About the author
Alan Marshall (1902–84) was born in Noorat, Australia. At the age of six, he went down with polio, which left him, as it left so many others in that pre-vaccination age, with physical difficulties that remained with him throughout his life, and which eventually led to the amputation of his right leg. His book I Can Jump Puddles (1955) was, in essence, the story of his childhood: a happy time where despite his disability, he learned to swim, and to ride. The book was reprinted many times, and is still in print today.
I Can Jump Puddles was not his only book: it had two sequels. He also wrote articles and short stories, and collected and published indigenous Australian tales.
Finding the book
Easy. It has been reprinted many, many times, and I’m sure there are more editions out there than I have listed.
Sources and links
Alan Marshall on Wikipedia
A tribute to Alan Marshall
Bibliography
I Can Jump Puddles
F W Cheshire, Melbourne, 1955, 225 pp.
Secker & Warburg, London, 1956, 225 pp
World Publishing Co, Cleveland, 1957, 243 pp, illus Alison Forbes
Lloyd O’Neil, Australia, 1972
Penguin, Peacock, London, 1973 pb
F W Cheshire, Melbourne, 1981, pb.
Chivers, Bath, 1983, 362 pp (large print)
Longman, London, 1980 (abridged)
Puffin Books, 1989
