Raymond Sheppard and Our House on Wheels

Our House on Wheels cover
An idyllic scene

I recently wrote up a brief life of Mary Dorothea Hillyard Kelly and introduced the book The Caravan Family. That book contains three books one of which I wish to cover today: Our House on Wheels.

This book is the thinnest of the three titles but has some lovely Raymond Sheppard illustrations. All three books and the compiled version do not have page numbers. The stories are:

1. Magic carpet
2. Really Off!
3. Another Caravan
4. To The Sea
5. The Cave Adventure
6. Friends

"Good News!"
Mum brings letter to the table and three children look excited

Our House on Wheels title page
The car drives the caravan downhill on a  country road

Dad tells the children the holiday is cancelled but...

Paul said, "it's going to be real magic carpet!"

Tony and Colin, the dog look out the window in excitement

"Really in the country"
The three children swim in a stream

"Getting lunch ready"
Mum hands a roast chicken to her daughter

Paul comes out from behind a tree and spies an old gypsy caravan

"Paul makes new friends"

"Paul in the “corn house”"

 "Another halt by the wayside"

"What a place to play"
Patsy waves to the boys as they pick flowers

"Oh, Mummie, we went in a cave”
Patsy waves from the rowing boat to her Mum on the cliff

Patsy and her brother go crabbing with nets

"Exploring the caves"
The children row the boat into a cave

"Through the big woods"
The car comes uphill through the woods

Original art - notice bright colours!

"A shelter from the storm"
The two boys climb a ladder to a hayloft

 “Have you ever been in an aeroplane?”
The kids and dog talk with their new friend in the hayloft

 “I'm off the world looking at a map!”
The two seater prop aeroplane flies high

Paul kneels on the rear seat and looks out rear window

Endpaper: "A happy halt"

Other titles in the series:

The Caravan Family containing:

• Our House on Wheels
  
• Our Camping Holiday
• Our Caravan