List of early Puffin Story Books
This is a complete list of the 149 Puffin Story Books published for children from 1941 to 1960 by Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, England.
Introductory remarks
- Brief information about the content of the books is contained in the notes, where it is available. However, the content of some books is self-explanatory as in the case of biographies and books of poems by R.L. Stevenson, Hilaire Belloc and Walter de la Mare.
- The sequence of PS numbers does not always coincide with the sequence of dates of publication. For example, Fell Farm Holiday by Marjorie Lloyd was first published in 1951 but its PS no. is 54 so that it appears among the sequence of books published in 1949. The discrepancy between PS nos and publication dates is presumably because some books take longer than others to prepare for publication. Fell Farm Holiday was in fact commissioned in 1947 though it didn't appear till 1951.
1941–1945
1946–1949
1950–1955
1956–1960
Number | Title | Author | Illustrator | Date | Notes |
PS 95 | The White Riders | Monica Edwards | Geoffrey Whittam | 1956 | More adventures on the Romney Marsh. The characters try to frighten away a property developer by recreating the ghostly White Riders from the past. |
PS 96 | The Circus Is Coming | Noel Streatfeild | Clarke Hutton | 1956 | The story of a brother and sister, Peter and Santa. When their aunt dies, there are plans to send them to orphanages. They don't want to be separated, so they run away to their Uncle Gus, who works for a circus. During the summer, in travelling with the circus, they mature and find their places in the circus community. |
PS 97 | Heidi | Johanna Spyri | Cecil Leslie | 1956 | Translated by Eileen Hall. This is the classic story of the little girl who goes to live with her grandfather who lives in seclusion. She charms and softens her grumpy grandpa and later helps a crippled girl to regain her health and walk again. |
PS 98 | The Magic Pudding | Norman Lindsay | Norman Lindsay | 1957 | Being the Adventures of Bunyip Bluegum and His Friends Bill Barnacle and Sam Sawnoff |
PS 99 | Man-Shy | Frank Dalby Davison | --- | 1956 | The story of a red heifer who learned to value freedom above everything |
PS 100 | The Puffin Song Book | Leslie Woodgate | Heather Standring | 1956 | Contents include music/lyrics for Curly Locks, Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, Bells of Aberdovey, Heidenröslein, I Saw Three Ships, etc. Well over 100 pieces. Arranged mostly for voice and piano, but also for other instruments. Also includes Cockles and Mussels, Lavender's Blue, and When Johnny Comes Marching Home, as well as carols. |
PS 101 | Robin Hood | Roger Lancelyn Green | --- | 1956 | |
PS 102 | Four Mysteries solved by Norman & Henry Bones | Anthony C. Wilson | Elizabeth Andrews | 1957 | Norman and Henry Bones, the boy detectives, famous in the B.B.C.'s Children's Hour, in four stories of mystery and detection. The boys are cousins, who live the same Norfolk village. Henry is fourteen, Norman two years older. They cycle around, and know everyone within miles of their homes. They are on pleasant terms with the local police - and they always play fair! |
PS 103 | Redcap Runs Away | Rhoda Power | C. Walter Hodges | 1957 | It tells the story of a 10-year-old boy who takes up with a band of minstrels in 14th century before the Black Death |
PS 104 | Savage Gold | Roy Fuller | Robert Medley | 1957 | A South African tale of adventure |
PS 105 | The Secret of Smugglers' Wood | R J McGregor | Elizabeth Andrews | 1957 | |
PS 106 | Storm Ahead | Monica Edwards | Geoffrey Whittam | 1957 | Further adventure on the Romney Marsh with the characters dealing with the effects of a severe storm on their village. They must deal with floods, homelessness and other misfortunes. |
PS 107 | Moon Ahead | Leslie Greener and John Hutchinson | William Pene du Bois | 1957 | A thriller about a flight to the moon, a race between the genuinely scientific party and a gang of crooks who need to get there first in order to claim control for the sake of its rich mineral resources. This is a shortened version of the original edition leaving out lengthy technical discussions |
PS 108 | Magic in my Pocket | Alison Uttley | Judith Brook | 1957 | A selection of children's tales from Uttley's books |
PS 109 | The Haunted Reef | Frank Crisp | R. M Powers | 1957 | A boy's dreams of living in the South Pacific atolls are brought to life in this adventure story about boats, lost ships and treasure-seeking. |
