Neville Smith Neville Smith i(A115669 works by)
Gender: Male
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1 The Year 2000 Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 92-95) Geoffrey and his Grandpa have a conversation about what the year 2000 might be like - they talk about a possible moon landing and the use of atomic energy. Grandpa tells Geoffrey that he should learn his lessons and try hard to be responsible, so that he can be a good citizen in the future and help to make the world a less dangerous place.
1 Jolly Roger Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 89-91) Roger is on a boat at sea, and when he gets over his seasickness, he has an interesting conversation with the bo'sun about the Jolly Roger pirate flag. The bo'sun tells Roger about how he used to belong to the Royal Navy and how they chased the pirates off the sea. He then talks about how the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal New Zealand Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy and so on, are all unified by their loyalty to the Queen and emphasises her importance to the Commonwealth of Nations.
1 Stephen and the Policeman Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 85-88) Stephen goes into town by himself without permission and becomes lost. A friendly old man offers to take him to a policeman, which upsets Stephen as he has always been afraid of the police. The policeman, however, is very kind to him and phones Stephen's mother to pick him up. While he is waiting at the police station, the policeman tells Stephen all about his job, and lets him know that policemen are his friends if he does the right thing, and that he should only be afraid of them if he breaks the law. The policeman then explains that the role of the police is four-fold: 'to protect life and property, to keep the peace, to stop crime, and to find and bring to justice people who commit crimes'. He goes on to say that police often end up doing other things, such as helping lost children. Stephen tells the policeman that he is not afraid anymore. When Stephen's mother comes to get him, the policeman tells her what a good boy Stephen has been and she stops being angry with him.
1 Margaret and Her Dolls Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 82-84) Margaret has a large collection of dolls who begin talking to each other after Margaret has fallen asleep. They make wishes about what they think Margaret and other girls and boys should be like - they decide that they should be truthful, unselfish, fair and try to do their best, without being stuck-up about their own virtues.
1 Peter's Mum and Dad Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 78-81) Peter is angry with his parents for making him do chores. He says to himself that he "hates them". After he falls asleep, the Naughty Fairy appears and says she is going to take his parents away because he doesn't appreciate them. When he realises that he can't look after himself, and that his parents make a lot of sacrifices for him, he is remorseful and admits that he actually loves them very much. He awakens and is relieved to discover that it was just a dream.
1 The Bad-Tempered Collar Stud Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 75-77) A boy named Robert loses his collar stud. The stud is "bad-tempered" and jumps into the toe of Robert's slipper where it can't be found. Robert is late for school and gets into trouble. Eventually he kicks his slipper in frustration and finds his stud. The parts of Robert's shirt then have a discussion about their respective roles in serving Robert, and how the collar stud was selfish to neglect its position. The shirt then reflects that their discussion might be a lesson to girls and boys about working together.
1 Selfish Sam Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 72-74) Sam is a selfish and unhelpful little boy. One day he falls off his bike and hits his head, and begins to dream. In his dream a talking dog tells him that he wouldn't have clothes or food or a bike if other people hadn't worked hard to make them for him. Sam realises that "everybody is dependent on other people for almost everything they have, and that therefore he owes something in return." The story ends with a reference to 'A Call to the People of Australia', which inspired this book of stories.
1 Pins and Needles Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 69-71) Dorothy gets pins and needles in her foot after sitting still for too long. The pins and needles feel ashamed that they are bothering Dorothy instead of helping to make things better, but argue that they have been ill-treated by other children. They end up concluding that they should not blame Dorothy.
1 Twins in Trouble Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 65-68) David and Donald are mischievous identical twins who are given books for their birthday by their Aunt Aggie - Hans Andersen's fairy tales and Grimm's fairy tales. They quarrel over which book should be read to them first, and after Aunt Aggie tells them that they should be kind and love each other they shake hands and toss a coin to decide. The narrator concludes by saying that 'David and Donald found that they got on much better when they acted together than when they did not', and asserts that the reader might apply this thought to their own life.
