A wonderful enduring classic to read with children, or just be a big kid yourself ! This book and its sequel DOWN THE BRIGHT STREAM is the timeless story of a journey, its disasters, triumphs and discoveries. Set in the UK countryside it is a cornucopia of cleverly woven information about wildlife. The beauty of wild flowers is particularly rich and fragrant. The atmospheres are amazing, especially building up to great events such as the appearance of Pan with his pipes, and the magnificent breakthrough at the end of the journey when the gnomes reach the Knockgobbin light. The trials and disappointments, relationships and emotions of these endearing gnomes is a life lesson in itself. I loved it and so did the children.3 s KA N Newton49 1 follower

Dodder, Baldmoney, Cloudberry, and Sneezewort are four gnomes known in the first book as The Little Grey Men.

They are told that The Folly, the little brook near their home is drying up and they decide to leave their home.

The book is the story of their adventures.

I read this when I was 8 so I am finding it hard to remember how they set out. The cover of a hardback version shows a little boat yet I don't remember a boat. This of course does not mean that there was not a boat involved.

the original book the writing is a little old fashioned and uses some nouns (of the countryside) that we don't use these days but still recognizable by adults. This means an older child could read this book alone with the help of a dictionary.

I do wish this book was available in Kindle the first book. The Little Grey Men. EDIT this book is now available on Kindle from Amazon.

I have clicked on the description on Amazon to ask for the publishers to allow this if possible.

A lovely story to be read at bedtime chapter by chapter and the first book not too childish for adults to read to check it out.

ps. Thank you to the person who alerted me to the fact that I could now buy this for my Kindle.2 s Rachel BrownAuthor 17 books165

Bizarre sequel to the lovely Little Grey Men.

After the gnomes spend the entire first book seeking their missing brother Cloudberry, and finally find him in a moving scene at the end, in this book Cloudberry...

...turns out to be evil, tries to murder them for no particular reason, and gets eaten by a snake. The other gnomes - HIS BROTHERS WHO SPENT THE WHOLE LAST BOOK LOOKING FOR HIM - notice that he vanished without a trace, and don't much care.

This book reminded me of the hilarious scene in What Katy Did Next in which Katy got so bored with telling stories to Amy about a sickly-sweet pair of siblings that she told one in which they were crushed by an avalanche and not found until the snow melted in the spring. children-s england fantasy2 s Vincent Desjardins271 29

As others have mentioned, this sequel to "The Little Grey Men," does take a dark turn about halfway through the book. I don't want to spoil it other than to say the incident in question is more of an interlude and is soon put aside and forgotten. It is a bit strange that the author decided to take the story on a dark detour, but on the other hand this dark incident might also be looked at as reflecting the violence of the natural world, which the gnomes in this story are definitely a part of. Despite this brief change of direction, I thoroughly enjoyed this charming fantasy and was sorry to see it end. The author's descriptions of the natural world and how so much of it is disappearing due to human activity (and this was written in the late 1940s!) gave the story a touch of wistfulness which made the gnomes search for a new home all the more poignant. children-s-and-young-adult fantasy-children1 JanelleAuthor 2 books23

While I enjoyed the writing in this book, I fail to understand the author’s decision to turn Cloudberry into a psychopathic killer. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review4-stars animals audiobooks-read ...more1 N.K. WrightAuthor 1 book

I didn't know this sequel to "The Little Grey Men" existed until a few years ago and immediately ordered a copy. I loved the first book from my childhood days and was eager to follow the gnome brothers on another adventure.

Civilization continues to encroach on the home of the gnomes and they realize they must move on if they are to remain safe and undiscovered. So aboard their key-wound vessel, Jeanie Deans, the four brothers leave their cozy tree home in England for the faraway isle of Ireland. Their adventures enroute and the eventual means whereby they travel make for a fun read.

Author BB deals with a few darker themes in both these books, but human--or gnome--nature what it is, it's difficult to have any semblance of life without it. I would recommend reading "The Little Grey Men" before this one, not only for backstory, but because it such a fun, magical book. This being a sequel, BB probably felt the need to continue the magic, but also wrap up the story, and so goes to great lengths--and may actually try too hard--to accomplish that. Still great fun and recommended.1 Norman471 1 follower

This year my wife and I will be reading to each other again. We started with "The Little Grey Men" by BB and enjoyed it enormously. In this sequel the gnomes have to move out of their cozy home on the Folly and have adventures down the big river and try to head across the sea to "Woodcock's Island" otherwise known as Ireland. Brilliant observations of nature that you come to expect from BB. I loved this in 1968; I love this in 2015!children-s-literature gnomes nature1 Thomas1,293 11

There's not too much more to say about Down the Bright Stream after reviewing Little Grey Men. B.B.'s sequel offers more of the same and that's not a bad thing when you write fairytale adventures with such pleasure as the author obviously takes in writing this. Down the Bright Stream is a story about the search for a new home after their old home under the Oak Tree becomes uninhabitable. There are many stories it - Watership Down, Farthing Wood the most famous - in which humankind plays the role of unconscious invader. The gnomes in B.B.'s novel take their steam boat down the dried up stream and onto the wider river. When they here stories about a paradisiacal Ireland where nature has been left untouched by human influence, Baldmoney begins to dream and plan a wondrous flight across the ocean. The journey, accompanied by Squirrel, their faithful friend, and two Owls, suffered many mishaps of their own making but, Adams and Dann, nature at the mercy of mankind is a hostile and fragile places.

