Gentleman Jim

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Considering what he along with Hilda would endure two years later makes this an interlude to tragedy. When the Wind Blows (1982) confronted the trusting, optimistic Bloggs couple with the horror of nuclear war, and was praised in the British House of Commons for its timeliness and originality. Raymond Briggs may have switched his target audience to adults, but it is not apparent from the cover that this is not a children’s picture book.

Initially his attempts to seek adventure are amusing, but once you realise that he is such a simple man, the story becomes bittersweet: despite the gentle, positive personality of the protagonist, the reader is left feeling crushed on their behalf. Deciding that he wants to better himself he attempts to get started on various career changes until he fixes upon Highwayman (but only to take from the rich and give to the poor).

The walls in his cubby hole in the public toilets are lined with books like “Executive Opportunities”, and “How to be a Diplomat”, but there are also books he has eagerly acquired from the local library, such as “Out in the Silver West”, and “The Boys’ Book of Pirates”. The Snowman” is a magical book without words, and has been overwhelmingly successful in Great Britain.They are by turns sad and funny, full of a quiet sorrow, all lifted by a pervading optimism through their main characters who are unable to cope with reality, which will give you a rueful smile. His first three major works, Father Christmas, Father Christmas Goes on Holiday (both featuring a curmudgeonly Father Christmas who complains incessantly about the "blooming snow"), and Fungus the Bogeyman, were in the form of comics rather than the typical children's-book format of separate text and illustrations.

The jobs in the paper all seem to need O or A levels, and Jim doesn't know what 'The levels' are, so he starts to think of other occupations that he might enjoy. This book is of it's time, and the joke is often on Jim, who struggles to read, and mispronounces long words. Walter, however, knows he is living an imaginary life, whereas Jim really means to do something about his.I stumbled across this after hearing a Radio 4 adaptation - and to my delight, the book is even better. We have followed his grand ideas and unfortunate attempts to break out, and we also see his consternation as he tries to do the right thing. With this playful style, Briggs expertly transforms common feelings of inadequacy into an endearing and enjoyable experience that speaks across generations, concluding with an optimistic implication that even a misfortunate outcome can be better than no change at all. For his contribution as a children's illustrator Briggs was a runner-up for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1984. A remarkable success story for a book which is entirely wordless, and illustrated with only pencil crayons.