A Guide to the Alternative Combe Down

by Rosemary Simmons

£5

Written for the children of Bath, this heart-warming and hilarious tale takes young readers on a journey below the surface, following in the footsteps of mysterious, nocturnal creatures to discover the creative and magical ways in which badgers make use of the disused stone mines. “This is a story about the Combe Down you do not see because you are a human. The night life of Combe Down is black and white; it starts at dusk and ends at dawn. It is a mirror image of day-time Combe Down. If you got up very early, or stayed out very late, you might have caught a glimpse of a Brock but, whatever it was doing, it would pretend to be gardening, so you still would not have seen that much...” Rosemary Simmons, artist and local historian has used her knowledge of the village and career in the visual arts to compose this joyful new publication, in a playful twist on the city’s history, jam-packed with activities to entertain the whole family. Families can join the Brock clan deep underground and, discover the wild and wonderful lifestyle of these furry friends, out of sight from the watchful eyes of surface-dwelling humans. Rosemary has even intertwined noteworthy, historical figures into this tale and, readers will enjoy finding badgers personified into the likes of William “Strata” Smith, Ralph Allen, George Steart and Patrick Alexander and, their contributions to the modern world are introduced throughout the book.

Total pages: 24
Subject: Children's Literature