‘Nine Little Goslings’ has nine short stories, intended originally for children of about seven to ten, I suppose. The first one particularly interested me, being about Johnnie (Joanna) Carr, from the author's well-known 'What Katy Did' series. Johnnie dreams about being adopted by a long-lost relative... and it seems as if her dream might come true. Her wise father suggests a temporary arrangement, and Johnnie ends up very thankful.

Each of the nine stories stands alone, featuring different children. The second is about a small boy who really doesn’t want to go to bed. He is generally obedient, but finds himself unable to sleep.. and then spots a ladder that leads to the roof. He has some quite surprising adventures before returning home.. and then, at the end, it’s implied that they might have been a dream.

The style is inevitably dated, and I found some of the later stories a bit depressing, but they were probably typical of the era. Some of them have fairly overt morals - such as the first, encouraging children to be content with what they have - while others are more fanciful, just for entertainment.

They’re certainly not easy-reads, and the long-winded style might make them seem boring to modern children who prefer fast-paced modern adventures. They would probably appeal to more thoughtful and eclectic readers - those who are as happy to read ‘Little House on the Prairie’ as ‘Harry Potter’.

Interesting simply for being something a bit different - and free for the Kindle at Project Gutenburg. ( )