Review of The Village That Took to the Air by M.J. Lory (aka Marie-Joseph Lory) Translated from the original French Le Crapaud Volant by R.H. Blackley this book centers around Villemont, a small village of everyday folks. My English edition must have originally had a jacket with some picture, but it came via ILL with a plain green cover with only the name on the spine. The French title translates to "Flying Toad", not sure which sounds more intriguing, a flying toad or a flying village. This short children's read starts out with a typical childhood scenario, a group of young kids that don't all get along. Fernand, is what one would consider the local ring leader, the other kids look up to him and follow his lead. Bernard motors off to the neighboring city for school giving Fernand a reason for seeing him as an outsider and thinking Bernard feels he is too good for Villemont. |
A few black line sketch drawings exist throughout the book. Overall a decent read, filled with moral messages and a bit of suspense at the end. I don't know that today's kids will see the marvel behind the children (and even the adults) portrayed in this stories awe for the relatively new phenomenon of flight beyond the war front.
Author: M.J. Lory (Marie-Joseph Lory)
Publisher: A.S. Barnes and Company, Inc. (1959)
Source: Public Library
Format Read: Hardback
Genres/Subjects: Fiction, Humor, Juvenile
[Notice: Original posting 2014-08-14 at Plethora of Books Blog: http://bookchallenges.weebly.com]
Tags: 2014, Juvenile