The book that was many a childhood; (and inspiration for constantly striving to get in trouble as big and as funny as the characters';) This is a book that was and still is in a category of its won, as being by far the most hilarious, imaginative, down-to-earth, exciting, enriching collection of tales. It still warms the heart and has come to represent something timeless that we sort of lost along the way of growing up. Told in such simple words, in snapshots from a slower, livelier world, it captures everything in tones unique to the times and the place many of us came from - the archetypical small village where people had rather small minds but still possessed big hearts. Something for our children to read one day, this one, if we can but keep some of the world around them authentic and worth exploring.