The Little Gentleman by Philippa Pearce The Little Gentleman written by Phillipa Pearce and illustrated by Patrick Benson is the story of a young girl called Elizabeth (Bet) and her developing relationship with a talking mole that lives in a nearby meadow. They become friends and start to share each others life stories and experiences. We learn about the moles immortality and Bet’s role in trying to make him a normal mortal mole. The book focuses on the how young people relate to others and how important friendship is. The animals are seen as innocent and perhaps it is this innocence that reflects the way in which children in our own society view animals such as the mole. The topic of death is not often discussed within children’s literature and it was interesting to see how this theme was handled by the author. Throughout the book the idea of the death is dealt with sensitively as when Bet comes across the body of a dead heron she is surprised and saddened. The stark reality of the herons’ death reminds us of our own mortality as she stares death in the face. This episode gives the young reader a useful perspective with which to view the immortality of the mole. Death is continually interlinked with the idea of immortality. It is revealed that the mole is immortal and has lived for about 300 years. His great age is made more real to children by the use of historical figures such as Queen Victoria. The mole himself is now tired and wishes to be mortal, and is determined to become a ‘wholly mole.’ The idea of sacrifice is also dealt with when Bet realises that if the mole becomes mortal and returns to the animal kingdom he will forget her. She finds herself not wanting to help him as she doesn’t want to lose a friend. She is then confronted with the consequences of her selfish decision and realises that a selfless act of helping the mole would be the kindest thing to do. This is a value that could be discussed within the classroom environment. There are three main characters in the book. These include the mole, the young girl and Mr Finchley. The mole is characterized as thoughtful and intelligent and he speaks to Bet with knowledge and wisdom gained through his long life. The naming of the mole as the ‘little gentlemen’ reflects this intelligence and his excellent manners. Mr Finchley provides encouragement and support for Bet at the end of the book when she has to deal with the prospect of loosing the moles friendship. The loving relationships and trust the characters have for each-other makes the story heart-warming and suitable for KS2. The small simple black and white illustrations are used frequently at the beginning of each chapter. They set the scene for the next part of the book picking up on key moments. They also help the child to visually imagine the characters, such as the mole, and the historical landscape in which the story is set. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to a child, parent, or class teacher. The language although challenging at times is appropriate for stretching a child’s vocabulary while still remaining a fun enjoyable read. This would make am ideal book for a key stage 2 reader and would make good class read as there are important issues and values to be understood.