PS 110 | The Borrowers | Mary Norton | --- | 1957 | |
PS 111 | King Solomon's Mines | H. Rider Haggard | --- | 1958 | |
PS 112 | The Second Puffin Puzzle Book | W. E. Gladstone | Nigel Tuckley | 1958 | |
PS 113 | The Perilous Descent into a Strange Lost World | Bruce Carter | --- | 1958 | During the Second World War, two airmen are shot down and discover the entrance to an underground world. |
PS 114 | The Singing Forest | H. Mortimer Batten | Maurice Wilson | 1958 | Story of birds and animals in the forest |
PS 115 | Bush Holiday | Stephen Fennimore | Ninon MacKnight | 1958 | The story of a boy's adventures in the Australian outback |
PS 116 | The Story of the Treasure Seekers | E. Nesbit | Cecil Leslie | 1958 | The adventures of the Bastable children as they attempt to retrieve the family fortunes |
PS 117 | Going into the Past | Gordon J. Copley | --- | 1958 | Basic early history and archaeology with chapters on different periods from the Stone Age to the post Roman period |
PS 118 | Going to the Opera | Lionel Salter | --- | 1958 | |
PS 119 | Tales of the Greek Heroes | Roger Lancelyn Green | Heather Copley and Christopher Chamberlain | 1958 | Cover illustration by Betty Middleton-Sandford |
PS 120 | The Tale of Troy | Roger Lancelyn Green | Pauline Baynes | 1958 | Cover illustration by Betty Middleton-Sandford. A collection of nineteen Greek myths and legends including such tales as The Story of Prometheus, The Wanderings of Heracles, The Quest for the Golden Fleece, and The First Fall of Troy |
PS 121 | Puffin Quartet of Poets | Eleanor Farjeon, James Reeves, E V Rieu, Ian Serraillier | 1958 | An anthology of poetry, selected with introductory notes by E. Graham | - |
PS 122 | The Wouldbegoods | E. Nesbit | Cecil Leslie | 1958 | |
PS 123 | My Naughty Little Sister | Dorothy Edwards | --- | 1959 | |
PS 124 | Little Pete Stories | Leila Berg | Henrietta Garland | 1959 | |
PS 125 | Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse | Ursula Moray Williams | Peggy Fortnum | 1959 | |
PS 126 | Emil and the Detectives | Erich Kastner | Walter Trier | 1959 | |
PS 127 | The Cave Twins | Lucy Fitch Perkins | Lucy Fitch Perkins | 1959 | Story about prehistoric cave children |
PS 128 | Five Children and It | E. Nesbit | --- | 1959 | |
PS 129 | The Phoenix and the Carpet | E. Nesbit | H. R. Millar | 1959 | |
PS 130 | The Story of the Amulet | E. Nesbit | H. R. Millar | 1959 | |
PS 131 | Avalanche! | A. Rutgers van der Loeff | Alie Evers | 1959 | |
PS 132 | The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe | C. S. Lewis | Pauline Baynes | 1959 | |
PS 133 | The Good Master | Kate Seredy | Kate Seredy | 1959 | The Good Master is set in the Hungarian countryside before World War I and tells the story of wild young Kate, who goes to live with her Uncle's family when her father can't control her. |
PS 134 | Sabotage at the Forge | Richard Armstrong | L. F. Lupton | 1960 | |
PS 135 | The Story of Jesus | Eleanor Graham | Brian Wildsmith | 1959 | |
PS 136 | Six Great Englishmen | Aubrey de Selincourt | --- | 1960 | Drake, Dr. Johnson, Nelson, Marlborough, Keats, Churchill |
PS137 | The Namesake | C. Walter Hodges | --- | 1960 | - |
PS 138 | The Borrowers Afield | Mary Norton | --- | 1960 | |
PS 139 | The Saga of Asgard | Roger Lancelyn Green | Brian Wildsmith | 1960 | Also called 'Myths of the Norsemen' ? |
PS 140 | Fell Farm Campers | Marjorie Lloyd | Shirley Hughes | 1960 | |
PS 141 | Eleanor Farjeon's Book: Stories, Verses, Plays | Eleanor Farjeon, James Reeves, E.V. Rieu and Ian Serraillier | Edward Ardizzone | 1960 | |
PS 142 | The Second Puffin Quiz Book | Norman and Margaret Dixon | --- | 1960 | |
PS 143 | A Hundred Million Francs | Paul Berna | --- | 1960 | |
PS 144 | Snow Cloud Stallion | Gerald Raftery | Barrie Driscoll | 1959 | A young boy, working on his uncle's farm in Vermont, finds wild horse that had been badly treated first. He slowly tames Snow Cloud which saves a man and becomes a hero |
PS 145 | The Orphans of Simitra | Paul-Jacques Bonzon | --- | 1969 | |
PS146 | The Silver Sword | Ian Serraillier | C. Walter Hodges | 1960 | |
PS 147 | The Railway Children | E. Nesbit | C.E. Brock | 1960 | Classic tale of children living by a railway. |
PS 148 | Four Feet and Two: An Anthology of Verse | Leila Berg | Shirley Burke and Marvin Bileck | 1960 | |
PS 149 | Lucky Dip | Ruth Ainsworth' | Geraldine Spence | 1960 | A selection of stories and verses |