1 Doreen's Dream Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 62-64) Doreen has a tooth taken out, and that night she dreams that her various body parts (mouth, brain, tummy, glands, chest, heart, hands, legs and neck) are having a conversation. Each part claims that it is the most important, but eventually they realise that they each have a unique and equally important job and by working together for the greater good they can achieve their goal of keeping Doreen healthy. The brain then concludes by claiming that humans should follow this good example of team work and 'the world will be all the better for it'.
1 The Blue Blue Bird Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 59-61) Rosita is riding her pony in the country when she encounters a galah who has been turned blue by a wicked fairy after a quarrel. The bird must remain blue (in colour and mood) until he finds the cause of true happiness. Rosita tells the bird that helping others makes her happy, and then begins to cheer him up. She makes the bird laugh and he turns back into a galah again. The narrator concludes by saying that 'Rosita's kind action will have its reward.'
1 A Second Helping of Pie Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 55-58) Robin is about to have a second piece of pie when the pie begins to tell him about the origin of its ingredients (apples, lard, flour and sugar), and how he should remember that many other people work hard to provide him with 'practically everything' he has. The story concludes with the pie telling Robin that in return he should try to provide things for other people and contribute to society.
1 The Flame Fairy Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 52-54) Esther falls asleep in front of a fire in winter, and dreams about a fire sprite who tells her to appreciate her parents and be grateful for what she has. The sprite also advises Esther to repay her parents by being a good and helpful daughter.
1 Four Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 48-51) Joan is afraid of visiting the dentist, as she has to have four teeth taken out. While she is sleeping under gas, she dreams about the number four, who arrogantly proclaims his importance and worth as the most important number. The story concludes with the sentiment that we should not boast and show off but rather be honest and humble.
1 Chat About Letters Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 45-47) The letters of the alphabet are chatting among themselves about which words they would like to stand for. Each letter chooses a positive moral attribute they would like children to adopt - for example, C chooses 'courage', and K chooses 'kind'. The reader is then invited to try to live up to these values.
1 The Sea Maid Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 41-44) This story begins by relating the Hans Christian Andersen tale of the little mermaid, and then tells a 'modern-day' story about Timmy, who is holidaying at the seaside. Timmy, a boy scout, helps an old lady in a wheelchair across the road, and then spends time every day taking her for walks. The lady then tells Timmy that she is actually a sea maid, who was banished to dry land after refusing to marry the sea prince her parents had chosen for her. By spending his holiday time with her, Timmy has given up 'something precious' for her sake, and thus ended her banishment and allowed her to return to the ocean.
1 Speed Sprite Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 37-40) Frank is dreaming about speeding in a car, when the 'Speed Sprite' appears in his dream, and warns him against doing dangerous things. He tells Frank that because of technology, life is moving faster, and people are living longer, but that he must be careful not to harm himself or others by acting recklessly.
1 A Horse with Wings Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 33-36) James, a generally good little boy who is sometimes naughty, accidentally breaks a window with his football. Instead of waiting for his parents to punish him, he goes to bed without any supper of his own volition. He dreams about a winged horse, Pegasus, who tells James about how the ancient Greek gods were imaginary, unlike James's religion, which is 'true'. Pegasus goes on to say that James should be truthful, work hard at school, be good to his parents, be a team player, and help others, especially migrants, who 'have a difficult time in a strange country with a strange language'.
1 Money Talks Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 30-32) Imaginary discussion between coins about how although money is not inherently bad, it can either be used for good or evil. Imparts a lesson about the responsible and charitable use of money.
1 Eight Notes Neville Smith , 1955 single work children's fiction children's
— Appears in: Animal Talk and Other Stories for Boys and Girls 1955; (p. 27-29) Story about little Marjorie, who is learning to play the piano. She loses patience with practising and hits the piano, creating a discordant sound. The piano begins to speak, and talks to her about how its notes are like human beings, and will work best when in harmony. It goes on to talk about how Marjorie will one day be able to play the National Anthem ('God Save the Queen'), and the importance of the Queen 'in the Australian way of life'.
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