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Le Cycle de Louvigny #1
Le Cheval Sans Tête
Les enfants de la bande à Gaby ne possèdent qu'un trésor : un vieux cheval à roulettes qui leur permet de dévaler la rue dans de grands éclats de rire. Mais un trésor attire forcément des voleurs, ce qui entraînera les enfants dans une aventure plutôt cocasse !
216 pages, Poche
First published June 1, 1955
3 people are currently reading
346 people want to read
About the author
Paul Berna
59 books9 followersPaul Berna, est le pseudonyme le plus connu de Jean-Marie-Edmond Sabran (21 février 1908, Hyères - 19 janvier 1994, Paris), écrivain français du XXe siècle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
December 10, 2017
4.5 stars. A gang of French children have a favourite game. One of them owns what must be an old rocking horse or carousel horse that has been welded onto a chassis with three wheels. The horse having lost it's head does not lessen the children's enjoyment at all, they spend their days riding their horse down a steep road and avoiding traffic or not as the case may be.
The children get caught up in solving a bank heist. There are some great characters, we loved Marian with her 60 or so faithful dogs that she has rescued and re homed. The illustrations are wonderful, lots of great dog drawings. Their hideout sounded wonderful, we loved listening to their simple pleasures of sharing baked potatoes.
The start was 5 stars, it slowed a bit in the middle. One of the gang is black and the narator does use a derogatory term for him which was easy to leave out as a read aloud.
The children get caught up in solving a bank heist. There are some great characters, we loved Marian with her 60 or so faithful dogs that she has rescued and re homed. The illustrations are wonderful, lots of great dog drawings. Their hideout sounded wonderful, we loved listening to their simple pleasures of sharing baked potatoes.
The start was 5 stars, it slowed a bit in the middle. One of the gang is black and the narator does use a derogatory term for him which was easy to leave out as a read aloud.
Read
June 24, 2008In English, The Horse Without a Head is one of my top ten favorite books EVER. Ever. I must have read it about 40 times in English; this is the second time I've read it in French. Having read 3 or 4 novels en francais in the past year, I think it's fair to say that the prose here is the most difficult I've come across--full of slang and technical terms (the setting is brutally urban, a busy rail junction and industrial area in post world-war-two Parisian slums), and the plot is so darn full of twists and turns that I STILL can't quite follow it. But the ten kids are WONDERFUL and the details are so incredibly evocative that you just skip over the bits you can't follow. Marion, la fille aux chiens, is my original hero--with her green eyes and man's jacket and sixty slavering dogs who obey her every whim--and the scenes of mayhem in the abandoned costume-and-gag factory are just... indescribable. The villains are evil, the heroes youthful and honorable, brave and destitute, and Gaby's gang even includes a couple of minority kids... this in a book written in 1955.
I first read it at the age of 7 in a Book-of-the-Month club edition published in the US in 1958, translated by John Buchanan-Brown and grittily illustrated by Richard Kennedy. The same translation was published in the UK, but for the US edition they edited out all references to A) the kids smoking (!!!) and B) the grown-ups sharing an occasional glass of wine! Apart from that, the US edition is curiously more elegant and readable than its British counterpart, suggesting a better editor (despite its having been cleaned up for its 1950s American audience). I won't tell you the title of the British version, as it is a MASSIVE SPOILER for the denouement. WHYYYY??? Why would any editor do such a thing?
Long out of print in all three countries, if you can get hold of any edition I highly recommend it. Even if I still don't know what the heck a box of mimosa is.
I first read it at the age of 7 in a Book-of-the-Month club edition published in the US in 1958, translated by John Buchanan-Brown and grittily illustrated by Richard Kennedy. The same translation was published in the UK, but for the US edition they edited out all references to A) the kids smoking (!!!) and B) the grown-ups sharing an occasional glass of wine! Apart from that, the US edition is curiously more elegant and readable than its British counterpart, suggesting a better editor (despite its having been cleaned up for its 1950s American audience). I won't tell you the title of the British version, as it is a MASSIVE SPOILER for the denouement. WHYYYY??? Why would any editor do such a thing?
Long out of print in all three countries, if you can get hold of any edition I highly recommend it. Even if I still don't know what the heck a box of mimosa is.
