Billy and the Minpins

“‘Little Billy,’ his mother called out from the kitchen. ‘What are you doing?’

‘I’m being good, Mummy,’ Billy called back.”

This is the rhyme that people in Billy’s town repeat about the Forest of Sin and his mother says it to him to discourage him from exploring it. The whimsical rhyming couplet also creates the feel of a fairy tale, and the words of Billy’s mother emphasize the risks of Facing the Unknown.

“Beware! Beware! The Forest of Sin! None come out, but many go in!”

This is the rhyme that people in Billy’s town repeat about the Forest of Sin and his mother says it to him to discourage him from exploring it. The whimsical rhyming couplet also creates the feel of a fairy tale, and the words of Billy’s mother emphasize the risks of Facing the Unknown.

“The whole floor of the forest is carpeted with wild strawberries, every one of them luscious and red and juicy-ripe. Go and see for yourself.”

The Devil whispers this encouragement to Billy in an attempt to persuade him to go to the Forest of Sin and disobey his mother’s rules. The mood of temptation in this scene is designed to be a sly echo of the original temptation of Adam and Eve, whom the serpent enticed to eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge in the Bible story from the Book of Genesis.