The Bad Family & Other Stories

Two neighbouring households give these children's stories their starting point: each has six children, but their habits earn them very different reputations. In the opening tale, Fighting Harry picks quarrels, Greedy George raids food stores, Idle Richard neglects his lessons, and Careless Fanny loses or damages her belongings. E. Fenwick turns everyday behaviour at home and school into plain lessons about manners and responsibility.

The collection also includes tales about choosing friends, patience, honesty and helping others. Frank Lawless, for example, follows companions who flatter him and draw him away from his parents. In his 1898 introduction, E. V. Lucas acknowledges the stories' exaggeration and presents them as entertainment as well as moral instruction. Lucas identifies Fenwick as the author of the first ten tales and includes two further stories alongside them. Readers interested in older children's literature will find sharp character sketches and a revealing picture of the conduct adults once expected from the young.