Noel Carrington went back to Country Life Ltd in 1935 and was now in a position to commission and edit some of the best-known and beautifully illustrated children’s books of the twentieth century, which include the Orlando, the Marmalade Cat books (1938 onwards) by Kathleen Hale and the Captain Slaughterboard series by Mervyn Peake. (He was also responsible for commissioning the still-popular and delightful High Street (1938) by JM Richards and Eric Ravilious.)