About the book
Here, at last, is another delightful book for young people by the Carnegie Medalist, 'BB', author of The Little Grey Men.
This is quite an enchanting story of a colony of gnomes who live in the vast Forest of Boland.
They are jolly, industrious little people, with wives and children, and they spend much of their time quarrying in their mines for precious metals. To transport themselves to and from the mines, and also to provide outings for their families, they install the Forest of Boland Light Railway, and their chief pride is the exquisitely made locomotive, the Boland Belle.
This task was not so difficult as might be imagined, for, as the author is careful to point out, the gnomes discovered the power of steam long before we did.
Of course Denys Watkins-Pitchford illustrates the story and has managed to capture the humour and excitement with ingenious detail such as children delight in. No child must be without this book.