Danny Howell writes:
During my first year at New Close School, the teacher read us a delightful little book called Adventures Of The Little Wooden Horse. It was written by Ursula Moray Williams and published by Puffin Books. I still have a copy of the book in my possession (2011).
The Preface reads:
“Uncle Peter, the toymaker, was pleased with his latest horse, painted white with black spots, and with a fine red saddle and blue stripes, and four green wheels to run on. But no one had the money to buy it, and he had to take it home again.”
“It was a brave little horse, and as its good master grew poorer and ill, set out to sell itself. Then, for a quiet little horse who only wanted to help its master, it met with extraordinary adventures. No one wanted to buy it, but when they found it could work, they set it to work hard. It had good masters and bad, some mean, some cruel. It dragged a barge along a canal. It was hoisted by a crane aboard a cargo boat and came down in the hold beside an elephant. It went down a coal mine and worked among the pit ponies. It helped to draw the heavy Royal coach, and each new adventure filled it with surprise, for it did not particularly want adventures. It only wanted to get back to its kind master to look after him.”
“It is a simple story, exquisitely told, with an unfailing appeal, and is already fairly established as one of the classic children’s books of this century. It can be read aloud to children under six and will delight most children up to nine or ten.”