Dooley's Meadow

There are wee folk living in the world, and they may not be very far away. Dooley the brownie and his good friend Blue Snail have important work to keep them busy in the meadow. They spend the year mining Yellow, but what do the elves use it for? Beautiful color illustrations bring these pages to life.

Like other brownies, Dooley is clever and kind. He gets along well with everyone, except perhaps crows and others who might eat his friends. The little meadow animals are not only his friends, but they depend on Dooley for his knowledge of medicines. All of Dooley’s foods come from the meadow, too, a good lesson in how to forage for tasty meals. Then there is the traveling merchant brownie who arrives with all kinds of other goods. It makes you wonder why on earth he uses a toad to pull his clanking cart. There is humor in these pages, and magic, and wonder at a simple life well lived.

Lewis Crutcher was an accomplished architect, designer, painter and whistler who delighted in spinning yarns at parties and at home. Dooley was the only character he illustrated, though his landscapes still grace the homes of his family and friends. When his first grandson was born, Dad gave us the eight paintings for the nursery, and later in life he sent along the manuscript. What a shame that he died before he got to see Dooley’s story in print.