Tuesday 17 February 2009

An influential book

I love looking at lists of people's favourite books. I used to swap lists of my top three with people I met, without which I'd never have read In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje or A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, both of which will stay with me for life. Both authors are inspiring story-tellers (and tell inspiring stories) and write beautiful prose. Both write of aspiration and despair but don't leave you feeling hopeless.


So it's strange that the book I write about here, which I love above almost all others, is so incredibly simple. I was reminded of it a few weeks ago; the Little Helper has discovered our family's love of books (he is currently asleep in his cot upstairs with four board books), and the books that we (and my parents) read to him most are the Topsy and Tim books. I don't know how much he understands but he will sit absolutely still and with utter concentration as we read them to him. He loves Topsy but doesn't seem to have much time for Tim and won't mention his name.

My favourite of this series (and by the way I am talking about the books as I first read them in the 70s - not the redrawn and rewritten editions of the 80s and 90s which I find boring and mediocre) is Topsy and Tim's Friday Book. There is just so much to love about this book: a Party invitation! Dressing up! Burnt cork moustaches and pretend earrings! Party tea! Prizes! It sums up the best of my childhood. We did all of these things frequently. My mother organised the most marvellous parties and created delicious teas (oh, the sophistication of party dip and crisps!) with homemade cakes made to look like Dougal from the Magic Roundabout, individual jellies with the colour from the hundreds-and-thousands melting across the surface and tiny pink meringues. My father made up amazing games - eating crisps noisily through a microphone or filling in the noises in a story. And then there was Hunt the Smarties - dozens of small girls in long party dresses (this was the 70s after all!) scouring the house for hidden stashes of Smarties to fill up empty Smarties tubes.

So here are my favourite pictures from the story:


I love this picture - Mummy in her lovely dress at her sewing machine making dressing up outfits for Topsy and Tim and what I like most is the yellow ric-rac she's sewing on the waistcoats (I had an identical waistcoat and matching trousers in royal blue, but with red ric-rac). I like to think that maybe this picture inspired my love of sewing for children.



Here are Topsy and Tim on their way to the party, and there's Mummy, always in her hat and gloves, and look, there's Tony Welch dressed as a box of matches. Incidentally, it is impossible to say the words "Wait for me" to me or my two sisters without us completing the phrase "...called Tony Welch's voice, I'm a box of matches". I know it must annoy everyone, but it invariably makes us laugh.


And my favourite picture, the party tea. See, none of your cut up carrot and cucumber sticks or cherry tomatoes here. This is what party tea should be - sticky, sweet and an unadulterated treat.

I love this book because it makes me happy. It makes my children happy. It is uncomplicated and true and I will never grow tired of reading it.

10 comments:

  1. What a lovely story. I love the 'wait for me I'm a box of matches'! And fab illustrations.

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  2. Lovely post and the book looks great, I hadn't heard of those before.

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  3. Don't you have a picture of you somewhere in the blue outfit with ric rac- maybe you could add it to your blog??? Love Cx (Nickynackynoo's sister who also loves T opsy and Timbooks and has been buying up early editions from ebay!Sadly never got the hang of sewing, though..)

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  4. Just to add, yold my husband about this, and guess what, it was his favorite book when he was little! Going to have to start searching ebay now so I can read this to the nieces! Any excuse to be able to find an opportunity to say "wait for me I'm a box of mathces"!!

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  5. absoulutely fabulous. captured the essence of jean and gareth to the whiskers. well done.

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  6. Thanks for all your comments - I'm glad some of you have shared the pleasure and that it may encourage some of you to explore the early editions with your children! By the way, my sister has seriously underestimated her sewing skills in her comment - I remember a rather fabulous tablecloth circle skirt and an elephant with one ear which is still a treasured possession!

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  7. Thanks for reminding me about Topsy and Tim, I absolutely loved the stories when I was little, and I love them even more now because of the pictures!

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  8. Oh I love Topsy and Tim! And so does my littlest - I can recite T&T go on an airplane by heart, having read it on planes for several hours on the trot.

    Mummy is so glam, isnt' she? I can only aspire to that level of domestic fabulousness :)

    I really like the slightly knowing undertone that's present from time to time as well - in T&T go to the swimming baths there's a lovely illustration of tim crawling through mum's legs and topsy balancing on the carpet sweeper while Mummy's trying to do the housework instead of taking them to the baths, with the text "Topsy and Tim stayed close to Mummy in case she should change her mind"

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  9. Oh this was my favourite too, thanks for a little trip down memory lane - I remember being fascinated by the pink rings around T and T's mouths when they were at the party tea! I also loved the Firework Night book.

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  10. I have this book and have recently started reading it to my nearly 3 year old daughter. She loves it and wants 'Flopsy & Tim' every night. My 8 1/2 year old boy wants to come and listen too as he remembers me reading it to him......and their favourite bit.....'Wait for me ......I'm a box of matches'!!!!!!!!! Love it, love it, love it. I'm also a 70's party girl. My parents used to do so much for my parties, amazing cakes and crazy games. I'm trying to keep up the good work with my own children...but it's blimin hard work!

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