illustrated charles CALICO Dickens’s CLASSICS Oliver Twist Adapted by Lisa Mullarkey Adapted by Lisa Mullarkey Illustrated by Illustrated by Howard McWilliam Howard McWilliam
1 Despised by All Pitied by None On a date long forgotten in a poor town in England a boy was born in a workhouse There was almost no story to tell For the fi rst minutes of Oliver’s life were almost his last His breaths came slowly until he fi nally sneezed and let out a long wail This let the poor workers know that they had another mouth to feed As Oliver gave proof of the power of his lungs a pale face lifted from the pillow Let me see my child before I die The surgeon had been sitting by the fi re You must not talk about dying yet he said Bless her dear heart said a nurse She deposited Oliver in the woman’s arms 4
The mother pressed her pasty lips to Oliver’s forehead passed her hands over his face then fell back onto the pillow and died It’s all over said the surgeon You needn’t send for me if the baby cries Just feed it gruel He paused and looked at the woman Where did she come from She was quite pretty The nurse scooped the baby into her arms She was brought here last night She was found lying in the street Her soles were worn through Her feet bloodied Where she was walking to nobody knows The nurse wrapped the baby in a blanket She put him down to rest She knew he’d be despised by all and pitied by none Just like all the people of the workhouses were When Oliver was about ten months old he was sent to another workhouse This workhouse was run by a woman named Mrs Mann Mrs Mann was in charge of twenty-fi ve children Do not be fooled into thinking Mrs Mann loved or even liked children She took them 5
