This is a complete list of the 149 Puffin Story Books published for children from 1941 to 1960 by Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, England.
Introductory remarks Brief information about the content of the books is contained in the notes, where it is available. However, the content of some books is self-explanatory as in the case of biographies and books of poems by R.L. Stevenson (PS 22), Hilaire Belloc (PS 67) and Walter de la Mare (PS 70). The sequence of PS numbers does not always coincide with the sequence of dates of publication. For example, Fell Farm Holiday by Marjorie Lloyd was first published in 1951 but its PS no. is 54 so that it appears among the sequence of books published in 1949. The discrepancy between PS nos and publication dates is presumably because some books take longer than others to prepare for publication. Fell Farm Holiday was in fact commissioned in 1947 though it didn't appear till 1951.According to Phil Baines, Puffin by Design: 70 Years of Imagination 1940–2010, London: Allen Lane, 2010, p.66.
1941–1945 No. Title Author Illustrator Date NotesPS 1 Worzel GummidgeBarbara Euphan ToddElizabeth Alldridge1941The scarecrow of Scatterbrook who comes alivePS 2Cornish AdventureDerek McCulloch---1941Tale of smugglers in CornwallPS 3The Cuckoo ClockMary Louisa MolesworthC.E. Brock1941Lonely Victorian girl's encounters with a cuckoo clockPS 4Garram the HunterHerbert BestErick Berry1941A boy of the Hill TribesPS 5SmokyWill JamesWill James1941Story of a cowboy's horsePS 6The Insect ManEleanor DoorlyRobert Gibbings1941The story of children's visit to France to find out about Jean-Henri Fabre, who first understood the ways and habits of insects by long and systematic watching. Introduction by Walter de la Mare PS 7The Family from One End StreetEve GarnettEve Garnett1942The Ruggles live at No. 1 One End Street in the heart of the fictional town of Otwell, located on the Ouse river. Josiah Ruggles works for Otwell council as a dustman, and his wife Rosie takes in washing. They have seven children, so life is hard, but they are a happy familyPS 8The Microbe ManEleanor DoorlyRobert Gibbings1943A life of Louis Pasteur for children PS 9The Puffin Puzzle BookW. E. GladstoneWilliam Grimmond1944The first Puffin Story Book to have an illustrated cover unique to itself.PS 10Tents in MongoliaHenning Haslund-Christensen---1943Adventures and experiences among the nomads of Central Asia. A youth edition prepared by Eleanor GrahamPS 11CarcajouRutherford MontgomeryL.D. Cram1944Story of the snowy North and of Carcajou, a wolverine or skunk-bear PS 12Mourzouk: The Story of a LynxVitaly Valentinovich BiankiY. Charushkin & V. Kobelev1944Translated by Ivy Low, afterwards LitvinovaPS 13Jungle JohnJohn Austin BuddenH. J. P. Browne1944A book of the Big-Game Jungles PS 14Jehan of the Ready FistsMagdalen King-HallA. H. Hall1944Thrilling adventures in the Holy Land with the extraordinary, the invincible Good King Richard the LionheartPS 15Gay Neck: The Story of a PigeonDhan Gopal MukerjiBoris Artzybasheff1944The story of the training of a carrier pigeon and its service during the First World War, revealing the bird's courageous and spirited adventures over the housetops of an Indian village, in the Himalayan Mountains, and on the French battlefieldPS 16My Friend Mr. LeakeyJ. B. S. Haldane---1944Stories of a Magician and MagicPS 17Afke's TenNienke van HichtumJ M Kupfer1945Translated from the Dutch by Marie Kiersted PidgeonPS 18Palaces on MondayMarjorie FischerRichard Floethe1945An amusing account of a brother and sister who travel through the Soviet Union on their way to meet their father, an American engineer employed upon an important projectPS 19Coconut IslandRobert GibbingsRobert Gibbings1945The adventure of Two Children in the South Seas PS 20Flaxen Braids: A Chapter From a Real Swedish ChildhoodAnnette TurngrenDorothy Bayley1945Cover illustration by Grace W. GablerPS 21We'll Meet in EnglandKitty BarneSteven Spurrier1945The scene is conquered Norway, the characters are three young people, brother and two sisters; their mother, an English woman who had married a Norwegian. The story is about their escape from Nazi occupation.PS 22A Child's Garden of VersesRobert Louis StevensonEve Garnett1947 PS 23Ferry the FearlessCarola Oman---1945Story of the Third Crusade, 1189–1192PS 24Greentree DownsM. I. Ross---1945 An unusual story of the adventures of four children who are adopted by an Australian uncle, a miser with a heart of gold. The characters have much more individuality than is usual in books of this kind.