March 8, 2017
This was the book that paved the way for my love of European crime writing! In my world of English 1950s childhood-reading I was yawning my way through the cosy picnics of Enid Blyton when, one day in the library, I found this story of French street kids, street life, street games, the theft of their beloved, headless, wooden horse and their determined, pell-mell pursuit of the thieves. It was a mind-opener for me after which I couldn't get my hands on enough stories in translation - which still holds true.
Read
February 27, 2012Inspector Sinet took a good look at her. She was an odd sort of girl, not yet twelve and wretchedly poor, and yet there was something about her that made you think twice. She was worth having on your side.
For STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS, no one EVEN COMES CLOSE to Marion Fabert. You just can’t beat her. 1955, in too-short skirt and cut-down man’s jacket, gold fringe beneath a black beret — the gang’s treasurer, tough as nails, vet to every dog in Louvigny, with a dozen dog patients kept in cast-off rabbit hutches at the bottom of her despairing single parent’s garden. Marion is not the protagonist of this novel, but she is the heroine. She is the strongest, most memorable character in the book —an original, nobody’s sidekick, although she is Fernand’s best friend.
’Hey!’ called Marion.
The astonished men turned, and their hands hung useless and their jaws dropped to see the girl and her sixty silent, straining dogs standing behind them. The dogs were waiting as though they were held back only by some invisible leash.
‘Go on!’ cried Marion in a shrill voice. ‘Catch ‘em! Pull ‘em down! Rotten bums who steal the kids’ toys in Poverty Lane!’
With a joyful bound the dogs fell to work.
For STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS, no one EVEN COMES CLOSE to Marion Fabert. You just can’t beat her. 1955, in too-short skirt and cut-down man’s jacket, gold fringe beneath a black beret — the gang’s treasurer, tough as nails, vet to every dog in Louvigny, with a dozen dog patients kept in cast-off rabbit hutches at the bottom of her despairing single parent’s garden. Marion is not the protagonist of this novel, but she is the heroine. She is the strongest, most memorable character in the book —an original, nobody’s sidekick, although she is Fernand’s best friend.
’Hey!’ called Marion.
The astonished men turned, and their hands hung useless and their jaws dropped to see the girl and her sixty silent, straining dogs standing behind them. The dogs were waiting as though they were held back only by some invisible leash.
‘Go on!’ cried Marion in a shrill voice. ‘Catch ‘em! Pull ‘em down! Rotten bums who steal the kids’ toys in Poverty Lane!’
With a joyful bound the dogs fell to work.
December 28, 2025
Old books have the best things in them. Reminds me how much I enjoy good third person omniscient. Enjoyable read, different from the rest of books I’ve been going through but a nice Sunday break kinda book. And the mystery is decent too!
Content Warnings: A use of a—- and b—— (in the actual original terms, not as swears. A few non-Caucasian characters are referred to in detrimental racial terms.
Content Warnings: A use of a—- and b—— (in the actual original terms, not as swears. A few non-Caucasian characters are referred to in detrimental racial terms.
February 14, 2015
Я долго не могла взяться за эту книгу как следует, и виной всему первые страницы. Безнадежно грустные: дети бедняков играют с безголовой деревянной лошадкой на колесиках. И аннотация вдобавок обещала, что единственную радость у ребят скоро украдут – что совсем не способствовало желанию окунуться в чтение. Пофилонив три недели, я наконец снова принялась за книгу и прочитала буквально в один присест – благодаря маленьким героям, их родителям, инспектору Синэ и многострадальной лошадке, к которым я привязалась с тем самых первых страниц, которые ранее вызывали у меня ступор.
Книга теплая и искренняя, а бедняцкая жизнь не воспринимается как нечто из ряда вон выходящее. Да, ребятам особенно некуда разгуляться в финансовом плане, но зато у них есть крепкая дружба, рождающая сплоченность в любом замышляемом деле. Они довольствуются малым, и к возможным миллионам относятся просто как к куче денег. Они честны и всегда платят по долгам. Приключений их ждет много, причем некоторые они намеренно призовут на свои головы. Но если эта ватага и не выйдет из передряги победителями, то уж точно не позволит себе сидеть и киснуть по этому поводу ;)
Отличная книга. Я прикипела к ней всем сердцем, хотя ожидания были не самые радужные. Отдельное спасибо волшебной Марион с ее верными четвероногими друзьями, сероглазой умнице и благодетельнице, которая грела душу даже в самой (казалось бы) безвыходной ситуации.
annikeh.net
Книга теплая и искренняя, а бедняцкая жизнь не воспринимается как нечто из ряда вон выходящее. Да, ребятам особенно некуда разгуляться в финансовом плане, но зато у них есть крепкая дружба, рождающая сплоченность в любом замышляемом деле. Они довольствуются малым, и к возможным миллионам относятся просто как к куче денег. Они честны и всегда платят по долгам. Приключений их ждет много, причем некоторые они намеренно призовут на свои головы. Но если эта ватага и не выйдет из передряги победителями, то уж точно не позволит себе сидеть и киснуть по этому поводу ;)
Отличная книга. Я прикипела к ней всем сердцем, хотя ожидания были не самые радужные. Отдельное спасибо волшебной Марион с ее верными четвероногими друзьями, сероглазой умнице и благодетельнице, которая грела душу даже в самой (казалось бы) безвыходной ситуации.
annikeh.net
January 31, 2025
Great story of ordinary life in France in the post-WWII period that turns into first a mystery, then a rollicking, ridiculous comedy. It has a little in common with something like Emil and the Detectives, but when things really get going it's a lot like the movie Home Alone. While a great deal of the book is about the internal activities of a gang of children, I appreciated the interaction between kids and adults as well as the variety of the adult roles that were depicted.
Apart from the title (which is a bit of a spoiler), this UK edition is preferable to the US one (which goes by the title The Horse Without a Head) because it doesn't translate the street names. I think everything is pretty much the same. The US one does have a very brief pronuciation guide that the UK one lacks. Maybe there was an expectation in the 1950s that UK readers would have at least a bit of French under their belts.
Apart from the title (which is a bit of a spoiler), this UK edition is preferable to the US one (which goes by the title The Horse Without a Head) because it doesn't translate the street names. I think everything is pretty much the same. The US one does have a very brief pronuciation guide that the UK one lacks. Maybe there was an expectation in the 1950s that UK readers would have at least a bit of French under their belts.
August 10, 2021
A group of ten kids in Paris shares the joy of riding downhill on a toy they call the horse. And then some sketchy men steal the horse. Why? And where did they take it? How can the children work together to get the horse back?
A 1001 Children's Book You Must Read.
A 1001 Children's Book You Must Read.
June 28, 2016
Vaeses prantsuse agulis elavate lastekamba jaoks on oluline vaid üks ja ainus mänguasi - vana peata hobune, millega saab täiskiirusel mööda tänavaid alla kihutada. Äkitselt hakkavad igasugu kahtlased tegelased nende hobuse vastu huvi tundma ning soovivad seda suure summa eest ära osta. Lapsed pole nõus oma mänguasjast loobuma ning ühel päeval hobune varastatakse. Politsei ei võta kadunud hobuse juhtumit tõsiselt ja nii ei jää lastel muud üle kui uurimine enda kätte võtta. Lõpuks on loosse segatud nii pangaröövlid kui miljonid varastatud frankid.
"Peata hobune" ilmus eesti keeles 1963. aastal ja kuulus mu ema lemmikute hulka ning oli ka minu lapsepõlve lahutamatu osa (tookordne raamat oli juba nii kapsaks loetud, et ema ostis mulle uue koopia). Lugesin nüüd uuesti läbi ja see meeldis mulle ikka veel väga. Minu arvates on tegu sellise lasteraamatuga, mis tänapäevalgi uue põlvkonna laste poolt lugemist väärib - selles on seiklust ja põnevust, rõõmu ja kurbust ning sõprust, kuid ei midagi ülihirmsat või ebamaist.
"Peata hobune" ilmus eesti keeles 1963. aastal ja kuulus mu ema lemmikute hulka ning oli ka minu lapsepõlve lahutamatu osa (tookordne raamat oli juba nii kapsaks loetud, et ema ostis mulle uue koopia). Lugesin nüüd uuesti läbi ja see meeldis mulle ikka veel väga. Minu arvates on tegu sellise lasteraamatuga, mis tänapäevalgi uue põlvkonna laste poolt lugemist väärib - selles on seiklust ja põnevust, rõõmu ja kurbust ning sõprust, kuid ei midagi ülihirmsat või ebamaist.
September 10, 2008
I didn't even know that this book had been re-released (I've read this when I was a child, and I still have my old, battered copy with me!). It deserves it, because it's truly entertaining, and outstanding because it's not really about children going happily on a vacation and get involved in an unexpected adventure, or of unfortunate children under pressure who suddenly find that there's some Destiny waiting for them... anyway.
The story is about some poor children living in a slum area, who don't even care about what poverty is, and who think everyone past 12 years old has lost their intelligence for good. One of their major fun was a headless rocking horse, now given wheels to slide adventurously from the top of hilly roads. One day they find that they are not the only people interested in the ugly horse...
The story is about some poor children living in a slum area, who don't even care about what poverty is, and who think everyone past 12 years old has lost their intelligence for good. One of their major fun was a headless rocking horse, now given wheels to slide adventurously from the top of hilly roads. One day they find that they are not the only people interested in the ugly horse...
October 3, 2011
Small gang of poor, suburb, post WWII children are getting back their toy horse, which was mysteriously stolen by some suspiciois adults.
The book is very wordy, excessive in details, not entirely thought out in the way story progresses. Another obvious flaw is that the children characters are somewhat cheesy: all of them are only brave or funny and thoughtfull and nothing else. Also me and Sonya knew what will happen with the horse from the beggining, it was obvious. But still, the book had some good moments and it has this atmosphere of post-war. collapsed world where children still trying to squeeze some fun out of nothing.
There was a British film named "Horse with no head" made in 60's and based on this book, but I couldn't find it and have no idea if it's any good.
The book is very wordy, excessive in details, not entirely thought out in the way story progresses. Another obvious flaw is that the children characters are somewhat cheesy: all of them are only brave or funny and thoughtfull and nothing else. Also me and Sonya knew what will happen with the horse from the beggining, it was obvious. But still, the book had some good moments and it has this atmosphere of post-war. collapsed world where children still trying to squeeze some fun out of nothing.
There was a British film named "Horse with no head" made in 60's and based on this book, but I couldn't find it and have no idea if it's any good.
July 19, 2014
I read this a few times as a child. The kids would be allowed to roam the streets of Paris in a gang, all hours of day and night, they would regularly break into a warehouse where all kinds of stuff was piled up that nobody seemed to come back for, and every dog in the city came when one girl whistled.
But it was an adventure and we were short of books. I am sure it recreated the times well.
The title refers to an awful lot of money that was piled up in the warehouse, just like everything else. The kids thought it must be play money mustn't it?
But it was an adventure and we were short of books. I am sure it recreated the times well.
The title refers to an awful lot of money that was piled up in the warehouse, just like everything else. The kids thought it must be play money mustn't it?
June 1, 2018
I first read this book (in translation) when I was very very small, and continued to re-read it throughout my childhood - having bought a copy recently in a fit of nostalgia, it more than stands the test of time. Also Marion continues to be awesome.
'They won't stop us having fun together in a hurry'
'They won't stop us having fun together in a hurry'
September 3, 2016
Such a great book, I've read it I dunno how many times. It's a terrific mystery set in post WW II France, and the plot rockets right along, but it's also about how love beautifies everything. Highly recommended.
February 14, 2016
If you have a child who isn't completely hooked on typical American stories, he or she just might enjoy 'meeting' this gang of French kids.
April 25, 2016
I thought this book was good because it had a lot of action in it
June 1, 2021
This is one of those strange books from my childhood - something I think I picked up at a secondhand book sale because it had a horse in the title but turned out, disappointingly, to not be about a horse at all.
I really don't know why I kept it for all these years; I think every time I opened it, I was half-hoping for it to be a different story than the one I'd remembered. As I was reading through it again this time, I kept thinking: this would probably make a better movie than it does a book. It has a madcap pace with a bunch of entirely implausible scenarios, a rowdy cast of characters, and a theatrical feel to it. Of course, when I looked it up, it'd already been turned into a Disney movie in the '60s, which...judging from the preview I watched, did not do the book any sort of justice.
Apparently I've also had a censored edition; another review notes that the US translation takes out all mentions of cigarettes and wine, which makes me wonder what else was changed in the process. That makes it a bit easier to let go of this book, now that I've read it once more and reminded myself that no, it's really not about a horse, and it never was one of my childhood favorites.
There is plenty to like about this story, and I think it was the unique, European setting and vibrant characterizations that made me hold onto it for so long. It wasn't like much else I was reading when I was still in the single digits, and I was particularly fascinated by the smart, fiercely independent girl who'd earned the love and loyalty of every single dog in her post-war, poverty-stricken French town.
While Marion was always my favorite, she's not the main character; there isn't really one. This is a story about a group of ten kids who form a "gang" of friends. They're rambunctious but honest; they have nothing and make the most of it, anyway.
The title character is a battered old toy horse mounted on tricycle wheels - a gift from a loving railroad-working father to his son, by way of a ragpicker who'd fished it out of the rubble of a WW2 bombed-out house. Since this was the 50's, the kids' version of "playing" with the horse is to ride it from the top of a hill down to the street, like an out-of-control bicycle or sled, inevitably crashing into people or property or fences and skinning their knees and breaking apart the horse in the process. While one mother mildly complains about the potential of broken necks, the parents and local constabulary mostly approve of this game, figuring it keeps the kids busy and out of trouble.
Which is true...until they get mixed up with an actual gang of thieves who suddenly see the broken-up headless horse as something immensely valuable.
I like mysteries and crime stories, but this one both stretches out too long and has too many silly plot threads for me to really get all that attached to it. The horse gets stolen pretty early on, and for 80% of the book, the kids aren't even looking for it...they're setting up a clubhouse in an abandoned shed; roasting potatoes over a fire that scares the neighbors, who don't want their homes to be burnt down by carelessly tended flames; and slowly managing to unravel a big mystery that's stumped all the police in London.
There were some bits that didn't make sense...like Marion sharply telling the other kids to stay out of the room where the stolen money was eventually found. It seemed obvious that she'd seen something important at this point, but she later told the Inspector that they'd all seen the money and just assumed it was fake. Was she lying? Had Berna intended to write it a different way, changed his mind, and forgotten to edit it?
Then there's the whole bit with the peddler Roublot, whom the kids all hate because he got their leader arrested over a false charge. It's a good way to set him up as someone dislikable, but it doesn't fit with his shifty demeanor and clear fear of the police; as a criminal trying his best to escape notice, he'd never put himself in the spotlight over something as stupid as a lighter the kid didn't even steal from him.
Also, as much as I loved the idea of an eleven year old girl who was obeyed flawlessly by every single dog she'd ever met, the climax with Marion summoning up all the dogs to attack the thieves was more than a little absurd. Dramatic and exciting but not really all that logical, when it turned out to be the police who swept in and saved the day anyway. I guess the one part that is pretty realistic is that the kids spent days playing in and destroying the old factory without finding or giving a fig about the stolen treasure. They're not detectives or geniuses; they're just kids who wanted their toy horse back.
A fun enough story that has its charm, but I never got hooked on it as a kid, and my impressions haven't changed much as an adult.
I really don't know why I kept it for all these years; I think every time I opened it, I was half-hoping for it to be a different story than the one I'd remembered. As I was reading through it again this time, I kept thinking: this would probably make a better movie than it does a book. It has a madcap pace with a bunch of entirely implausible scenarios, a rowdy cast of characters, and a theatrical feel to it. Of course, when I looked it up, it'd already been turned into a Disney movie in the '60s, which...judging from the preview I watched, did not do the book any sort of justice.
Apparently I've also had a censored edition; another review notes that the US translation takes out all mentions of cigarettes and wine, which makes me wonder what else was changed in the process. That makes it a bit easier to let go of this book, now that I've read it once more and reminded myself that no, it's really not about a horse, and it never was one of my childhood favorites.
There is plenty to like about this story, and I think it was the unique, European setting and vibrant characterizations that made me hold onto it for so long. It wasn't like much else I was reading when I was still in the single digits, and I was particularly fascinated by the smart, fiercely independent girl who'd earned the love and loyalty of every single dog in her post-war, poverty-stricken French town.
While Marion was always my favorite, she's not the main character; there isn't really one. This is a story about a group of ten kids who form a "gang" of friends. They're rambunctious but honest; they have nothing and make the most of it, anyway.
The title character is a battered old toy horse mounted on tricycle wheels - a gift from a loving railroad-working father to his son, by way of a ragpicker who'd fished it out of the rubble of a WW2 bombed-out house. Since this was the 50's, the kids' version of "playing" with the horse is to ride it from the top of a hill down to the street, like an out-of-control bicycle or sled, inevitably crashing into people or property or fences and skinning their knees and breaking apart the horse in the process. While one mother mildly complains about the potential of broken necks, the parents and local constabulary mostly approve of this game, figuring it keeps the kids busy and out of trouble.
Which is true...until they get mixed up with an actual gang of thieves who suddenly see the broken-up headless horse as something immensely valuable.
I like mysteries and crime stories, but this one both stretches out too long and has too many silly plot threads for me to really get all that attached to it. The horse gets stolen pretty early on, and for 80% of the book, the kids aren't even looking for it...they're setting up a clubhouse in an abandoned shed; roasting potatoes over a fire that scares the neighbors, who don't want their homes to be burnt down by carelessly tended flames; and slowly managing to unravel a big mystery that's stumped all the police in London.
There were some bits that didn't make sense...like Marion sharply telling the other kids to stay out of the room where the stolen money was eventually found. It seemed obvious that she'd seen something important at this point, but she later told the Inspector that they'd all seen the money and just assumed it was fake. Was she lying? Had Berna intended to write it a different way, changed his mind, and forgotten to edit it?
Then there's the whole bit with the peddler Roublot, whom the kids all hate because he got their leader arrested over a false charge. It's a good way to set him up as someone dislikable, but it doesn't fit with his shifty demeanor and clear fear of the police; as a criminal trying his best to escape notice, he'd never put himself in the spotlight over something as stupid as a lighter the kid didn't even steal from him.
Also, as much as I loved the idea of an eleven year old girl who was obeyed flawlessly by every single dog she'd ever met, the climax with Marion summoning up all the dogs to attack the thieves was more than a little absurd. Dramatic and exciting but not really all that logical, when it turned out to be the police who swept in and saved the day anyway. I guess the one part that is pretty realistic is that the kids spent days playing in and destroying the old factory without finding or giving a fig about the stolen treasure. They're not detectives or geniuses; they're just kids who wanted their toy horse back.
A fun enough story that has its charm, but I never got hooked on it as a kid, and my impressions haven't changed much as an adult.
January 30, 2021
Ma ei julge 100% kindlalt väita, et seda raamatut ka lapsena lugesin. Aga ju vist ikka lugesin - nii mõnedki tegelased ja tegevused tundusid tuttavatena.
Raamatu tegevus viib meid 70 aasta tagusesse Prantsusmaale, kus kümnepealine vaeste laste kamp veedab aega peata hobusel kihutades. Ootamatult muutub aga väärtusetu hobune ütlemata hinnaliseks. Püüdes selles selgusele jõuda, satuvad lapsed nii mõnegi seikluse keskele ning lood kisuvad lõpuks ikka üsna kriminaalseks.
Kuigi lugu oli vahva ja sündmustik põnev, on ta veidi ajale jalgu jäänud, ma kardan. Mitte seepärast, et tegevus viib meid hoopis teise ajastusse, kus tänaval mängimine oli normaalne, sajakilomeetrise tunnikiirusega mäest alla sõites ei tulnud pähegi kiivrit kanda või lapsed hulkusid päevad läbi tänavatel. Pigem on midagi loo jutustamisstiilis või tegevuse lihtsuses, mis jättis ta minu jaoks natuke kaugeks.
Tegelased olid aga väga vahvad - kuigi pean tõdema, et ka nende puhul jäi avamine veidi pealiskaudseks (võib-olla on asi ka selles, et paralleelselt loen praegu lastele Lindgreni ning tema tegelased on palju elavamad ja viimistletumad). Vaieldamatuks lemmikus on kindlameelne noor Marion, kellele kuuletub kuuekümnepealine koertekari. Lastekampa kuulus ka vähemusi - Juan-Hispaanlane ja Neegripoiss.
Soovitan seda aga kindlasti ka oma kaheksa-aastasele tütrele. Põnev oleks teada, mida tema arvab. Eriti praegu, kui ta on just avastanud LasseMaia detektiivibüroo seiklused.
Raamatu tegevus viib meid 70 aasta tagusesse Prantsusmaale, kus kümnepealine vaeste laste kamp veedab aega peata hobusel kihutades. Ootamatult muutub aga väärtusetu hobune ütlemata hinnaliseks. Püüdes selles selgusele jõuda, satuvad lapsed nii mõnegi seikluse keskele ning lood kisuvad lõpuks ikka üsna kriminaalseks.
Kuigi lugu oli vahva ja sündmustik põnev, on ta veidi ajale jalgu jäänud, ma kardan. Mitte seepärast, et tegevus viib meid hoopis teise ajastusse, kus tänaval mängimine oli normaalne, sajakilomeetrise tunnikiirusega mäest alla sõites ei tulnud pähegi kiivrit kanda või lapsed hulkusid päevad läbi tänavatel. Pigem on midagi loo jutustamisstiilis või tegevuse lihtsuses, mis jättis ta minu jaoks natuke kaugeks.
Tegelased olid aga väga vahvad - kuigi pean tõdema, et ka nende puhul jäi avamine veidi pealiskaudseks (võib-olla on asi ka selles, et paralleelselt loen praegu lastele Lindgreni ning tema tegelased on palju elavamad ja viimistletumad). Vaieldamatuks lemmikus on kindlameelne noor Marion, kellele kuuletub kuuekümnepealine koertekari. Lastekampa kuulus ka vähemusi - Juan-Hispaanlane ja Neegripoiss.
Soovitan seda aga kindlasti ka oma kaheksa-aastasele tütrele. Põnev oleks teada, mida tema arvab. Eriti praegu, kui ta on just avastanud LasseMaia detektiivibüroo seiklused.
February 18, 2021
A heartwarming tale about a bunch of children in France, who are from lower income families. They hardly have any toys at all and when even the one toy they do have is rudely taken away from them, they tenaciously cling on to its recovery, going so far as to lodge an official complaint with the police and conducting their own investigation- leading them to the discovery of massive fraudulent activity. One thing I specially liked about this book was the amazing character of Marion. No sidekick or nominal female character was she! She basically saves the day- she and her dogs! Very gratifying that a male author of this era wrote such a wonderful character!
October 12, 2021
Fun kids' caper story in the vein of Emil and the Detectives. Marion is an incredible character! I see there are sequels, so I will be looking out for them.
Only four stars because of casual racism (it was originally written in the 1950s) and also because this book could really have done with a map!
Only four stars because of casual racism (it was originally written in the 1950s) and also because this book could really have done with a map!
September 5, 2022
Este libro me causó traumas durante la infancia ya que maltrataban a un caballo de madera😞😞, y como ya sabéis los caballos🐎🐎 son mi pasión. Siempre que puedo quemo dos páginas de este libro para liberar mi furia contra el autor, de todas formas le puse un 5 debido a que le dan visibilidad a la comunidad caballista, la cual está invisibilizada, ARRIBA LOS CABALLOS!!🐴🐴😍❤️
May 12, 2025
entertaining if a little dated adventure story for kids
March 16, 2019
I really enjoyed this, though it was quite a challenge for my French! It reminded me of some of the child-centred Spanish comedies of the 1960s and 70s without the sentimental schlock-- but these are poor kids in the railyards of postwar France, not well-to-do Spanish darlings who "just happen" to form a singing group in their spare time. Reading it, I thought it would make an excellent film, and I guess Disney UK got the same idea in about 1963, though I never heard of or saw the movie.
Gaby is the head of his "gang" of 10 friends, from age 11 down to little Bonbon who must be five or six. Gaby says that after age 12 a kid isn't a kid anymore, they get stupid and are "no good" for fun and games (an idea I ran across decades ago in one of Ray Bradbury's short stories). In those days, of course, many poor children had to start earning at least a crust or two of their daily bread at that age--and many joined the fulltime adult workforce by 14, so the idea holds water. The kids have only one toy, a three-wheeled papier mache horse that somehow lost both head and tail before it got to them, along with its pedals and drive chain. The "horse" was given as it was to one of the kids as a Christmas present, and they all think it's the greatest thing ever. Who cares that it can only roll downhill and has to be pushed or carried back up? The best fun they know is doing "suicide runs" down their narrow winding street, seeing who can fly the farthest when they fall off. But along come some grownups and steal their horse, for reasons the kids can't imagine. All they want is to get it back, and the chase is on!
I like the fact that the girls are active members of the gang, not just cheerers and lookers-on. Marion in particular spends her time rescuing and tending to hurt and abandoned dogs, and they in turn are devoted to her, no matter who takes them in as pets. They come at her call and obey her in silence, like a band of guardian angels. The other kids, even the oldest boys, listen when she says "No" and do as she suggests without a murmur, because they know she's smart.
