Posted by Robert Thompson on April 14, 2002 at 21:22:05 from 212.229.58.245:
In Reply to: Enid Blyton's posted by David Chorley on April 14, 2002 at 21:02:05:
The Secret Island - first appeared in serial form in the magazine Sunny Stories, then appeared as Blyton's first true full-length children's adventure story, published in 1938 by Blackwell and illustrated by E.H. Davie.
The story was the first of five adventures shared by Jack, Mike, Nora and Peggy. The front cover shows the four children unloading not one but eight hampers of food from their boat, which they appear to have beached stern first. Unlike the Swallows they seem to have thought of nothing else but food, as the only other cargo is a pair of oars. I'm afraid I haven't read the book, I found all this information in a Blyton biography.