So many superlatives have been applied to Philippa Pearce's work that a new book from the Pearce stable is in danger of being treated with undue deference by reviewers.

With The Battle of Bubble and Squeak, however, superlatives are definitely in order. Philippa Pearce returns to the theme of a child's intense longing for a pet (first treated in A Dog So Small) and the repercussions that this yearning has within a family….

The theme sounds rather tortured but Philippa Pearce writes with a dry humour and lucidity that capture for the young reader the complexity of people, especially adults, and makes them comprehensible, even sympathetic. Indeed the book treats family interaction so subtly and with such acute observation that it will be read and reread.

Rosemary Stones, "Life Savers," in The Times Literary Supplement (© Times Newspapers Ltd. (London) 1978; reproduced from The Times Literary Supplement by permission), No...