By Maureen Tai, 8 June 2018
“King Mansolain had a beard that spread about his feet like a rug, and on it slept a hare, the only creature that still cared for him now that King Mansolain was almost forgotten.”
My beloved copy of The King of the Copper Mountains bears teeth marks made by my first ever pet dog. Patches was a Shih-Tzu with one blue and one brown eye. She had the unsavoury habit of tracking down cockroaches and stifling the blighters by rolling over them. If she could have talked (and as a child, I fervently wished that she could have), I suspect she’d have had many engaging stories to tell. Like the animals in Paul Biegel’s classic tale who come to the copper castle to keep King Mansolain alive.
“Ottoline had two collections that were all her own. One was her Odd Shoe collection, of which she was very proud. Whenever Ottoline bought a pair of shoes, she would wear one and put the other in her collection.”
All the inhabitants in Mr Tiger’s world are animals who have snooty expressions on their faces and who stand upright. All of them – including deer, brown bear, fox, buffalo, monkey, hedgehog, horse and ibex – are dressed to the nines in top hats and bonnets, suits and bow ties, solemn skirts and long sleeved blouses. They walk sedately from place to place, or if they must, ride stiffly on penny farthings and normal bicycles. Everything is calm, quiet and so very proper. Everyone has a stiff upper (and lower) lip.
Stories That Stay With Us 