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| The Creepie-Man’s Poke-Sack |
When browsing through book dealers catalogues my attention
is often drawn to books with odd sounding names. This is one such book.
It's a simple enough story about a gnome called Be-Wee and a
strange little person by the name of The Creepie-Man. The two haven’t seen eye
to eye since Be-Wee built his home under the Punker tree which is where the
Creepie-Man has his shed.
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| Be-Wee the Gnome and the Poke-sack |
Once in a while the door to the shed is left open and Be-Wee
watches as the Creepie-Man prepares his meals. At other times, the Creepie-Man simply
sits on his creepie-stool with his poke-sack held tight between his knees. Be-Wee
would dearly love to know what's in the poke-sack but the Creepie-Man won’t
tell him.
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| The Creepie-Man sits on his Creepie-stool |
Luckily, the Punker-tree can talk, and it is more than happy to
tell Be-Wee about the ‘odd bits of weather’ the Creepie-Man hides in his sack.
Be-Wee longs for a nice bit of
fair-weather-without-too-much-sun and wonders if he might find some inside the sack.
Just then the smallest twig on the Punker-tree starts singing, and this is what it sings;
"The Creepie-Man is ever so far, and he has left his door a-jar;
Come and close it if you can: Heigh-ho, the Creepie-Man!"
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Be-Wee and the poke-sack
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This is my chance thinks Be-Wee as he tiptoes to the door of
the shed. Hurrying inside he seizes the
poke-sack and running out tips all the odd pieces of weather onto the ground.
Picking up a piece of bright and pleasant looking weather
Be-Wee makes a little hole in the ground and buries it. Alas! The smile has
hardly crept across his face when there is a noise like breaking glass and hail
stones start raining down, and with the hail comes a cold wind. Next it begins to thunder, and then to snow! There has never been such a terrible storm.
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The Creepie-Man is extremely angry with Be-Wee
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In the middle of all the noise and confusion the Creepie-Man
returns and realising what Be-Wee has done tells him “there was not one piece
of fair-weather-without-too-much-sun in my poke-sack, for if there was I would
have used it long ago!”
With that, there is a rumble-rumble-rumble from the Punker-Tree
followed by a strange rustling movement as the branches turn into wings, and the
tree now a bird flies away.
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The Punker-Bird drew his claws out of the ground and flew
away
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Eventually, the Creepie-Man forgives Be-Wee but only on condition that he fetches the topmost leaf from the Tousle-Bush. The Creepie-Man is going to use it to flavour his porridge, but he doesn’t tell Be-Wee that!
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| The Creepie- Man sat on his creepie-stool and waited... |
Be-Wee sets off and the Creepie-Man finding a tiny piece of
weather in a corner of the poke-sack buries it along with a pinch of pepper, thereby
bringing an end to the terrible storm and the story.
The Creepie-Man's Poke-Sack
Tales of Happy Common ... No. 4
By Agnes Grozier Herbertson
Illustrated by Lilian A Govey
London: Dean & Son, Ltd.
Having read it, I still have no idea how or why the
Creepie-Man got his name. This is book four in the Tales of Happy Common, so I
can only assume the answer is in one of the earlier stories.
I’m also confused by the term poke-sack. According to the
Oxford dictionary, poke has a variety of definitions with prod being an obvious
one. Did you know tea-pokies are tea bags, and stoorsooker pokes
are vacuum cleaner bags? No neither did
I but apparently they are in Scotland. I’ve
also seen poke used to describe a purse or wallet so presumable a poke-sack is
just a small bag or sack?
If you have read any of the Happy Common Stories, or you know how the Creepie-Man got his name, please leave a comment, and maybe you can also enlighten me about Punker-Trees and Tousle-Bushes. I found a reference to a Punk tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia) which is a subtropical evergreen, native to Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia. But I can't find any reference at all to a Tousle-Bush.
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This little gnome looks as perplexed as I feel right now.
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What are your thoughts on the story? I would love to hear
from you.
