The gargoyle (in Hipp-o-dee-doo-dah)

I was delighted to be asked to write a few words about the anthology you hold in your hands. Here is an uplifting collection of stories from a great range of writers and voices - something for everyone. Within these pages, you will meet all sorts of charac-ters, of all ages and nationalities, of both the human and animal variety. We explore the secrets and passions that animate their lives, whether it be the plight of a star-fish dropping from the sky or two evacuee children coming to terms with their homesickness. There is a special place here for friendship, between grandchild and grandparent, between children and animals, from hippos to imaginary horses. Have you ever met a hippo or an imaginary horse? You soon will… Here you have a great introduction to the virtual world of reading. You can go anywhere; you can be any-one. The joy is that you need no special visa, no special qualifications: just yourself and a quiet corner of the room or the bus or the bed. A proportion from the sale of every copy of this book will go directly to support the wonderful work of Children’s Hospices UK, a charity that in a myriad of practical ways is helping improve the quality of life for around 23,500 children and young people in the UK every year. We hope that the stories themselves will provide cheer and inspiration, a passport for all to the world of the imagination. Michael Morpurgo, March, 201