reader a useful perspective with which to view the immortality of the mole. Death is continually interlinked with the idea of immortality. It is revealed that the mole is immortal and has lived for about 300 years. His great age is made more real to children by the use of historical figures such as Queen Victoria. The mole himself is now tired and wishes to be mortal, and is determined to become a ‘wholly mole.’ The idea of sacrifice is also dealt with when Bet realises that if the mole becomes mortal and returns to the animal kingdom he will forget her. She finds herself not wanting to help him as she doesn’t want to lose a friend. She is then confronted with the consequences of her selfish decision and realises that a selfless act of helping the mole would be the kindest thing to do. This is a value that could be discussed within the classroom environment. There are three main characters in the book. These include the mole, the young girl and Mr Finchley. The mole is characterized as thoughtful and intelligent and he speaks to Bet with knowledge and wisdom gained through his long life. The naming of the mole as the ‘little gentlemen’ reflects this intelligence and his excellent manners. Mr Finchley provides encouragement and support for Bet at the end of the book when she has to deal with the prospect of loosing the moles friendship. The loving relationships and trust the characters have for each-other makes the story heart-warming and suitable for KS2. The small simple black and white illustrations are used frequently at the beginning of each chapter. They set the scene for the next part of the book picking up on key moments. They also help the child to visually imagine the characters, such as the mole, and the historical landscape in which the story is set.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to a child, parent, or class teacher. The language although challenging at times is appropriate for stretching a child’s vocabulary while still remaining a fun enjoyable read. This would make am ideal book for a key stage 2 reader and would make good class read as there are important issues and values to be understood.
January 27, 2016
If Edith Nesbit had written this, it would have been funny, humane, and touching.
This is the second time I have tried to read a Pearce book, thinking, "This looks charming." But no. The word is dreary. Sorry, but I'm not giving her another chance.
The only thing I enjoyed was the key historical reference to the Jacobites' beloved "little gentleman".
This is the second time I have tried to read a Pearce book, thinking, "This looks charming." But no. The word is dreary. Sorry, but I'm not giving her another chance.
The only thing I enjoyed was the key historical reference to the Jacobites' beloved "little gentleman".
September 19, 2018
I'm really torn between giving this book 2 stars or 3
Because I kind of enjoyed it but At the same time I didn't get to experience that sense of adventure and thrill which I usually get when reading children's books.
I really didn't like the characters in this one. They felt flat and without depth as if they were there to serve one purpose which is the mole comfort.
And probably the most character I hated was the mole, he was so arrogant, selfish, butt-hurt, self centered, manipulative, insensitive, irritating, easily offended ( provoking ppl into offending him), and unfeeling.
Also the story felt really chopped up there's no linke between events whatsoever. A lot of the things don't make sense.
I didn't entirely hated it but I couldn't care less for what had happened for the mole.
I imagined that Bet and the mole would go an adventure in search for somebody to help him reverse what happened (that would've been super cool). With that being said; this by no means a bad book it just not what I thought it would be and it would have been better. #verysad
Because I kind of enjoyed it but At the same time I didn't get to experience that sense of adventure and thrill which I usually get when reading children's books.
I really didn't like the characters in this one. They felt flat and without depth as if they were there to serve one purpose which is the mole comfort.
And probably the most character I hated was the mole, he was so arrogant, selfish, butt-hurt, self centered, manipulative, insensitive, irritating, easily offended ( provoking ppl into offending him), and unfeeling.
Also the story felt really chopped up there's no linke between events whatsoever. A lot of the things don't make sense.
I didn't entirely hated it but I couldn't care less for what had happened for the mole.
I imagined that Bet and the mole would go an adventure in search for somebody to help him reverse what happened (that would've been super cool). With that being said; this by no means a bad book it just not what I thought it would be and it would have been better. #verysad
June 17, 2022
When a young girl Bet is asked to go and sit in the meadow and read a book aloud she thinks old Mr Franklin is a bit mad. But she follows his request and does just this. Soon she realises there is a very special mole that is listening to her every word.
The idea of this story is a sweet one. The mole talks and soon a friendship builds between him and this little girl. I liked the characters.
But I did have a few minor issues with this one. The book was published in 2004 and appears to be set in modern day, but some of the language used makes me feel like it's in a much older time period, and I feel like it would have worked better in this way.
I was surprised for a children's book that I had to look up the meaning of more than one word, so I'd say this one would be better for older children. I feel like some of the language is too old for the age group its targeted at, but overall it wasn't a bad read, just not a favourite one for me.
2.5⭐
The idea of this story is a sweet one. The mole talks and soon a friendship builds between him and this little girl. I liked the characters.
But I did have a few minor issues with this one. The book was published in 2004 and appears to be set in modern day, but some of the language used makes me feel like it's in a much older time period, and I feel like it would have worked better in this way.
I was surprised for a children's book that I had to look up the meaning of more than one word, so I'd say this one would be better for older children. I feel like some of the language is too old for the age group its targeted at, but overall it wasn't a bad read, just not a favourite one for me.
