A Flight with the Swallows

From her window near Coldchester Cathedral, little Dorothy watches the swallows gather for their autumn flight and dreams of riding south on a bird's back. A real departure is also being planned: her mother's persistent cough has prompted Dr. Bell to recommend a winter in San Remo. Dorothy's reluctance to leave her pets gives her uncle an occasion to explain duty as loving service to someone else.

Emma Marshall brings a child's imaginative life into contact with the demands of friendship and family in this Christian children's novel. Dorothy's attachment to Irene, her annoyance over shared biscuits and her distress at parting make its moral lessons concrete. Alongside these small conflicts are affectionate household scenes, including Irene's warm welcome from her grandmother. Readers interested in older stories about childhood will find a clear view of how kindness, consideration and religious teaching enter everyday relationships.