Here is London in the eighteenth century. A Peep-Show man charms away the children's pennies, the Ink man goes from house to house with his pens and cask of ink; the streets are full of interesting characters In Saint Paul's churchyard there is a book store kept by John Newberry, who puts over his door the sign "Juvenile Library" and who sells many cheerful little books in bindings of flowered gilt paper. To his shop come Robert and John to buy a book for their sister Jennifer.
Most of the action takes place in the children's home, and the lively story tells what happens to the Newberry books after they belong to the children. This is the first book to tell children about John Newberry, whose name was given two hundred years later to "the Newberry Medal," awarded each year to an outstanding book for children. It is also the first book to introduce children to Dr Samuel Johnson and his famous cat, Hodge.
England