Amusing and serendipitous memories of Gervase Phinn's first year as County Inspector of Schools in North Yorkshire. The children he meets seem to be little adults, full of the language and prudence of their mostly land-worker parents; able to hold their own on the finer points of animal husbandry and farm management. "Don't yer know yer sheep then?" asks a serious little boy, aged six, whose reading aloud is perfect but whose interest is more in identifying the breed of sheep in the accompanying illustration, which leads to a serious classroom discussion.

Gervase Phinn meets head teachers, checks school curriculums, selects an unpopular winner in a poetry competition, and gains confidence of the shyest and the most stubborn with innate diplomacy. He graciously accepts endless inaccuracies in the spelling and pronunciation of his name--"he's called Mr Grim and he's a spectre"--becomes much sought-after and admired by the county's matrons, and his heart is set a'flutter by a pretty, unmarried headmistress with whom he longs to be more intimately acquainted.

A good-natured, entertaining storyteller obviously committed to his calling, Mr Phinn's occasional inaccuracy in rendition in no way detracts from his warm and enjoyable reading. --Running time approx 3 hours --Lynn Took

2008-05-29 I have come to Uk to see Yorkshir

I read the book while i was studying at law school at University of Peshawar. it is really a great book. it helps one learn to enjoy every samll bit of life. its a very lovely story of small school kids and people who are concerned about them. and some where when you don't even reallise it transforms in a small love story. I enjoy every sentence of it, and read it five times(no exageration, i enjoy it that much and it is still on my disk. i still remember a kids spelling corrections when Miss. dela be aware(Miss de la Mare) appreciated them as a good poem;

yesterday yesterday yesterday
sorrow sorrow sorrow
today today today
hope hope hope
tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow
Love love love

and dont forget to read the "big stick joke" that was the start of love story....