This sounds to be a wonderful and fantastic story, with beautiful illustrations. I know the term poke as a verb and as a bag, my great Auntie had an old, drawstring purse and called it her poke....Thanks for telling us about a very interesting book. Have a great week, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeleteThat is really interesting Valerie. I’ve never encounter anything called a poke but your great aunt obviously had so maybe the word has just fallen out of favour over the years. Thank you for leaving a comment I’ve been puzzling over this little book for several days. Barbara
DeleteCould tousle just be a reference to it being untidy, like tousled hair?
ReplyDeleteThat could well be the explanation, I honestly have no idea.
DeleteI just love the Creepie Man - what a face.
ReplyDeleteI agree Sue. He's not creepy at all – just a bit old and wrinkly – like me! :-) xx
DeleteI enjoyed the story very much...but then l have
ReplyDelete'that' sort of mentality...I love the fantasy world!
"Willie..you live in it most of the time". Nothing
wrong with that...! :).
All the names are brilliant! But, l think 'Creepie~Man
is just a name given to a man who looks creepy!
Can't seem to find a reference to it anywhere...!
And..l did find this regarding the author, so l
thought l'd print it below...Very interesting!
Agnes Grozier Herbertson
Born Oslo, Norway...
GenreChildren's Books, Literature & Fiction
edit data
Born in Oslo, ca. 1875, to a Scots family, Agnes Grozier Herbertson was the daughter of James Grozier Herbertson, and his wife Jessie Peattie. Her father's employment with a shipping company kept the family on the move, with the Herbertsons married in Norway, and their children born in Norway, France, and Scotland. Herbertson's younger sister, Jessie Leckie Herbertson, was also a writer, and the two lived together from the late 1930s, eventually retiring to the Edinburgh area.
Herbertson authored children's books, plays, and poems, as well as six novels for adults, beginning with A Book Without A Man!, published in 1897.
P.S. Love the Punker~Bird...Wonder what there like to eat...! :).
Thanks for trying to find out about the Creepie-Man Willie, I couldn’t find anything either but I think you could be right about the origin of the name. But then as Sue pointed out he doesn’t look at all creepy, just old and rather sweet.
DeleteI was really interested to read about Agnes Grozier Herbertson. I kept wondering if she had any connections with Australia, the Punker tree, etc., sound like Australian words to me. Maybe her dad being with a shipping company could have something to do with it; perhaps they even visited Australia on their travels.
If the Punker-Bird is the size of a tree, it would take some eating and just think of all those feathers! Best stick with the pheasants me thinks – not that I want to eat one, I much prefer a bit of green stuff as you know. :-)
PS. I really appreciate your help with my queries and I'm happy to know you enjoyed the story. xx
Quite the unique tale but wow, what a terrible name for Creepie-man. Like any parent would want their kid reading that.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think parents worried too much back then. Have you ever read Struwwelpeter (Shockheaded Peter)? There are some truly awful tales in that, which were routinely read to children. it was a case of scaring them enough to keep them away from matches and the like.
DeleteWhat a fun story! I wold not have thought a book with a Creepie-Man as a character would be so fun. But it had a great story, didn't it? I know a poke to be a small bag or sack so I think you got it right on that one. Reading everyone else's ideas of what the words mean is very interesting. Thanks for a fun read this morning.
ReplyDeleteHello Beth Ann, it is a fun story if a little strange.
DeleteThe comments are the best part of blogging as far as I’m concerned, and thank you very much for leaving one. Barbara
Dearest Barbara, good morning! That is SO interesting, the language of these tales; I am constantly in awe of the English language and though we share it, the vocabulary varies from shore to shore for the United States to the UK. Oh, I could continue to study the history of our languages and be totally happy, but when words and histories meet in story telling, then the plot thickens.......you know I just LOVE the illustrations found in these books, but the references to unknown names and places is so intriguing. Have a fantastic day my friend, and thank you for always coming to my Instagram!
ReplyDeleteA little intrigue coupled with beautiful illustrations make a book as far as I’m concerned. This one has both in spades.
DeleteYour Instagram pictures and words are always glorious, and I wouldn’t want to miss them. Hugs Barbara
delightful story and gorgeous images.