1946–1949 No. Title Author Illustrator Date NotesPS 25David Goes to ZululandK. MarshallGwen White1946A London boy's adventures in AfricaPS 26StarlightHarry Mortimer Batten---1946A wolf's life in the Canadian wilds PS 27StormalongAlan VilliersWilliam Grimmond1946The story of a boy's voyage round the world in a full-rigged shipPS 28North after SealsThames Ross WilliamsonArthur H. Hall1946Two boys on a sealing expeditionPS 29No Other White MenJulia DavisJohn Harwood1946A true story of adventure. The first white men sail the MissouriPS 30Worzel Gummidge and Saucy NancyBarbara Euphan ToddJohn Harwood1947A ship's figurehead comes to lifePS 31Jam TomorrowMonica RedlichJack Matthew1947Cover illustration by Grace Gabler. A holiday, a secret passage, and a discovery. An unusual family story, amusing yet realisticPS 32Red RuffMortimer BattenA. H. Hall1947The life story of a fox. A first-class story that rings true and tells a great deal about the lives and characteristics of the foxes in the British IslesPS 33The Incredible Adventures of Professor BranestawmNorman HunterW. Heath Robinson1946The wonderfully nutty, fabulously entertaining mishaps of Professor Branestawm. He's madly sane and cleverly dotty. He is the most absent-minded inventor you'll ever meet and no matter how hard he tries his brilliant ideas never seem to keep him out of crazy scrapesPS 34KidnappedR. L. StevensonAnthony Lake1946A classic adventure story in the Scottish Highlands of the 18th centuryPS 35Alice in WonderlandLewis CarrollJohn Tenniel1946With 42 illustrations by TennielPS 36Treasure IslandR. L. StevensonAnthony Lake1946A classic treasure seeking story of the 18th century PS 37South Country SecretsEuphan (Barbara Euphan Todd) and KlaxonWilliam Grimmond1947The South Country's secrets are about smugglers, wishing wells, Roman villas, and such strange things as a wall made of bullock horns. "Klaxon" was the pseudonym of Euphan's husband John Graham BowerPS 38Cranes Flying SouthN. KarazinN. Karazin1948The story of a crane migrating from the Ostashkov swamps to the Upper Nile. The book combines an interesting story, geographic descriptions of the places the crane flew and illustrations by the author. Cover illustration by Sylvia DysonPS 39Columbus SailsC. Walter HodgesC. Walter Hodges1947A stirring tale of Christopher Columbus's expedition into the Western Seas to discover gold for SpainPS 40Discovery or the Spirit and Service of ScienceSir Richard GregoryJohn Baynes1949The story of scientific discovery written for childrenPS 41Ballet ShoesNoel StreatfeildRuth Gervis1949Relates the fortunes of three adopted sisters who take dancing and stage training, one to become an actress, the second a ballerina, and the third an aviatrixPS 42The Secret of Dead Man's CoveR. J. McGregorWiliam Grimmond1948The Further Adventures of The Young Detectives (See PS 47 below)PS 43Tomorrow is a New DayJennie Lee---1948The life story of a miner's daughter who, through hard work and ability, became a Member of Parliament PS 44Through the Looking GlassLewis CarrollJohn Tenniel1948 PS 45Mr. Sheridan's UmbrellaL. A. G. StrongC. Walter Hodges1948Smuggling and adventure in Regency times PS 46Susannah of the MountiesMuriel DenisonMarguerite Bryant1948An English girl among the Red Coats. Susannah stays with a relative while her parents are posted elsewhere in the British empire of the 1890s. In this case the relative with whom Susannah is sent to stay (with virtually no notice whatsoever) is a bachelor army officer posted in the wilds of Canada. She is not welcome. However, despite a sad habit of disobeying the rules, Susannah soon wins the hearts of minds of those around her, including those of both her uncle and the fort commander. PS 47The Young DetectivesR. J. McGregorWilliam Grimmond1948A first rate family story with more than a mere spice of adventure in it. The five Mackie children had the rare good luck to find, in a house taken for the holidays in Devon, a secret passage leading to a smuggler's cave.PS 48Golden IslandDenis Clark---1948Though this is a strange tale of adventure long ago, it is also a stirring lively story of elephantsPS 49Young Walter ScottE. Janet GrayA. H. Hall1948A rich story of schoolboy life in Edinburgh long ago based loosely on the life of Sir Walter ScottPS 50Children of the New ForestFrederick Marryat---1948A stirring tale of children surviving the English Civil War of the 17th centuryPS 51The Grey Goose of KilnevinPatricia Lynch---1951The grey goose sets off to market to see the world and finds Sheila, a young girl working in one of the inns in Kilnevin. Sent to get 3 lbs of butter from Bridgie Swallow, Sheila and the goose embark on an adventure, strange and magical enough to rival Alice in Wonderland.PS 52Grimms' Fairy Talesthe Brothers GrimmGeorge Cruikshank1948PS 53Street FairMarjorie FischerS. Dyson1949Two American children on holiday in France John and Anna were bored with all the sightseeing on their summer holiday but one night they slipped out by themselvesPS 54Fell Farm HolidayMarjorie LloydWilliam Grimmond1951The five Brownes and their domestic and holiday adventures in the Lake District.PS 55Strangers at the FairPatricia LynchEileen Coghlan1949Eighteen short stories about IrelandPS 56Dickon Among the IndiansM. R. HarringtonClarence Ellsworth1949Dickon was an English boy, sole survivor of a wreck, who was thrown up on the coast of Virginia, country then of the Lenape Indians
1950–1955