Set during the Raj, when Britain’s Imperialistic philosophy earnestly tried to convert all native peoples into good Victorian citizens. A blond, six-year-old urchin, christened Wee Willie Winkie by an adoring regiment, has the knack of giving adults nicknames which stick; his favorite is a subaltern whom he names Coppy because of his reddish hair.
Raised according to a family version of Military Discipline, Winkie discovers that Coppy has a sweetheart and reluctantly accepts that it is not unmanly to kiss a young lady. Once he understands that this girl belongs to his revered Coppy, the child realizes that she may be riding into danger across the river, into Afghan territory. How can a mere child save Coppy’s beloved, especially when he has been confined to Quarters as punishment?
Easy to read in one sitting, sprinkled with Indian words to research or recognize, this small
book (designed for little hands) proves a delightful coda to the great list of literary masterpieces by Kipling, who spent some years at his second home which he named, Naulaka, in Southern Vermont.
India