PBOTD 26th May: Monica Edwards - The Cownappers

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The Cownappers (1958) is one of Monica Edwards' Punchbowl Farm stories. Cows aren't the most natural inhabitants of a mystery story: you can't ride them, and they aren't cosy pets.

Collins, 1958, 1st edn, illus Geoffrey Whittam
In The Cownappers, it's human evil prompted by cows that drives the plot. The Punchbowl Family have a paying guest called Jewel (Bijou de la Couronne) - a cow who is almost black. She has been cownapped from France, and the Thorntons end up tracking down her rightful owner and returning her via Westling and Jim Deck’s fishing smack in a strictly illegal cross channel voyage.

Armada, 1964, pb, illus Peter Archer
You wouldn't have thought cows could have been combined with sailing, another of Monica Edwards' fondnesses, but it's a testament to her powers of story telling that none of this seems even remotely implausible.

More on Monica Edwards
The Cownappers will be the next Monica Edwards title to be republished by GGB.

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