The Flopperty Bird and other stories by Enid Blyton is a collection of fourteen short stories titled The Flopperty Bird, The Gossamer Elf, The Poor Old Teddy, The Little Singing Kettle, The Floating Duck, You Musn't Do That!, The Three Chocolate Bears, The Toys’ Great Adventure, The Magic Pinny-Minny Flower, Look Out, Busy-Body!, Ginger Really is a Help, The Magic Sweetshop, Teddy and the Elves and Wanted — A Royal Snow-Digger.
The Toys’ Great Adventure begins with two little children named Jack and Ann emptying their toy cupboard during the Christmas season because they knew they would get new toys. Jack and Ann decide to throw away a toy car, a rag-doll called Mopsy, a clockwork man and a teddy bear. They throw the toys into a wastepaper basket which is taken to the kitchen to be thrown into the dustbin the next morning.
But after everyone goes to bed that night, the toys come alive and decide to go their own way and Mopsy, the clockwork man and the teddy bear climb into the toy car and leave Jack and Ann’s house in order to escape the terrible fate of being thrown into the dustbin. The toys try to find a small house with a tiny garden and a garage but their efforts are futile at the beginning. They have interesting adventures and meet a kind elf who lives in a tree. The elf shows the toys a beautiful little house made in a toadstool and is furnished but it does not have a small garden or a garage. The toys are sensible and move in to the toadstool house but it is knocked down by a horse that lives in the field.
The elf gives the toys shelter for a short time after which they say goodbye to the elf and continue on the journey to find their dream home and eventually make their way to Pixie-Land. Can you imagine the good fortune the toys have next?
Reviewed by Hannah William