A delightful and beguiling book, written with studied, childish naivety, it tells of the experiences of two young English girls living with their mother in 1960s Marrakech. As the book's five-year-old narrator candidly describes the world in which she finds herself immersed, it becomes clear that nothing is as simple, or as innocent, as she herself understands it to be. The book depicts with sensitivity, affection and amusement the relationships between the two girls, their mother and the various people they meet, each shaped into characters of hilarity, excitement and wonder through the inventiveness of a child's imagination. Often, childhood fantasy and unadorned reality mingle unhindered, leaving the reader to question whether the 'objective' truth is any more real or important than personal perceptions. Skilfully constructed and beautifully written, avoiding the dangerous pit of sentimentality in which so many stories of childhood find themselves wallowing, this is a story that lodges itself in the heart while entertaining the mind. -- Publisher description.