Achilles the Donkey
London: Dennis Dobson, 1962; New York: Franklin Watts, 1963. Illustrations by Carol Barker. The first of three children's picture books illustrated by Carol Barker (followed by Achilles and Diana and Achilles and the Twins). The dust cover states that "Carol Barker painted the pictures in this book after a visit to Greece. they were shown to H.E. Bates who liked them so much that he agreed immediately to contribute a text." A simple story of a young donkey in Greece, named for his running abilities, who is separated from his mother and bought by a cruel fruit-vendor. He escapes his ill-treatment with the help of a pelican named Popo. Both text and artwork are colorful, warm, and endearing. Baldwin (208) notes that "the series provides adventure without violence and instills a sense of respect for animals as well as an appreciation for local color." The story was adapted for the television series "Jackanory" and aired in September 1970. Bates's only earlier stories for children were the very early "Seekers" (1926), "The Peach Tree" (1929), and "The King Who Lived on Air" (1929), marred, as expressed by Baldwin (208) by "cloying sentiment and easy morality," and a non-fiction children's book, "The Seasons & The Gardener (1940).