Pigeon Post by Arthur Ransome

Written in 1936, three years after the previous book in the series, Pigeon Post tells of the continuing adventures of the Swallows and Amazons, the children made famous in first Swallows and Amazons novel. The sixth of twelve novels written by Arthur Ransome, Pigeon Post is a children’s novel based on the adventures of a group of children in their school holiday.

Pigeon Post sees a return for the series to the Lake District, and a reunion of all of the children; the Swallows (the four Walker children), the Amazons (the two Blacketts) and the Ds (the two Callums). With the boat, the Swallow, being out of action though, the children turn to camping rather than sailing for the holiday activity.

Finding out though Captain Flint, the Blackett’s (Amazons) uncle, has had an unsuccessful prospecting trip to South America, though pushes the children to start investigating old mining works in the Fells for gold. To keep in contact with responsible adults, the children make use of homing pigeons.

As with the other books in the series, in Pigeon Post the Swallows, Amazons and Ds are faced with the dangers that nature can pose; in this case the danger of fire, as a drought had made the Fells tinder dry. Ransome also adds potential danger in the form of a competing prospector, someone the children fear will beat them to the gold.

Despite the lack of sailing, Ransome still manages to bring a great deal of detail into Pigeon Post, not least because he had good knowledge of prospecting, as well as the detailed knowledge he had about the Lake District.

It is, of course, easy to make the comparison with Five Go Off to Camp, a 1946 novel by Enid Blyton. There are few similarities in terms of style and content between the two. Blyton was always perceived for her simplistic writing, the use of basic language and lack of depth, whilst Ransome was always renowned for the detail he put into his work. The two authors were though aiming at slightly different readership, Blyton aiming to please readers of a younger age than Ransome.

The detail offered by Arthur Ransome turns Pigeon post into a relatively long book at 380 pages long, which is one of the reasons why the books tend to be read by teenagers rather than younger children. The story is still enjoyed by many adults, as well as children.

Peter Duck by Arthur Ransome

The children’s book, Peter Duck, is the third book in the Swallows and Amazons series of books by Arthur Ransome. There are twelve books in the series, although none lived up to the fame achieved by the original title, a book which was turned into a cinema release. That though is not to say that Peter Duck is not as good as other Ransome novels, though it is certainly different from the first two books in the series; Swallows and Amazons and Swallowdale.

Peter Duck was originally written in 1932, and there is a subtle change in style with the writing of this third novel, the two previous books had been stories of supposed real life adventure. Peter Duck though is the telling of an adventure made up by the Walker and Blackett children (the Swallows and the Amazons); although as a story it reads well as a stand alone adventure.

Peter Duck Cover - Fair Use

The basic plot of Peter Duck sees the Swallows and Amazons, Captain Flint and an elderly seadog, Peter Duck, setting off in search of buried treasure. This search takes the group from Lowestoft to Crab Island in the Caribbean aboard the schooner, Wild Cat. The Swallows and Amazons though are not the only people looking for the treasure, and the children face dangerous competition in the form of Black Jake and the crew of the Viper.

In the previous adventures, the Swallows and Amazons had been faced by the dangers of the natural world; the Lake and the Moors. In Peter Duck, Ransome introduced a different type of danger in the form of Black Jake and the physical danger he posed. The natural danger had also been made slightly more fantastic with a hurricane and earthquake added to the storyline.

"Peter Duck" at Woodbridge - Chris Holifield - CC-BY-SA-2.0

The added fantasy of Peter Duck detracts little from the storyline, and Ransome continued with his writing style that gave added detail to actions undertaken by the children. These details do make the book quite long, at about 400 pages, but Ransome was probably aiming his books at early teens, so the book length is probably suitable. It is easy enough to compare Peter Duck with the adventures of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, but Ransome’s style and storyline are more sophisticated.

Peter Duck is still in print today, eighty years after its original publication, and remains a good read for both children and adults.

Copyright - First Published 14th February 2012

Coot Club by Arthur Ransome

The 1934 novel, Coot Club, is the fifth book, of twelve, written by Arthur Ransome in the Swallows and Amazons children series. The Coot Club is a continuation of the story line first established in Swallows and Amazons several years before, although there are some differences which arguably makes the novel more interesting to those who have read other books in the series.

The first major difference in the Coot Club compared to the previous books is a change of focus on the main characters. Previously, the central characters had been the Swallows (the Walker children) and the Amazons (the Blacketts); this time, the focus is on the Ds, Dick and Dorothea (Dot) Callum, characters introduced in the previous book, Winter Holiday.

Coot Club - Jonathan Cape edition - CC-BY-SA-3.0

A change in setting also occurs in Coot Club, with the Ds being found in the Norfolk Broads where they are staying with Mrs Barrable. The other children are on holiday elsewhere with their families. The Ds have a plan to learn to sail in order that they can impress the Swallows and Amazons the next time they meet.

This plan would eventually see the Ds team up with the Coot Club; a club consisting of Tom Dudgeon; Nell and Bess Farland, known as Port and Starboard; and Joe, Bill and Pete, also known as the Death and Glories). The Coot Club themselves though have problems as they try and protect a bird nesting site from the Hullabaloos, noisy holidaymakers. There is of course a return to a sailing theme, something which was absent in the previous book, with action taking part on the small yacht Teasel, and the motor cruiser Margoletta.

Coot Club is part of a series, but is equally as successful as a stand alone novel.

Swallows and Amazons - wwoods - CC-BY-SA-3.0

Arthur Ransome continues to make use of his knowledge of sailing, combined with a good knowledge of the Norfolk Broads, providing accurate descriptions of the activities undertaken by the Ds and the Coot Club. Indeed the depiction of the Norfolk Broads is even more accurate than the made up elements of the Lake District which is present in other novels.

At about 350 pages, Coot Club is relatively long for a children’s book, although Ransome’s work is more often read by teenagers than younger children. The details on offer and the sophisticated style of writing though can be challenging for inexperienced readers, but this often makes it more satisfying when the book is completed. As with other novels by Arthur Ransome, Coot Club remains a firm favourite for children and adults even after eighty years of being in print.

Copyright - First Published 14th February 2012