When little sister Gloria is born, things are not always as Frances wants them to be; so after dinner one night she runs away, getting only as far as under the dining table. She takes some prunes and chocolate biscuits with her as provisions. Mum and dad, sitting in the living room a few feet away, talk about missing her, and they reminisce about Frances's songs. When they begin to hope that Gloria will grow up to be like Frances, Frances decides to come home and be a family again. A very welcome new edition of a classic. The Frances stories are all wonderful! As the family members are badgers, the problems involved are distanced just that bit, and there is much humour in the solving of them.