ReplyDeleteJean
I'm very glad you liked it. xx
DeleteJust seen Creepie is a Scottish word for a low stool. So it's what he is sitting on and not creepy at all :)
ReplyDeleteJean
I didn't know that Jean, how interesting. It makes me wonder if Creepie-Man is also a Scottish expression, I must do some more research. I was sure it would turn out to have something to do with Australia but I'm not so sure now, Thanks for commenting, Barbara.
DeleteSounds like a very strange dream. Seems like if Creepie-Man had just told Be-Wee what was in his sack disaster could have been avoided, but then... there wouldn't have been story, would there? :)
ReplyDeleteHi Bish, I hadn’t thought about a dream but that could be a possibility it is certainly strange enough. The problem was the Creepie-Man didn’t want anyone else living under ‘his’ Punker Tree, and you know what these neighbourhood disputes can be like. :-)
DeleteYep! Ere! Ya ! Go! :).
ReplyDeleteCreepie
/ˈkriːpɪ; ˈkrɪp-/
noun
1.
(mainly Scot) a low stool
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
Thanks Willie, now we just need to know why Creepie-Man. One of our neighbours is Scottish, so I will ask him if he has heard the expression. Readers of my blog are the best for finding out things (and that includes you).
DeleteYes! And, l also found this on line from the
DeleteScottish Dictionary....
creepie three legged stool
creepie-chair stool of repentance
creepie-stuil child's stool
I've been trying to say creepie-stuil with a Scottish accent - but Terry advised me to give up, and I think he is probably right. My spell checker keeps changing creepie-stuil to creepier-still, but that would be a whole other story! :-)
DeleteThis is fascinating and not too creepy after all. :) What got my curiosity is why Be-Wee buries a little piece of weather. Maybe he learns that's how it works, earlier in the story? I also wonder why both of them have hyphenated names. Great fun to see the illustrations!
ReplyDeleteHello Marcia, not creepy at all but certainly a little odd. I had the same thought as you and actually read the story twice to see if I had missed something, but there is nothing. I guess we have to put it down to magic, unless there was something in one of the previous books. Same thing with the hyphenated names, I really have no idea. The title aroused my curiosity and I assumed reading it would satisfy that curiosity but if anything it made it worse. Still half the fun is the not knowing and I suppose we only question these things as adults.
DeleteThis is such a delightful story and I absolutely love the beautiful illustrations, Barbara! What joy! :)
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree Linda, I so love these early children’s books, even if they are a little strange. :-)
DeleteAnd all it took was a wee pinch of pepper to set thing right! I loved reading this story with the odd and interesting names and events.
ReplyDeleteI loved the bit about the pepper, and then wondered if the author was suggesting we should take the story with a pinch of salt. Maybe trying to make sense out of it was where I went wrong. Believe the magic and let it go. :-)
DeleteWhat a wonderful story Barbara - the illustrations were fabulous too. Since I am not familiar with this book have no idea how he came by his name. Just such fun to read this tale. Hope you are having a super week.
ReplyDeleteHi Debbie, the most important thing is you enjoyed reading the story, just as I enjoyed sharing it. Thank you for leaving a comment, hugs Barbara
Deleteoh dear Debra i really want to thank you for this so lovely so adorable story!!!
ReplyDeletereading it took me to my school days when i used to borrow story books from school library and read them while enjoying them along with my imagination [which is really deep and strong].
yesterday i di my laundry and today i was feeling little tired and low but your story brought my inner child back to life and movement who loved wondering about that sack and curiosity of bee wee .
photos go beautifully with story !
loved it so much ,thank you again dear1
The school library was a place of magic for me and that feeling of wonder as I opened a new book has never left me. I honestly believe most avid readers have good imaginations. It's the thing that allows us to see pictures in the words.
DeleteI’m so pleased you enjoyed the adventures of Be-Wee. Have a happy day, Barbara.
I have heard the expression 'a pig in a poke' as in buying something where you don't know what's in the package. Interestingly enough, this is called 'buying a cat in a sack' here in Germany.
ReplyDeleteWhat an imaginative story!
Hello Sue, I had forgotten the ‘pig in a poke’ saying. It was in common use when I was young, but you don’t hear it so much now. As for ‘buying a cat in a sack’ I can honestly say I’ve never heard that before, I suppose it’s the same thing just a different way of expressing it.
