A little girl wanders round the over-grown garden of an old house and listens to her granny tell her stories that her grandmother told her, of the children who used to play in the garden and the fun they had. In beautiful artwork reminiscent of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, Ian Andrew illustrates their wild pirate games, invented by Jamie, or Sixteen String Jack, capturing the boys’ happiness and freedom. The house, Moat Brae, is real, and Jamie the boy who had such fun in the gardens grew up to be J.M. Barrie, and to write Peter Pan, that hymn to the joy of childhood games. The book is an inspiring tribute to Barrie and his famous novel. You can find out more about The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust which is restoring the house and gardens and plans to develop it as a centre for children's literature. www.peterpanmoatbrae.org~ Andrea Reece
Sixteen String Jack & the Garden of Adventure Synopsis
One day, Daisy's grandmother takes her to an overgrown garden. Many, many years before other children had played in that garden - Sixteen String Jack and Dare Devil Dick were shipwrecked there; and often they fought pirates side by side till the sun went down. But it was only Sixteen String Jack whose fame would never die, for he grew up to become J.M. Barrie, creator of Peter Pan.
In this poignant and beautifully illustrated story, award winning writer Tom Pow and Sendak Fellow Ian Andrew search out the magic that, in time, would produce the most famous character in children's literature.
Written with the support of Moat Brae Trust, which is currently restoring Barrie’s childhood home as a Centre for Children’s Literature and re-inventing the famous garden for play and active learning.
‘This is the most charming and beautifully crafted story that captures the spirit and essence of imagination in the very same way that the garden at Moat Brae first inspired J. M. Barrie and the creation of his iconic character – Peter Pan’ Joanna Lumley – Patron, Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust
Author
About Tom Pow
Tom Pow is an award-winning author of both children's and adults' books. His picture book Who is the World for? began in Africa and Transfusion, his poem sequence about Ali and Mandela, was partly based on a journey from Nairobi to Cape Town, passing through Malawi.
