Eileen Colwell was an author and librarian and one of the founders of the children's library movement. In part a social history, in part the personal odyssey of an indomitable spirit, Once upon a time . . . is Eileen Colwell’s readable, vital and entertaining account of her long and active life in the service of books and children.

With a wealth of fascinating detail, she tells of her childhood as a ‘daughter of the manse’ in the early years of the last century . . .

Her fight to fulfil the pioneering dream of permanent libraries for children.

Her committee-work, for IBBY, the Carnegie Medal, etc.

Her storytelling activities, including her experiences of broadcasting in the early days of radio and television.

Her friendships, in particular with Eleanor Farjeon and John Masefield . . . and of her teaching and her travels.

" . . . Eileen Colwell puts one in mind of those pioneering Victorian ladies who trekked across deserts and hacked through jungles . . . In Eileen’s case, the tangled thicket of municipal bureaucracy was her jungle, the dearth of children’s libraries her desert . . ." Carousel Magazine

"Eileen was there from the beginning, at the heart of it, one of this country's most influential revolutionaries”. From the Foreword by Jan Mark