Just William at Christmas

 The week has been something of a rollercoaster emotionally after a difficult month that did eventually see me complete reading a short collection of stories I had started around Christmas when I quite poorly.

Christmas is a funny time of year with expectations sky high, especially if you're a child served at times with crushed dreams and funny things just happening and in the World of Richmal Crompton's most perfect homage to ten, eleven year old boys and their lives, William brings forth much hilarious misunderstandings, idealism runs riot with the sense of belong that comes from being a part of, even the head of a Gang, The Outlaws.

This unlike some of my favourite boys stories isn't a vintage original - no first editions here I'm afraid - but a really nice 1995 bound edition with a dust jacket that pulls these Christmas stories into one enjoyable read,

The illustrations often showing the social world of the well to do world of nineteen twenties and thirties families and their less well off neighbours in their striking differences, bring the stories to life.

Re-reading these stories, laughing out loud at William's escapades really helped.

Pooh bear got that right!