posted on 10 May 2017

Memories of Galldora

Those of you that like browsing charity shops will recognise how variable this experience can be when looking for children's books. Just the way that they are often poorly organised can send me into a rant. Who on earth thinks that it is a good idea to stuff them all into a box for instance? And sometimes they are placed on an inaccessible shelf jammed in with sundry stuffed toys. But many shops, like Oxfam Books in Chipping Norton, display them very well and give them the space and care that they deserve with plenty of covers facing out to entice people like me. It is quite unusual to find something lovely that I haven't already got so just imagine my squeak of pleasure when I spotted one that took me with a swoop back to my childhood.

The Adventures of Galldora by Modwena Sedgwick is a collection of little stories about a much loved rag doll based on a Children's Hour series first broadcast in 1953. I had briefly enjoyed the book when I was five years old but after well over fifty years of forgetfulness, it was like recognising a dear old friend. The cover was immediately familiar to me but it was the black and white illustrations inside that really reminded me of happy times spent poring over the book and the short stories within it. I think that I must have been given the  book as a present or perhaps I had it at school? Most of my books were borrowed from the library but this one made such an impression that I must have kept renewing it if it didn't belong to me. I think that I must have had the stories read aloud to me by one of my parents or possibly a teacher as I was rather young to read them by myself. On the other hand, I have no memory of learning to read so perhaps I was relatively advanced for my age?

The premise of using the perspective of a lost toy is tried and tested territory for children's books. Marybell, the careless little girl who owns Galldora is constantly placing her in precarious situations and then losing her. So for instance , she takes her dolls and teddies out for a trip  in a pram and then abandons it in a river while she goes home to fetch soap and a scrubbing brush. She becomes distracted and forgets all about the pram until much later, by which time it has tipped over and Galldora has been washed downstream. Amongst her many exciting adventures she survives being used as a nest for a robin's eggs, a scarecrow and being dragged down to the bottom of the river by fishes. In one story she even has the opportunity to act opposite Mr Punch as an understudy for Judy in the puppet show and is a resounding success when she hits him with a big stick.

What makes Galldora such a memorable character is that she is a rag doll embodiment of Pollyanna with her relentless optimism, generosity of spirit and philosophical take on the world. Since I also remember enjoying the film of Pollyanna at about the same age, I think that this might be the key to its appeal. I was a bit of a goody goody child who loved to please and, like most five year olds, also had a strong sense of justice. I wasn't a brave child who liked to do anything risky and was impressed with how Galldora managed to escape from several unpleasant situations by remaining calm and patient as she waited for the inevitable rescue by adults. She regards her predicaments as being educational and takes an interest in the strange and often often peculiar creatures that she encounters, in a rather Alice like way. No matter how wet, dishevelled and dirty she becomes as a result of the adventures, she is always cleaned up and made as good as new in the comfort of her home.

I really enjoyed rereading this little book because I don't think that my adult self is terribly different from my five year old self. My favourite story then and now is the one where she sits on the windowsill in the nursery worrying about what she can give the other toys as a present to celebrate her birthday the following morning. By chance, the window blows open and enough snow comes in to allow Marybell to make an individual snowball  for all the toys, who are all thrilled to bits and congratulate Galldora as they assume that she has made the snow available deliberately because she is so kind and clever. I still worry all the time about everything and anything and, like Galldora love returning to my cosy home from my adventures. Actually, as I get older I prefer things that happen on familiar territory rather than out in the big bad unpredictable world.

Karen Argent

May 2017