DeleteThanks for calling in, Barbara.
Have I wished you a Happy New Year? We were away ski-ing, so now that I'm back: Happy New Year!
DeleteThere are so many sayings, maybe those with 'country' origins, that have got lost in the mists of time. I have a 'Dictionary of Historical Slang' somewhere on my bookshelves which makes fascinating reading!
Hello Sue, I don’t think we’ve ‘spoken’ since before Christmas, so we may well have missed wishing each other a Happy New Year. Happy New Year! I’ve just read your post about ski-ing. It made me smile but also reminded me how much is changing in the world. Terry and I live in a small village in Somerset, UK, where time has more or less stood still for the last 50 years while change goes on all around.
DeleteA dictionary of historical slang sounds very useful. I do like a good dictionary, although I do tend to turn to the Internet more and more.
HaHa! Sorry...I have to but in...
DeleteI to have a special dictionary....
It's a dictionary by James Morton called..
'Gangster Speak'...A dictionary of criminal
and gangster slang..! First published in the
UK in 2002..!
So if your not sure of a gangster saying....
you just look it up....Of course...I don't
need to...! :0).
You are more than welcome to chime in any time you like Willie, and it’s nice to know we have a friend with insider knowledge! Any gangster who comes a-knocking at our door will get an immediate referral to you. :)
DeleteWhat an odd title and character names! Mind you, probably no more odder than the names kids TV comes up with these days :D
ReplyDeleteYou are not wrong Nikki :-)
DeleteHope you're having a great one.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Indeed I am, thanks Sandra & hugs back.
DeleteWhat a delightful little book and a delightful story too. I knew the word poke as a prod and also heard about a little bag but so interesting to know tea bags as tea pokies and the vacuum bags too. I know it used as a I guess as a slang word where we would say in a pokey little corner. I do love both the characters they are so delightful. Thanks for sharing Barbara
ReplyDeleteHi Shashi, they are sweet characters aren’t they – would they make good dolls do you think? Not that I could create them, but I know you could. My parents often described things as pokey – as in ‘a pokey little flat’ or ‘what a pokey room’, but I’ve not heard it used very much recently I suppose other words come along, and some go out of fashion.
DeleteYes Barbara they would make good doll's that's exactly what I was thinking too. Maybe one day I will.😀
DeleteIf you need scans of any of the images, I will be happy to send them to you. I had a lovely day, thank you. It began with a trip into Salisbury on the train, then a haircut, lunch with a friend and a walk around the shops ... perfect! your day was equally good. :-)
DeleteThanks Barbara that is really kind of you. I will certainly ask if and when I get round to it
DeletePlease do Shashi, it will be simple enough to send them to you.
DeleteI really love the beautiful illustrations and this sounds to be a fantastic story, with beautiful illustrations. Thanks for telling us the story. Have a lovely day :)
ReplyDeleteIt was my pleasure, thank you for taking the time to read it. :-)
DeleteBarbara! You do find the most enchanting books. I love the illustrations. The little Gnome is adorable! Just as perplexed as you are about some of the vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it's not just me Colleen. I've been over to your blog a few times, but you've not been at home :-) I will call in again soon. Love Barbara.
DeleteWell, well, well! Another fine story and once again I am a tad late finding it. ( I have a reasonable excuse this time..duff router! So got that fixed and then priority search...March of Time Books.. and no surprise...fascinating! Also some of the replies you got are very interesting and informative. Me? I went down the silly 'root' as usual. Creepy man.....his mums surname was Ground, her christian name was Ivy. That plant creeps over the ground, he being a son.. nickname.. Creepy Man! Now Punker tree...a bush, shrub or tree that thrives if near a source of loud, fast moving rock music. Tousle (tangle) bushes....there is nought better at creating a tangle than Brambles. Now, I mean no disrespect to the Scottish here, but 'creepy' a low stool? I do wonder about Scottish descriptions of things... like what do the chickens look like in Scotland? I mean have you seen Scotch Eggs. Now 'poke'...bag or sack, yes I agree with that as Mum in Law ( bless her cotton socks ) told me that Cornish farmers would put piglets into a sack for transportation to market. You can imagine how messy that got. So hence anything untoward for Mum in Law was always described as "A pig in a Poke!"
