Miss Read's early days were spent with two remarkable grandmothers - one in Lewisham, and one in Walton-on-the-Naze. EARLY DAYS is full of childhood memories of an extended family of uncles, aunts and cousins, and their houses full of mystery and adventure, where Miss Read spent so much time, living in the shadow of the 1914-18 war. At the age of seven, Miss Read moved to the small village of Chelsfield, Kent, into a magical new world - and so began her love of the English countryside, which was to have such a strong influence on her career as a writer. Her evocative descriptions of the village school, the joys of exploring the woods and lanes rich in wildlife, and of childhood events from toffee-making to the treat of a lift on the corn-chandler's cart, vividly convey this time as one of the happiest of her life.