Maybe *3.5.
Don't often peruse the children's shelves at the library, but borrowed on the strength of Pearce's better-known 'Tom's Midnight Garden' and because I'm partial to moles.
Not massively memorable, and perhaps not helped by the fact that it's set in the modern day: the child protagonist's grandma drives to work, there are council houses and school field trips - but this doesn't quite fit with the rest of the tale- old Mr Franklin with his books, little Bet (are 21st century girls called Bet??) being given bread and milk. I feel this would have worked better if Pearce had set it in the first half of 20th century.
The central character is the eponymous 'Little Gentleman' - a talking mole; the very animal over whose mole-hill King William III's horse stumbled, hastening the monarch's end and giving the Jacobites a chance to get their candidate onto the throne. Snatched away to Scotland by the joyous Jacobites; an encounter with a witch, which accounts for his longevity and ability to speak...
There's all the usual elements of children's literature- a lonely little girl making sense of a changing world, friendship, strangely obtuse adults...
Pleasant enough but not a must-read. ( )

With an old-fashioned flavor, and shades of [a:Kate DiCamillo|13663|Kate DiCamillo|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1301424003p2/13663.jpg], this is a rich fable for all ages. I especially liked the bit where Bet realizes just how 'other' moles are to humans, and vice versa. ( )

Interesting book that uses and old legend about William III of England as its basis. The little Gentleman is a talking immortal mole. A fun read. ( )

The little gentleman in black velvet is not only the main character in this children's fantasy from the pen of the accomplished and beloved author Philippa Pearce he was also a player of some significance in the Jacobite rebellion and the efforts to restore King James VII of Scotland and II of England and Ireland to the throne. Oh, and he also happens to be a mole...a little nearly blind furry guy from the subterranean realm...yes, that kind of mole.

Philippa Pearce is a children's author with several awards to her credit and is probably best known for her first book Minnow on the Say published in 1955 and her still popular Tom's Midnight Garden. She is known for her empathetic characterizations and original fantasy concepts. Her tales are engaging and thoughtful and also make for exciting and fun-filled page-turners for children in the 7-12 year old age group. The Little Gentleman is her first offering in twenty years and Ms. Pearce has not skipped a beat with her story-telling skill.

Having been deposed from the throne in 1688 and replaced by his daughter Mary's husband, William of Orange, King James spent the next 60 years trying to recover his position and power as king. His supporters, the Jacobites, were elated in 1702 when King William's horse stumbled over a molehill, throwing the king and killing him. Afterward they took up the practice of toasting the mole and referring to him as "the little gentleman in black velvet".

The mole's story, a fantasy that proceeds from the point of historical fact that we know about the true mole incident, took me a couple of hours to read and will engage children for perhaps a day or two detailing what happened where the unfortunate King William, left off, shall we say.

In modern day England young Bet accompanies her grandmother as she provides housekeeping assistance for Mr. Franklin, an elderly man who is laid up with a broken leg following a fall from a ladder. One day Mr. Franklin makes a peculiar request of Bet, asking that she take a rather dull book on the subject of earthworms out to the meadow adjacent to the cottage, seat herself on a large fallen log and read aloud from it. He does not explain why he wants this done but she obliges. Much to her surprise a mole emerges from a hole beneath the log and speaks to her!

A long and interesting relationship develops between Bet and the mole. He reveals that he was enchanted on two separate occasions by Scottish witches, the first enchantment ensuing immediately after King William's untimely death when the Jacobites tried delivering him to James as a gift and he nearly died in the saddle-bag in which he was being transported. A charm was worked and the poor mole was restored to life but at the cruel price of that life being "extended into a future of no fixed duration, everlasting life." Much later, an accident of fate gives the mole the powers of memory, reason and human conversation.

Three hundred years have brought the mole to England in his quest for removing the witchcraft that ensnares him. In this tale in addition to interesting sprinkles of historical reference and surprisingly fascinating tidbits about moles, we enjoy a wonderful friendship that exists between Bet and the little gentleman. We experience their many adventures as they try to find a way to restore the mole to his true mole nature, including their discovery of a way to shrink Bet to mole size allowing her free access to the chthonic domain of the mole. A side plot has to do with Bet's anxiety about reuniting with her mother who abandoned her to the care of her grandmother when she was an infant.

The theme of trust and true unselfish friendship runs throughout the book and lends it the depth that makes it a cut above so many books of the genre. The characters are well drawn and realized, no small feat in this highly unusual relationship. Pearce's style of writing does not talk down to children and uses some challenging vocabulary but it has the youthful heart of adventure and magic that will delight young readers.

The book is sparsely but effectively illustrated with pen and ink line drawings by the talented Tom Pohrt of New York Times best seller Crow and Weasel fame.

This book is suitable for children in the intended age group to read for themselves but it is also an excellent book for adults to read aloud to children because its multi-layered storyline offers many opportunities for conversation and discussion while the pacing of its entertaining and exciting plot holds the attention of young listeners.

I like this book very much because it not only provides plenty of action and food for the imagination but it offers thought-provoking concepts that can enrich a child's understanding of themselves and their feelings and conduct as they journey through the growing up process. It is fun and fantastical but provides another level for the child who is ready for or in need of more depth in the reading experience. I can highly recommend it. ( )

Signed by Tom Pohrt. ( )