Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep is a timeless, magical, and enchanting short story by the esteemed author Eleanor Farjeon. The story centers on Elsie Piddock, a remarkable young girl who is taught the ancient, essential art of perfect skipping by the old-fashioned, mischievous man of the hills, Andy-Spandy. Elsie is so good that she can skip effortlessly, even in her sleep. Years pass, and Elsie is an old woman when the hills she loves are threatened by modern builders who want to cover the land with ugly, concrete houses. Elsie, using the unique, ancient magic of her perfect skipping, must skip and skip in her sleep to protect the land. The story is a beautiful allegory for the preservation of nature and tradition against the advance of commercial development, celebrating the quiet, enduring power of skill, memory, and simple magic.
