Cautionary Verses

This omnibus of Belloc's stories is a feast of delightful tales told in rhyme - all with a dramatic moral twist in the tail. Are you prone to pulling faces, telling tales or bouts of extravagance? Yes? Then ignore these stories at your peril. If not, you might suffer a fate similar to those described in these cautionary tales.

About the Author

Hilaire Belloc was born in France and educated at Newman's Oratory School and at Balliol College, Oxford. From 1906 to 1910 he was Liberal MP for Salford and literary editor of the Morning Post. As well as writing books of verse and novels, he also wrote on religious, social and political topics.

About the Illustrator

Quentin Blake has been drawing ever since he can remember. He taught illustration for over twenty years at the Royal College of Art, of which he is an honorary professor. He has won many prizes, including the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, the Eleanor Farjeon Award and the Kate Greenaway Medal, and in 1999 he was appointed the first Children's Laureate. In the 2013 New Year's Honours List he was knighted for services to illustration.

About the Original Illustrator

Basil Temple Blackwood was a lawyer, civil servant, soldier and illustrator. Born in Ireland, Blackwood attended Harrow after spending some of his childhood in Canada while his father was Governor General. He attended Balliol College, Oxford where he met Hilaire Belloc. Belloc later asked Blackwood to provide illustrations for his children's verse books and Blackwood readily agreed, paving the way for several successful collaborations. After serving as a government barrister in South Africa, Blackwood served in the Lancers, Intelligence Corps and Grenadier Guards during the First World War. He died in a night raid near Ypres, Belgium July 1917 and his name is engraved at the Menin Gate.