2.5⭐
July 4, 2024
One of the best children's books I've ever read (or had read to me ;))
Every bit as good as Pearce's famous Tom's Midnight Garden.
Maybe better.
Different, anyway.
Seems like a story for our time, about how people can and should relate to the rest of the world, and to one another. Especially to other animals (therefore habitats... so, the whole earth, again.) "Mammal to mammal", as the mole puts it, with dignity.
Every bit as good as Pearce's famous Tom's Midnight Garden.
Maybe better.
Different, anyway.
Seems like a story for our time, about how people can and should relate to the rest of the world, and to one another. Especially to other animals (therefore habitats... so, the whole earth, again.) "Mammal to mammal", as the mole puts it, with dignity.
October 3, 2018
I was a bit underwhelmed by this book. I found the mole character intriguing and the relationship he had with the protagonist was lovely, but as soon as the narrator mentioned "witchcraft", I was disappointed. I still adore Philippa Pearce though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2018
Just like "Tom's Midnight Garden", this book is so quietly beautiful. The different/parallel depictions of friendship are perfection.
March 2, 2019
A very sweet, imaginative and enjoyable read
August 12, 2019
A girl befriends a talking mole.
This was an odd short story, but I thought it was quite good.
Reading time around one hour.
This was an odd short story, but I thought it was quite good.
Reading time around one hour.
July 4, 2021
Mom bought this for me from her KL trip and I think about it fondly now and then. I was eleven when I read this for the first time and it meant a lot to me.
February 6, 2022
Cute kids book.
January 18, 2026
More depressing than anything
June 19, 2012
Mr. Franklin has fallen off his ladder and has a cast. His neighbor Mrs. Allum and her granddaughter Bet come to help him with domestic duties. Mr. Franklin asks Bet to go and sit on a log near the river and read aloud from a book about Earthworms by Charles Darwin. This unusual request by Mr. Franklin and even more unusual and miraculous events come to pass. Young Bet becomes friends with a mole!
The mole tells his lengthy adventurous story to Bet. She tries to understand his mammal life, and he tries to understand her humanity.
The mole asks pleadingly for Bet to help him, in the process she will learn the full meaning of the word friend.
A talking mole is quite original. Most animal stories seem to be mice, rats, bears, dogs, cats; but a mole? I liked it.
Bet is an unpretentious young girl. She is neither referred to as a beauty nor anything else, the focus is on her character of personality. I was so happy to read a book where character meant more than outward appearance.
There are a few drawings in the book, I consider them snippets that add to the story. There is great attention to fine details.
The mole tells his lengthy adventurous story to Bet. She tries to understand his mammal life, and he tries to understand her humanity.
The mole asks pleadingly for Bet to help him, in the process she will learn the full meaning of the word friend.
A talking mole is quite original. Most animal stories seem to be mice, rats, bears, dogs, cats; but a mole? I liked it.
Bet is an unpretentious young girl. She is neither referred to as a beauty nor anything else, the focus is on her character of personality. I was so happy to read a book where character meant more than outward appearance.
There are a few drawings in the book, I consider them snippets that add to the story. There is great attention to fine details.
August 31, 2012
What a gem! It might be that I was just in the right mood when reading it… but it is simply charming, in a most “sensible” way. The dry humorous tone mixed with such tenderness of Bet’s friendships with both the Mole and Mr. Franklin absolutely transfixed me. I couldn’t pull myself out of this make-believe world. David is almost done reading it to Lily and they both agree that this is quite a tale!
February 6, 2014
There are some beautiful parts in this book, but the writing is patchy and I had a sense of missed opportunities and a kind of far-fetched forcing of the conceit of the book (a mole of significance in British history who has had eternal life forced on him by witchcraft). There was an unfinished sense to the book in terms of the design and artfulness of narrative. I did like the main characters and felt the emotion of the friendship between girl and mole created by the author.
July 3, 2013
Another bed time book with the girls that we had to force ourselves to finish. Was promising, but just too drawn out, and quite frankly by the end, no one gave a flip about that mole!
Our next read:
Harry Potter on audio CD!
Our next read:
Harry Potter on audio CD!
August 5, 2007
This book has a very old-fashioned charm about it.
August 31, 2007
Pearce skilfully weaves history with a story about friendship and sacrifice. Large text and short chapters shouldn't fool you, this is a challenging read for 10+
April 5, 2008
Interesting book that uses and old legend about William III of England as its basis. The little Gentleman is a talking immortal mole. A fun read.
September 8, 2008
One of my favorite favorites.
July 13, 2009
A rather strange book, but interesting.
October 6, 2010
This is a very calm read, nothing too dangerous or scary. But that dosen't mean that it's not brilliant!
April 27, 2011
Interesting book.
July 14, 2011
A very interesting book about a talking mole who became extra special when a spell was cast on him. I liked the characters and the relationships created by the author were very good.
October 13, 2011
A lovely book with a surprising inspiration from British history. I enjoyed it a lot.
January 21, 2019
going in an adventure with Bet and a talking mole who loves those who read for him about worms and so onnn ...... i really loved it
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews