The Caravan Puppets
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Cover Story
The illustration on the cover of this issue of Books for Keeps shows the arrival of King Sahure's funeral procession at the pyramid at Abusir around 2473 BC. Reconstructed from archaeological evidence, this illustration by David Salariya and Shirley Willis is taken from Ancient Egypt by Rosalie and Antony E. David, published by Kingfisher in the History as Evidence series (0 86272 091 5, £3.95). We are grateful to Kingfisher for help in using this illustration. (See Information Please, pages 20-21)
The Caravan Puppets
Vanessa Julian-Ottie
Too often, this author is exclusively associated with Paddington. Fine as those books are, this one reminds us of his versatility. Each of the puppets made by old Mr Briggs has a rich provenance, none more so than the performing mouse, Elmer Knickerbocker. The children put on a show using the puppets which enlivens both their summer holiday and the rural community. Places and people are beautifully characterised: Bond lets his characters speak for themselves and my nine year old co-readers were fascinated by Mr Briggs' travelling tales. Some fine showbusiness touches, and an involving tale from start to finish.