Odo Hirsch and in particular Hazel Green are names that I remember very fondly from my childhood.

So when I saw this book at a secondhand bookfair years ago, I grabbed it without thinking. Then at the next bookfair, I saw it again. Then again at the one after that. Which put me off reading it because why were so many people discarding it? And of all the Odo Hirsches, why is it that only this one seem to be in abundance at bookfairs?

I finally plucked up the courage (because what if this is the book that ruins my Odo nostalgia) to read this and it was absolutely fabulous!

It was thoughtful and full of wonderful moral lessons for children while masked as a rollicking adventure. It explores complex emotions such as pride and envy, explains the importance of healthy communication, and encourages inventiveness and perseverance as traits for success/happiness.

I'm in a full-blown golden haze of childhood nostalgia. ( )