The way the relationship develops between these two spiky and independent characters, who we can see are lonely and actually need each other, is fun to read and I think all children secretly dream of being able to speak to adults the way Samantha does and getting away with it! These drawings are not cutesy, but the pictures of Samantha are excellent and portray the complex person in the story very well indeed. I think this is the genius of the writing, how the author manages to create a strong personality in a creature that has no language to communicate.

The book feels a bit dated now, A child being left to find somewhere to live whilst her relatives move to America to live, school does nothing just accepts the change. I won't change my rating since it's based on how much I loved it as a child, but it took me more than half the book to figure out what it was that I saw in it when I read it over 20 years ago. Ursula Moray Williams was born on 19 April 1911 at Petersfield, Hampshire, ten minutes after her twin sister, Barbara. Bogwoppit is a light-hearted, lively story, brilliantly told by Ursula Moray Williams, author of Gobbolino. Aunt Daisy wants to get rid of them all, but Samantha grows very fond of one and can't bear to part with him.Ursula Moray Williams (19 April 1911 – 17 October 2006) was an English children’s author of nearly 70 books for children. When Aunt Lily marries and moves to America, orphan Samantha is packed off to her Aunt Daisy, who has no time for children. Their relationship gets off to a shaky start, made all the more precarious by the unexpected appearance in the kitchen of a curious wide-eyed creature with a long furry tale, feathered wings and two webbed feet. however, Aunt Lily and Samantha have never really got on, and Samantha does not feel wanted or loved. Lucky for Samantha, then, to discover the small, furry creature living in the cellar; a bogwoppit - believed extinct - up till now.

The appeal of this book is the humour and the sheer level of imagination that has gone into the story. The story is interesting, I remember being gripped by it as a kid, and with a group of my friends, because it has more tragedy in it than most books for kids that age, and yet it's fun, quirky, and has so many things in it that you want in a story at that age. There are host of well-developed and hilarious characters here, all interacting in madcap ways, to make an entertaining and fulfilling story. As well as writing, she became involved in local life around the village of Beckford, where she and her family lived, organizing children's parties, and serving as a magistrate.

I would have preferred more about the old house and garden, and less about the bogwoppits, who are unpleasant and stinky, but it a child who enjoys all the magical creature books around today were to somehow come across it, they might like the bogwoppits much more than I did. With a new foreword and the original drawings by Shirley Hughes, it’s a great pleasure to see this title by a gifted storyteller back in print. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. We are not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without our permission. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.