The story takes a sinister turn when grey-suited, grey-skinned businessmen infiltrate the relaxed city, urging citizens to work harder and play less, so they might deposit their ‘saved time’ in the Timesavings Bank. This updated cover is by my favourite illustrator, Chris Riddell, but the cover I remember from my childhood attracted me with Momo’s black hair and brown skin – a rare sight on kids’ books in the 1980s. Momo soon enchants the adults with her superior listening skills, and the children with her powers of make-believe. Momo is ageless, wise, without possessions and thoroughly enigmatic (‘I’ve always been around’ she says, when asked where she was born). The mysterious Momo sets up camp in an abandoned amphitheatre in a city that resembles Rome, and is adopted by concerned locals. Momo is a surreal (and at times creepy) fantasy about time theft, starring a very charming heroine.
German author Michael Ende might be better known for his novel The Neverending Story, but it is the sweet and magical Momo that holds first place in my heart.
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