In 1972 we launched Little Nippers, very simple stories, not so much narratives as prose-poems, that aimed to capture concisely, delicately, and very simply some emotional situations involving relationships. (I am analysing after the event – Nippers and Little Nippers were written intuitively.) The pictures, which even more than in Nippers were done with strong editorial direction but in creative partnership with the words, picked up what had been hinted at in, or formed the basis for, the text. Again, the stories were all actuality – children observed, children overheard.
Leila, in Reading and Loving.
Click through the slideshow to read a Little Nipper!
Little Nippers were also published by MacMillans, in response to demand for even earlier stage readers. As with Nippers, Leila edited the whole series. They were less than half the size, made for small hands to grasp and feel.
Little Nippers written by Leila:
Little Nippers written by other authors:
My Auntie Janet McNeill
Fishing Joan Eadington