Raymond Sheppard and Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4

The Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p11

Searching for The Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, I bought the preceding three books and I have shared two so far on my other blog. Well, I now finally own a copy of Book 4!

The British Library tells us that Eric Newton is a pseudonym for Frederick George Newton, who they tell us was born in 1904. I've found one Frederick George Newton born in Wandsworth on 16 January 1904, who died in Wandsworth in the 1st quarter of 1978. The same man was listed as a General Labourer and having a civilian role in Air Raid Precautions and married to Edith Newton (born 1908). Is this likely him? I don't know. In a later entry the BL also add a further name "Christensen Frederick George Newton" about whom I can also find nothing to help either, so Eric Newton remains a bit of a mystery to me.

 However, the book itself tells me that he was "Head Master, Blackhorse Road Junior School, Walthamstow; Lecturer in School Drama for the Speech Fellowship, and Essex County Council, Middlesex County Council etc." Book 4 also mentions he is the author of Drama Omnibus which the British Library says is dated 1946 so I assume (with the BL corroboration) that Drama Merry-Go-Round was published in 1949 for the 10-11 age group. The Introduction covers "Reading and Acting", "Atmosphere",  "Space", "Contents" and "Notes". It then covers matches each story number below to a type - "Verse Mimes" (#2, #4, #12), then "Stories for Acting" (#5, #10), and "Play-making" (#6, #8, #11), "Plays" (#1, #3, #9, #13, #14) and finally "Broadcast" (#7).

CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION

1. The Horse-shoe Nail
2. Glasshouse Street (Eleanor Farjeon)
3. The Wise Men of Gotham and the Cuckoo
4. Billy's lost his Hat
5. Moses
6. The Queen of Hearts
7. Stupid and the Pot of Gold
8. Androcles and the Lion
9. Belling the Cat
10. The Two Father Christmases
11. Lost and Found
12. The Wraggle-Taggle Gipsies O!
13. The Voyage to the Treasure Island
14. David and the Bear

• NOTES

The first image at the top of this article comes from the first tale of "The Horse-Shoe Nail" where the poor King asks how the battle is going only to be told "Because of a nail the shoe was lost" etc.

The second image by Raymond Sheppard  accompanies "The Wise Men of Gotham and the Cuckoo" where three fools and Grandad attempt to catch a cuckoo - demonstrating with a net plonked on Andrew Addlepate's head!

 

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.16

The next three illustrations are for the story of Moses - firstly three servant girls and the daughter of Pharaoh go to wash and find Moses in a basket floating on the Nile. Secondly Moses witnesses a taskmaster whipping a Jewish slave. Thirdly we see Moses parting the Red Sea.

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.20

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.24

 

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.26

The next image accompanies "The Queen of Hearts" and needs no explanation for you to guess who this thieving character is.

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.28

 "Stupid and the Pot of Gold" is about a boy whose name is given to him by other lads who tease him. It's a cute story of how he is stupid. the three pictures show Stupid scaring his Mother's hen, meeting a man on his way to the fair, and finally accidentally discovering some gold in a statue - who he thought a rude man for not paying him - and thus smashed his head in!

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.31

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.34

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.37

 We have two illustrations for the classic tale of the Christian Androcles whose bravery removing a thorn from the paw of a lion saves his life later in the Roman arena. I loved this story as a child and whilst re-reading here, I wondered if it was possible that I saw this book as a child in the 1960s, it was so familiar!

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.39

  

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.41

The next image in "Belling the cat" gave me pause to study. Is this cute mouse picture by Sheppard? The second image of a cat is most certainly his and as the rest of the book is his work, I have to believe it is his work.

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.44

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.46

 The next tale is of "The Two Father Christmases" - a silly tale of mistaken identity where neighbours look after each others' houses when they are on holiday. 

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.49

"The Wraggle-Taggle Gipsies O!" is in the form of a poem and Sheppard manages to portray the subject matter beautifully in a small space.

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.52

"The Voyage to the Treasure Island" is based on a play of the original book and we see here the pirates plotting mutiny with young Jim Hawkins watching them. 

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.53

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.57

Lastly, in "David and the Bear ", Raymond Sheppard shows us images from a very common story. Two children, Joan and Hugh, trick another child, David, into leaving his basket of eggs on the ground near the sleeping man in the stocks. They pretend to play Blind man's Buff but steal the eggs to get admittance as traders to the fair. David meanwhile stumbles around and trips and awakens the man in the stocks.  The man assures David, the man has lost something much bigger than eggs and makes David guess.  Then out of the blue the bear comes running towards them both. David, convinced the man is telling him the truth strokes the bear bravely. Suddenly a group of horsemen arrive after the bear. The Lord of the manor, never fully trusting his Bailiff''s story about the bear being a killer tells the men to hold off when David persuades them. The Lord is so impressed with David's bravery and we discover the bailiff put the man who owns the bear in the stocks without the Lord's permission. You can guess the ending - David is made a free man as does his new friend and they take the bear away with them to start a new life.

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.61

  

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.65

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.68

 

 Drama Merry-Go-Round Book 4, p.75

ERIC NEWTON BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Never to be: Song. With Violin or Violoncello Obligato, ad lib. Words .by G. W. Southey,  Eric Newton. Birmingham: Arthur & Co, 1900
• Play Production for Youth: A book for producers and leaders in youth clubs. London: Samuel French, 1943
• Drama for Youth: A guide to drama for clubs and schools. London: Samuel French, 1943
• Drama Omnibus, etc. [On acting.] London: Samuel French, 1946
• The Drama Merry-Go-Round (Books.1 - 4.), London & Glasgow: Blackie & Son, 1949
• The Playmakers: A graded course in dramatic activity for children of primary schools. (Books.1 - 4.) by Maisie Cobby and Eric Newton, [Illustrations by Rosamond Stokes]London: Pitman, 1951
• Drama in the Making Book 2. London: University of London Press Ltd, 1955
• The Merry-Go-Round of Mimes. [Illustrated by Ruth Murrell]. London & Glasgow: Blackie & Son, 1955
• Teacher's Book. by Eric Newton and Jean McConnell, London: University of London Press, 1956
• Drama in the Making. By Eric Newton, and Jean McConnell, London: University of London Press, 1956
• Drama in the Making: Teacher's Book, London: University of London Press Ltd, 1956 
• The Legend of Carcassone, by Jean MacConnell and Eric Newton, London: University of London Press, 1962
• A guide to teaching poetry, Eric Newton and Graham Handley, London: University of London Press, 1971