Books by Mildred Masheder
... enjoyment, fun and creative learning in childood. Every child's birthright.
"I am delighted to commend Carrier's Cart to Oxford as an absolutely fascinating, absorbing social history of village life in the 1920s. This delightful history may be favourably compared with well-known works such as Lark Rise to Candleford and Cider with Rosie." N Hawkes, Senior Education Adviser, Oxfordshire.
Carrier's Cart to Oxford: Growing up in the 1920s in Oxfordshire
Synopsis
This is a picture of vibrating village life in the Oxfordshire village of Elsfield, seen through the eyes of a child growing up in the 1920s. It is a realistic account of her family life on the farm and in the village, and of her schooling. It depicts a bygone age when village children roamed freely in the countryside, making the fields, the farm buildings and the road their playground.
However this is not a nostalgia trip. There were fears as well as joys and everyone knew their station in life, which meant hard work for the majority of adults and soon servitude for many of the young. Meanwhile children enjoyed the rhythm of country life in a stable, well-ordered community.
Reviews:
"This is an 'unputdownable' account of childhood in an English village in the 1920's. From the opening paragraph, Mildred Masheder manages to combine her charming child's eye view with that of an experienced researcher into child development, so the book is much more than autobiography. But Mildred Masheder's gentle humour, eye for fascinating detail and genuine talent for narrative ensure her work entertains as well as elucidates. Insightful, sensitive and utterly readable, 'Carrier's Cart to Oxford' deserves recognition alongside 'Lark Rise to Candleford' and Alison Uttley's 'The Country Child' both as social history and a unique contribution to the literature of childhood studies." Sue Palmer, author of 'Toxic Childhood'.
"Mildred Masheder evokes a bygone age when community was everything and childhood still had perfect innocence. ..." NFU Countryside Magazine.
"... Arranging her recollections thematically, Masheder - a former lecturer in child development and multicultural studies - writes in a gentle style that is cumulatively poignant." The Guardian.
"... Mildred, who is the oldest member of the Bellsize g.o.d. group, writes beautifully and evocatively of the routines of daily life... Her book is a slice of real social history ... a joy and inspiration to read." Newsletter of Growing Old Disgracefully.
"All the traditional rites and rituals, attitudes and opinions, manners and behaviour, pets and meals, fairs and fetes, concerts and Magic Lantern shows, all come to life again in the gentle, clear-sighted words of love that Mildred so skilfully weaves. Here before you are the collective joys (and occasional pain) of yesteryear." Gandhi Foundation Newsletter.
Read a review from the Times Education Supplement
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