Seeing Red

wispy watercolour illustrations & comic style figures are cute, in a very old fashioned way. Forced every day to wear horrible itchy red woollen petticoats and socks (grandma spends all the time knitting different red items of garment torture)is Trewenna, a young fishermans daughter in a small village on the Cornish coast. She is not the only one so constrained with red wool however, as we discover when Napolean's army is cited off shore. In an ingenious plan, all the woman of the village solve the problem whilst the menfolk are away, fetching the Redcoats to fight off the invaders. Flashing those red woollen socks, pantaloons, petticoats and hats, they manage to frighten the French into thinking that the Redcoats lay in wait. Naturally enough, those lily-livered French turn tail and run - ordered by Napolean who is held up to the side to look over, being a portly short figure. As to the historical accuracy of this book, it is based, we are told, on an "old Cornish legend". That was one eventful day for the villagers of little Cornwall! A bit of derring do & quick wits on part of one small girl, and for that reason pretty appealing. Cute, a reader but not a keeper. Kotori 2004 - [email protected]