The Village by the Sea (25 page)

Authors: Anita Desai

Puffin is over seventy years old.
Sounds ancient, doesn't it? But Puffin has never been so lively. We're
always on the lookout for the next big idea, which is how it began all those years
ago.

Penguin Books was a big idea from the mind of a man called
Allen Lane, who in 1935 invented the quality paperback and changed the world.
And from great Penguins, great Puffins grew, changing the face of
children's books forever.

The first four Puffin Picture Books were hatched in 1940
and the first Puffin story book featured a man with broomstick arms called Worzel
Gummidge. In 1967 Kaye Webb, Puffin Editor, started the Puffin Club, promising to
âmake children into readers'
. She kept that promise and
over 200,000 children became devoted Puffineers through their quarterly instalments of
Puffin Post
.

Many years from now, we hope you'll look back and
remember Puffin with a smile.
No matter what your age or what you're into,
there's a Puffin for everyone.
The possibilities are endless, but one
thing is for sure: whether it's a picture book or a paperback, a sticker book or a
hardback,
if it's got that little Puffin on it â it's bound to be
good.