"Keep trying," said her mother, "and one day you will."

But she had such fun bouncing her ball, that by the time she was four she was able to bounce it and catch it quite easily.

When Matilda was four, she said to her mother: " I wish I was five, so that I could write my own name in letters like the other children do."

"So you will, one day, Matilda," said her mother. "But first you will have to go to school and you are too young yet."

But when Matilda was a little older she did go to school and very soon she had learned to write the letters MATILDA, which, of course, pleased her very much indeed.

When she was five, Matilda said to her mother: "I wish I was six, so that I could have a skipping-rope and skip all the way to school and home again. It would be so much quicker than walking to school."

"When your legs get stronger and you can jump a little higher we will buy a skipping-rope for you," said her mother.

And, would you believe it, by the time Matilda was six she had skipped all the way to school and back.

When Matilda was six she said to her mother: " I wish I was seven, so that I could read my very best stories all to myself."

"If you do as teacher tells you, you will soon be able to read," said her mother.

And because she loved to hear stories about people and places, Matilda soon learned to read many of the stories herslef.

One morning, soon after she was seven, Matilda said to her mother: "I feel so grown-up. I wish I was three again."

"Matilda!! Whatever for?" asked her mother. "It would be such fun learning everything over again," said Matilda