What was surprising and satisfying about the second book was the development of the characters. In book one, after Dodder takes over the lead role, the other gnomes are sometimes indistinguishable. While Sneezewort remains largely without personality, the other three diverge in vastly different directions. Dodder remains the leader; bossy, nervous and competent. Baldmoney turns into the daring inventor and true hero of the story. Cloudberry...well, it's hard to say anything about his drastic change without revealing the most thrilling part of the story. Repressed by Dodder's leadership and longing for adventures, Cloudberry turns into a reckless and selfish gnome. A freak accident sets up a situation that opens up the darkest crevices of Cloudberry's mind. It's a sinister and darkly brilliant episode which turns Down the Bright Stream from a simple journey/adventure story into a much more memorable one. The gnomes are able because they are all flawed. There is a sense of danger and loss on the edges of the story, as if one false move could bring about their extinctions. Their decisions are not always good ones and the way they treat others is sometimes questionable. The lines between human/gnome/animal are not clear and distinct, except if it be said that the closer the nature one gets the closer one finds nobility. The old badger's quiet dignity lights up the end of the book and highlights its subtleties.

Down the Bright Stream ends aptly: boy toys, wild winds of nature and danger. The gnomes might find their way to Ireland but their future is far from certain. These two books make for delightful, thought-provoking reading, and hold a place in the cannon of many genres - fairytale, nature writing, adventure, fantasy. That's a whole lot of my favourite ingredients. 8 Pam1,299

Enjoyable, I think I d this one better than the first one. Shout out to my local library for getting me a copy of this from another library in Iowa!! It was excellent. Cloudberry surprised me with his evil plans...and an airplane with gnomes on it?! Marvellous

"...(bub'ms were considered rather 'rumty too'..." page 152 What the heck does rumty mean? rumpty
ADJECTIVE
NZ, Australian
informal
In poor repair.

‘we did the trek in a rumpty rental Toyota hatchback’
More example sentences
Origin
1940s: perhaps an ironic extension of an earlier sense ‘excellent’, from the regional English noun rumty-tummer ‘unusually large vegetable or fruit’, ‘favourite object or pastime’

Rum Tum Tugger? Adele1,072 9

#BeatTheBacklist2022 - 6+ words in the title
An equally enchanting follow up to The Little Grey Men who, forced to flee the Folly Brook, have further adventures searching for a new home. As previously the flora and fauna of their environment is richly described, but there are darker undertones in this book as Cloudberry’s wanderlust causes disharmony amongst the band of brothers. I also had higher hopes for a happier outcome for poor Mr Brockett - I to imagine that he was invited back to live at Rumbling Mill with Otter & Co.beatthebacklist2022 children-youngadult JKR280 1 follower

One story thread effectively ruined the book for me and also managed to undermine some good memories of The Little Grey Men. The book still gets three stars from me as being enjoyable, because I BB’s writing. I have now read four books by BB, with three I can recommend in the following order: The Little Grey Men - Brendon Chase - Lord of the Forest. I can’t recommend Down the Bright Stream. SeaMoth1 review

This is the partner to The Little Grey Men. An enchanting story of the last gnomes left in England. The authors knowledge of British wildlife and flora is exceptional. I enjoyed it very much and so, I suspect, will any lover of the English countryside. One doesn’t have to believe in gnomes, either! Greg1,392 19

I enjoyed this more than the first though I’m not certain why. Maybe because I already knew what to expect? It does get pretty dark (though the first one did too) and I’m not sure what the purpose of that was. But the writing is still pretty strong. Emily111 1 follower

The only able gnome was Baldmoney, and I'm still annoyed at how badly they treated poor Mr Brockett!!! Tanu16 1 follower

this is a children's book, but enjoyable nevertheless feel-good Jill1,132

Absolutely loved this book. The sequel to The Little Grey Men. Gnomes, owls, otters et al. Great little characters.2018-reading-challenge Nicky Sharkey3 Read

Dying to re read this.... and be transported back to youth, adventure, nature. Josie JaffreyAuthor 43 books164 Read

A very enjoyable conclusion to the gnomes’ adventure, though I did find the Cloudberry episodes a little abrupt and out of place. Weirdly dark! barbara nicholls11

The three gnomes return with friends old and new. The child within loved this book as much as the first one - but surely the ending could be better! enchanted Rowena Onions297 1 follower

One of my favourite childhood books... still a winner. Oskar85

A thoroughly enjoyable and fun, if at times somewhat dark, read with lovely descriptions of nature and wildlife. A definite upgrate on the first book (which I also enjoyed but didn't love how it ended). Despite it being a children's story, and its protagonists being the last gnomes in England, the theme of displacement caused by the destruction of the environment, originated in the first place by man, rings true as it perhaps never did before. Woody Acorn4

Very very good!!!! Gina135 1 follower

Magical with some sinister incidents.
Simply lovely.

I was entranced even though I didn't read the first of the series. 2024-books genre-fantasy genre-kiddies Grant Stevens14

While this is an enjoyable book, it isn't quite as tight as its predecessor, Little Grey Men. However, it still has an extensive lexicon, and BB paints wonderful word pictures of life and nature along the Bright Stream. If possible, I would give this 4.5 stars, but as things stand, a 4 star rating seemed most appropriate. Craig HerbertsonAuthor 16 books16

Frankly after Little Grey Men - a work of genius - this couldn't have been a more disappointing book. It psychologically damaged my childhood Donna Maroulis187 2

Reminded me very much of the Redwall stories. Judith JohnsonAuthor 1 book102

Autor del comentario:
=================================