How things have changed; the adults in Berna's world are aware that the kids look up to them and believe they can always help out, that Dad or Mr. X have all the answers they need, which makes the grownups want to live up to that respect. I don't know whether this book was intended for young readers or for nostalgic grownups, but whoever the intended audience was, readers had larger vocabularies than now.
Gaby is the head of his "gang" of 10 friends, from age 11 down to little Bonbon who must be five or six. Gaby says that after age 12 a kid isn't a kid anymore, they get stupid and are "no good" for fun and games (an idea I ran across decades ago in one of Ray Bradbury's short stories). In those days, of course, many poor children had to start earning at least a crust or two of their daily bread at that age--and many joined the fulltime adult workforce by 14, so the idea holds water. The kids have only one toy, a three-wheeled papier mache horse that somehow lost both head and tail before it got to them, along with its pedals and drive chain. The "horse" was given as it was to one of the kids as a Christmas present, and they all think it's the greatest thing ever. Who cares that it can only roll downhill and has to be pushed or carried back up? The best fun they know is doing "suicide runs" down their narrow winding street, seeing who can fly the farthest when they fall off. But along come some grownups and steal their horse, for reasons the kids can't imagine. All they want is to get it back, and the chase is on!
I like the fact that the girls are active members of the gang, not just cheerers and lookers-on. Marion in particular spends her time rescuing and tending to hurt and abandoned dogs, and they in turn are devoted to her, no matter who takes them in as pets. They come at her call and obey her in silence, like a band of guardian angels. The other kids, even the oldest boys, listen when she says "No" and do as she suggests without a murmur, because they know she's smart.
How things have changed; the adults in Berna's world are aware that the kids look up to them and believe they can always help out, that Dad or Mr. X have all the answers they need, which makes the grownups want to live up to that respect. I don't know whether this book was intended for young readers or for nostalgic grownups, but whoever the intended audience was, readers had larger vocabularies than now.
October 19, 2017
I heard about this author by reading the blog https://parisianfields.com/ which is a wonderful exploration of all things Paris. In one blog, one of the authors Philippa Campsie, was writing about one of her favourite books from her childhood written by Paul Berna, It inspired me to look up his books and so I started with the first in the series. I heartily enjoyed this glimpse into the world of the past of post war Paris in one of the poorer neighbourhoods. It is a portrait of the resilience of the human spirit and such good fun. It is a portrait of a bygone era when kids could roam their neighbourhoods unburdened by parent supervision. when children could experiment with the limits of their own characters, here in the ability to race through the suburban streets on the back of a headless three wheeled horse! I enjoyed it immensely.
July 29, 2011
J'ai un bon souvenir de ce livre, même si dans le détail je serai incapable de raconter ce qui se passe dedans. Je me souviens qu'on suit un groupe de gosses qui utilise un cheval à roulettes (sans tête, bien sûr) pour dévaler les rues en pente de... Paris ? Ou de la ville dans laquelle ça se passe en tout cas...
Sorti de ça... Il devait pourtant y avoir un peu plus pour que j'en ai gardé un bon souvenir.
Sorti de ça... Il devait pourtant y avoir un peu plus pour que j'en ai gardé un bon souvenir.
May 5, 2018
A group of French kiddos are given a broken-down toy horse that fast becomes they're favorite pastime. But it links them to a group of robber and makes life much more interesting for them than they'd bargained for.
On the vintage children's books scale, this one leans more toward dated than charming, I'm afraid.
On the vintage children's books scale, this one leans more toward dated than charming, I'm afraid.
Want to read
March 31, 2011A particular favourite of mine, as much for Richard Kennedy's delicate illustrations (in the English edition) as for the story.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ent...
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ent...
June 19, 2013
I read this in the English translation called "The Horse without a Head". I loved the tale of the French children outwitting a gang of robbers, and the description of their lives. One of my faves as a middle reader!
May 16, 2011
This book reminded me in passing of Postern of Fate, the very first Christie mystery I ever read.
August 4, 2014
I read this because Elizabeth Wein recommended it. A gang of French kids in the 50s taking on a gang of robbers. Mystery and mayhem. Kids Solving Things. I liked it. (I read it in Swedish.)
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