The Voyage of QV66
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Cover Story
The poem on our front cover is taken from Figgie Hobbin by Charles Causley, with illustrations by Gerald Rose, re-issued by Macmillan (0 333 12078 7, £7.50) in May 1990. Figgie Hobbin was first published in 1970 and has remained in print ever since. We are grateful to Macmillan for help in using this illustration.
The Voyage of QV66
The voyagers are assorted animals, who are travelling south to London through the flooded landscape led by Stanley, an intelligent monkey. Why have the People gone? How is Stanley able to understand so much about them? The journey leads to London Zoo, where Stanley finds out the truth about his relations. The older reader will find allegorical significance in the tale, which is engaging and humorous enough to delight younger children purely at plot level. It's a pity, however, that the only two female characters in the whole story are a slow-witted, platitude-spouting cow and a dumb-blonde kitten!