Gladys Peto

Shoddy snapshots of an old book I loved as a child. This story 'The Mer-girls Magic' was my favourite. It told of a mermaid who charmed her way onto land but ended up being so mean and nasty that she was unceremoniously dropped back into the sea. The book is filled with stories of children being taken over by tree sprites, girls who find flowers spring up at their every step or cruising on a miniature ship after being shrunk down by an unknown gentleman sitting by the pond. It is not all that sweet or nice, there is something uneasy about the lives these children lead. I've always loved the illustrations but have never known who the artist was. Until now.

All the awkwardness of adolescence can be seen in this one pose...I need to know more about Gladys Peto so it looks like I may well be lost at this blog for a while:

http://gladyspeto.blogspot.com/