The Children who Lived in a Barn by Eleanor Graham
It’s been a while since I picked up one of the lovely Persephone volumes I have on my shelves, and I’m not sure what attracted me to this one at the moment, although All Virago/All August (which includes Persephones) is one possibility! “The Children who Lived in a Barn” was a Christmas gift from my dear pal J. and as usual it’s a lovely one. The book is of course a classic, and Graham was editor for Puffin Books, Penguin’s children’s arm; this was her only proper work of fiction.
“The Children who Lived in a Barn” tells the story of the Dunnett family: Sue, Robert, twins Sam and Jumbo, plus the ‘baby’ Alice. The family live in a rented ramshackle old house near a village, and at the start of the tale their parents are called away unexpectedly by a family illness, rushing off to take their first plane flight. Amazingly (to modern eyes, anyway) they choose to leave their children at home alone, with Sue (the eldest at 13) and Robert (next down, but a boy) in charge of the younger ones. All does not go as planned, however, as the family are behind with the rent and their nasty landlord decides to evict them. A friendly local farmer offers them a barn to live in; the children move in and try to get by on their own, and also to win over the initially suspicious locals. Will they cope with cooking, cleaning, school work and the lack of money? Will they defeat the local do-gooders who want to farm them out to various carers? And what did happen to their parents.
On surface level, then, the book is very reminiscent of Enid Blyton, who wrote a number of books about children managing on their own (“The Secret Island” springs to mind instantly). However, there are differences: “Barn” comes across as having a much more adult perspective, and unlike many of the Blytons (which often involve children running away), these youngsters are staying put and carrying on with a relatively ordinary life.
So the chores are divvied up; alas, the children fall into traditional roles and Sue ends up with most of the domestics (which *did* rankle a little); but they all have tasks, they all learn to pull together and have adventures along the way. Their relationship with the villagers improves, the do-gooders get their comeuppance and at the end equilibrium returns. There *are* a few strange gaps in the story, particularly dealing with the Dunnett parents – their rushed departure and sudden return does rather stretch credibility a teeny bit in a book that’s striving to be more realistic than the usual childhood fare. And although the central character of Sue is believable and well-drawn, the rest of the family are perhaps less developed – Robert is stolid, Sam and Jumbo naughty and it was probably the whiney and selfish youngest, Alice, who really stood out in her own right alongside Sue.
Nevertheless, these are minor niggles, because I really enjoyed my read of this novel. Like so many Persephones, one of the most rewarding things about this book is the glimpse it gives us into the past. We take our mod cons so much for granted, and the thought of getting up at 4 a.m. on a Monday morning to hand-wash the family clothes and linen is terrifying. It’s staggering what housekeeping involved back in the 1950s and watching the children struggling to deal with endless cooking, cleaning, shopping and account-keeping alongside going to school is quite an eye-opener.
The book as a physical object is, of course, a delight. It comes beautifully reproduced with original drawings and I do wish all reprint publishers would take as much care as Persephone do. “The Children who Lived in a Barn” was a wonderfully enjoyable wallow in a tale from a lost world, and it’s really whetted my appetite for picking up more titles from my pile of Persephones!
Aug 01, 2015 @ 10:41:28
What a great review and it is lovely to see children’s literature taken serious. For my work at the library I had to read lots of new children’s books ( yes indeed, what a joy of a job) but I still do. Of course I am interested in the illustrations but the stories are just as great ( or not) as in adult literarture. It is very hard to write a good children’s book! Thanks Kaggsy and have a lovely weekend, xo Johanna
Aug 01, 2015 @ 16:09:50
Some children’s literature is better than some adult stuff I’ve read! 🙂 You have a nice weekend too Johanna!
Aug 01, 2015 @ 12:19:51
The cover is very retro reminds me of the books in school library growing up puffin maybe had some house artist at that time
Aug 01, 2015 @ 16:08:49
Same here – all the books I read h ad similar covers. Very retro and very lovely!
Aug 01, 2015 @ 12:24:27
I found this am enjoyable book when I read it, it is incredible to our modern eyes how children were dealt with years ago. These children do come across as marvellously capable.
Aug 01, 2015 @ 16:08:13
Scarily so – I’m sure they manage better than I would! 🙂
Aug 01, 2015 @ 18:00:05
This is a wonderful review, Karen. I believe I have this one & so may take it for a spin this month.
Aug 01, 2015 @ 18:22:25
Thank you! Yes, it’s a lovely read – hope you enjoy! 🙂
Aug 02, 2015 @ 03:43:15
I’ve seen this on the Persephone list and have always wondered what it was about – it does sound like quite the adventure and eye-opening experience for these poor kids!
Aug 02, 2015 @ 10:45:31
It’s like a Blyton in many ways, but you’re meant to take it more seriously, which is why it’s actually a little odd – because, thinking about it, who *would* leave their children behind like that? At least in Blyton the children were usually abandoned accidentally or left with hideous relatives! 🙂
Aug 02, 2015 @ 18:25:19
It sounds like a charming book, and is one I’ve never heard of. The only children in a barn I know are the ones in Whistle Down the Wind!
Aug 02, 2015 @ 18:54:41
🙂 It’s not quite as heavy as “Whistle…” though there’s a fair amount of realism in the domestic tasks the children have to tackle!
Aug 05, 2015 @ 09:33:09
I remember reading this when I was a child, and I didn’t question the parents’ disappearance at all – I’m not sure if this shows a difference between adults and children and the way children accept things, or whether it proves that life has changed a lot since the book was written!
Aug 05, 2015 @ 11:39:20
I think a bit of both – children *are* more accepting, but the world is a very different one now!
Aug 05, 2015 @ 09:45:33
PS: If you like glimpses of housework in the past, have you read Kay Smallshaw’s How to Run Your Home Without Help (Persephone)? Originally published in 1949, it is an absolute hoot, and really shows what hard work housework must have been.
Aug 05, 2015 @ 11:39:57
I haven’t got that one yet – but I bet it makes us really thankful for all our mod cons!
Aug 05, 2015 @ 19:57:40
I get quite excited when donations of secondhand copies of books like these turn up. To the unfamiliar, they look dated; a check on ABE can prove an enduring desire out there. It’s great to see decorative endpapers noticed too. Things like this are being rediscovered now that publishers are trying to compete with e-books by creating aesthetically pleasing objects once more.

Strangely, I remember The Secret Island, but not for the story – though as you suggest, it’s an archetype (somewhat lampooned since by Viz and The Comic Strip Presents). My dad had an Italian dictionary, so I learned to refer to the book as Il Secreto Isola. Ta for the memory jog! I even tracked down the cover for the copy I had:
Aug 05, 2015 @ 20:04:42
I so agree – books have to be appealing aesthetically to fight against the perceived convenience of the e-books. Persephones are lovely, but I’m fond of vintage books and covers of all sorts. I may well have had the same copy of The Secret Island – or possibly one slightly earlier. Blyton is lampooned unfairly I think (though I do laugh at the Comic Strip). What makes me mad (and I’ve ranted about it here before) is the editing and sanitising of her books. Censorship makes me very angry!
Sep 01, 2015 @ 07:16:11
Apr 16, 2016 @ 06:04:46
The 1938 Club: welcome! – Stuck in a Book
Apr 17, 2016 @ 18:12:41