ReplyDeleteNice one Barbara, inspirational as alway. John
Hello John, it is really kind of you to take the time to comment, and you are not late at all. I’m afraid I’m very late in replying as I’ve just returned from Salisbury. It was pretty nippy waiting for the train, but I thoroughly enjoyed the day. A friend moved from Shaftsbury to Salisbury just before Christmas, which means I now have someone to have lunch with. I used to go, get my hair cut, quick walk around the shops and home, but now it’s a day out.
DeleteEveryone who reads my blog is really helpful when it comes to gathering information, I love that! I also enjoy funny replies, which yours certainly is. :)
You should write a poem about Ivy Ground and her son Creepy – actually that’s a good title! You could include a Punker Tree that likes rock music and a tangle of brambles and perhaps a Scotch egg or two. I didn't know that about piglets and sacks, poor little things they must have been scared to death. Barbara
Hello Barbara, the author had such an imagination!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading all the comments your post generated.
Just a thought but could it be that the Creepie Man was referred to as such because that was his trade, a maker of Creepie Stools. Whatever, your post is fascinating :D)
Hello Sue, well that certainly makes sense, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself. There is nothing in the book to suggest he makes Creepie Stools, but it could have been mentioned in an earlier story.
DeleteI think you might just have solved the mystery, thank you. Barbara x
I was wondering about "Creepie-Man" and the poke sack, too! Thought it meant this guy was somehow creepy, but it turns out, in the story at least, he wasn't creepy at all. Glad that good weather was somewhat restored in the end. I've never heard of a Punk Tree (i thought it was a made-up name) so thanks for letting us learn about it here, Barbara!
ReplyDeleteHello Claudine, I thought just the same as you, but after reading the story I decided he was actually quite sweet.
DeleteI hadn’t heard of Punk trees either but the Internet soon set me right.
Thanks for coming over.
When my girls were younger and loved picture books, I would pick them based on the illustrations most of the time. I liked the ones with elaborate drawings with rich colors more than the simple, pastel ones. Love the pictures in this one and guess I know what "pig in a poke" means now: pig in a bag. Now why would someone put a pig in bag?
ReplyDeleteI suppose it was an easy way to carry them to market. Poor little pigs I knew I should be a true vegetarian, and that just proves it. I gave up eating lamb years ago, but I do still eat bacon – now I wish I didn’t. :-)
DeleteA delightful post about a book I would have loved as a child. And what interesting comments, too. I feel like I've learned so much! "Pig in a poke" was the first thing to come to my mind, well that and 'poke salad', a dish I haven't eaten in decades.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved it too Kelly, although I’m not sure I would have understood some of it. Although as a child, I probably wouldn’t have questioned anything and enjoyed it more.
DeleteI’ve just looked up poke salad as I had no idea what it was made with, Wikipedia tell me its marinated raw fish, I’m not sure I would enjoy that. :-)
I had to look, too, and see that you found an entry about the poke fish. I'm not a fish person (though I enjoy fishing), so that sounds yucky to me, too. Here's the one I was talking about, though closer research leaves me happy I wasn't poisoned!
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana
Hello Kelly, You are absolutely right I was reading about Poke Salad made from marinated raw fish. I definitely wouldn’t have eaten that, but I might have eaten Poke Salad made from leaves and stems. I might also have been very ill. I’m glad you survived to tell the tale. :-) Barbara
DeleteSuch interesting names and terms in this one! I am sorry I can't enlighten you to the name or any of the terms. It would be intriguing to read the earlier volumes to see if the answers lie within them. Best of luck tracking down the answers!
ReplyDelete
DeletePlease don’t worry about that Stephanie. I’ve received some amazing answers already. I do love the Blogging community, there is always someone ready to help. Enjoy the weekend, Barbara
Good book and great illustrations! Thanks for this recommendation!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteI wish it was fair to use your pictures to illustrate certain poems. That picture of the sad little gnome at the end would work perfect for my garden fairy poem. Fortunately, I had taken the photo of a mushroom where I presumed they hid until I left the garden.
ReplyDelete