Children's short stories (Book Guide)

Source: Wikipedia. Commentary (stories not included). Pages: 42. Chapters: Children's short story collections, William Does His Bit, William in Trouble, Professor Shonku, Just Tricking, In the Land of the Lawn Weenies, Collected Stories for Children, A Kidnapped Santa Claus, A Pack of Lies, The Tiger's Eye, Just So Stories, One Two Three and Away, Just Annoying!, Just Disgusting!, I Know What You Did Last Wednesday, Just Crazy!, The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies, William the Dictator, The Reluctant Dragon, Rootabaga Stories, The Little Bookroom, Trimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteries, Bruce Coville's Shapeshifters, The Parent's Assistant, Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, The Golden Key, Puck of Pook's Hill, Paco Yunque, The Light Princess, Invasion of the Road Weenies, The French Confection, The Crows of Pearblossom, Nelebel's Fairyland, The Runaway Shadows, The Lost Barkscrolls, The Blurred Man, Homer Price, Across the Wall: A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories, Still William, The Curse of the Campfire Weenies, Shen of the Sea, Sweet William, William the Pirate, Imaginotions; Truthless Tales, The Enormous Crocodile, City of Gold, Fairy Tales, William the Detective, The Christmas Box, William the Outlaw, William the Good, William's Crowded Hours, Milly-Molly-Mandy Stories, William the Lawless, More William, Bruce Coville's Book of Monsters, William the Conqueror, William and The Brains Trust, William Carries On, Just!, William and Air Raid Precautions, William's Television Show, William and the Masked Ranger, I Am Papa Snap and These Are My Favorite No Such Stories, Enough Is Too Much Already, Usborne Young Reading, The Magic Orange Tree and Other Stories, Graven Images, Madeline in America and Other Holiday Tales, Daisies and Raindrops, Under the Banyan Tree, The Donkey Prince, More Bones: Scary Stories From Around The World. Excerpt: William Does His Bit is the 23rd book of children's short stories in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. This book contains 10 stories. It was first published in 1941, and the first published versions are now collectors items and pretty rare. Like its immediate predecessors and the next two installments this book contains the central theme of World War II and the war effort, which was being fought at the date of this book's original publication. William hears the family talk about a man called Grissel, who apparently appears to exist in many places at once, helping the Germans. When he learns the man is in fact many men doing the same thing, he sets out to find Grissel and capture him. His search takes him to the village, where at an intersection, two elderly ladies are talking about passwords in whispers. William at once decides to follow the second one, who goes to a school building through the cover of laurel bushes and at a blackened window, William sees an elderly gentleman with many women talking and putting flags on maps. He, believing it to be Grissel's gang plotting propaganda, follows the man to his house, and when he starts mowing his lawn, he rings the police asking them to come. William is caught "stealing" plates and cutlery so he can see where Grissel's papers are. The police start to arrest him, as William talks about the man and his doing. The man dismisses the police, rewarding William for his "efforts to the country" with a bun and lemonade. William walks home contentedly and tells his mother what happened. His mother does not believe him, and c...