The Little Steamroller

Will you look at this? It was common knowledge in the 50s that Heathrow got snow in the winter and yet they STILL act all surprised and unprepared whenever there's snow there.

As for the book, I think it's a little strange that the mere presence of a secret note was enough to warrant a steamroller arrest. They didn't even read it!

It was very cute to think of steamrollers getting coal wrapped up in Christmas paper as presents.

Exactly what you would want a children's book by Graham Greene to be: smugglers, secret codes, and a little steamroller that saves the day. Beautiful pictures.

Graham Greene was a brilliant novelist, an intuitive and prophetic storyteller, an astute journalist, a gifted short story writer, an elegantly witty playwright, an erudite and excellent film critic and also a compelling travel writer - but surely, not many would know that he also wrote a handful of children's stories as well. "The Little Steamroller" was one of four such stories written and published first just in the wake of the Second World War, illustrated originally by his then-paramour Dorothy Craigie and then republished in the early 1970s, with a set of new illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. And while one might expect this children's story, about a heroic old steamroller nabbing a smuggler in London Airport, to be a mere triviality, trust Greene, arguably the greatest storyteller of the last century, to make even a simple story for children such a delightful surprise.

So, while this is indeed the whimsical story of a steamroller charging to the pursuit of a devilishly clever smuggler who has escaped the Customs at the airport, "The Little Steamroller" is nevertheless recognisably embellished with his signature storytelling elements. The book opens with a vivid little scene of the traffic at London Airport - white streaks that are the many runways and then the bustle of travellers at the airport getting their bags checked by the Customs authorities ("Even postage stamps can be very precious" remarks Greene and in one sentence, lends his description a touch of his perceptive and candid wit). And merely less than ten pages into the book, he even asks us, the readers, to decipher a little coded message of drawings and anagrams; of course, we should not forget, with a smile on our faces, that this was also the writer of some of the greatest spy fiction and a spy of the MI6 himself!

The prose is thus enlivened by his gift for nuance and detail - it is admirable how the writer fleshes out a small and simple story for children with the touches of a writer also writing for adults. There is a small scene in Africa where smugglers are involved in a "deep and dark plot" and as it keeps snowing and snowing and snowing in London, flights of BOAC and Pan American, spanning many an exotic country, are delayed owing to the weather. Greene's sense of wanderlust and wide-eyed fascination for air-travel are expressed in the lightest, most loveable fashion.

But equally admirable is his nostalgic affection for an older, less advanced form of technology and old-school, stiff-upper-lipped charm and heroism that is so distinctly English, as in telling the tale of good old Steamroller and the equally mild-mannered Billy Driver. And of course, then there are also the police, not quite where and when you want them to be and of course, the setting for a snowy Christmas as well.

Greene's writing is sufficient on its own to bring life to his own words and characters - to even the dastardly smuggler King who keeps looking sideways when interrogated because he is lying - but Ardizzone's beautiful water-colour illustrations come together to restore to life a bygone era so vividly and romantically on each page. Both the words and the images frequently make the reader stop in his or her tracks to admire the minute details set in both and all in all, this is a rare children's book that will thrill the young ones and also mesmerise the adults equally.

I had no idea Graham Greene wrote children's stories so I had to read this! He definitely does it in his style with attention to detail, intrigue, and a touch of good vs evil.

Young kids may be disappointed that it's not in the style of a book like "Little Blue Truck" but this is a quality story worth reading

I haven't read his other children's books, but I'm glad he kept his day job writing for adults!

My daughter read this to her son and niece. They listened politely but I don't think it was the favorite book this past Thanksgiving Day Weekend. I enjoyed it because I knew it was written by a famous author about a little steamroller catching a criminal in London Airport in days gone by. It's the kind of story which earlier generations of children would have appreciated, children such as yours truly. Ah well...

My son, Rupert was gifted a first edition (1974) of this beautiful book (with its damp marking of the dust wrapper) the day he was born so it’s very precious to us all!

Edward Ardizzone’s illustrations in a calm palette are beautiful. He is without doubt my favourite illustrator.

Graham Greene’s steamroller takes centre stage in defeating The Black Hand Gang in this little Winter crime adventure. He is fed with nuggets of coal which taste best when wrapped in Christmas paper by his owner Bill Driver.

My son particularly liked the coded letters which the smugglers send to each other working out the words made up of pictures and letters! They are great fun to decipher.

A favourite scene is when Mr King, a smuggler is asked to justify the toy wooden blocks in his suitcase, he explains that they are “Only toys for my children at Christmas”

Graham Greene tells the reader that Mr Kjng is looking sideways because he is felling a lie! I love that line!

Another cute little children’s book from one of my all-time favourite authors. I picked it up because I’m a completionist. But yeah, it was a cute read.