The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet, and Stowaway to
the Mushroom Planet, by Eleanor Cameron.
Two boys build their own rocket, and with the help of the
eccentric Mr. Bass – whose origins may not be entirely earthly – visit a small
planet observable only through a special filter. There they save a strange race
of little bulbous-headed people (oddly like the Greys of UFO lore) from
extinction. In the sequel they return with Mr. Bass’s cousin (who remains on
the planet) and a skeptical stowaway. I read the Mushroom books at the public
library during the summer reading program and enjoyed them immensely. Kids with
their own rocket? You bet! These reprints don’t have the illustrations, and
there are three others in the series: “Mr. Bass’s Planetoid”, “A Mystery for
Mr. Bass”, and “Time and Mr. Bass”. I have ‘Planetoid’ in an old hardback, with
the illustrations.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Children’s Book. Soft cover.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle, by Beverly Cleary. Illustrated
by Louis Darling.
More mice and their secret life. Ralph the mouse lives in a
hotel, and when he finds a toy motorcycle, he finds he can make it go by
mimicking the sound. Adventure ensues. Has a sequel, “Runaway Ralph”, which I
don’t have. Made into a movie with stop-motion in 1986.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Children’s Book. Softcover.
The Pushcart War, by Jean Merrill. Illustrations by Ronni
Solbert.
I used to have a paperback copy in the old days. I associate
it mainly with middle school, when environmentalism, anti-big business, and
protest were even hotter than it was in 1964, when the book was first written.
I see in Wikipedia that the dates inside have been updated over the years so
that it can still be set in the future. This is a new copy. I can see where
this had an influence on my future Chestertonian positions.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Young Adult
Book. Paperback.
The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling. Illustrated by Earl
Mayan.
A Companion Library of Classics Edition, which we had in
grade school. I remember it being on the old metal bookshelf in the
back-bedroom’s closet for a while. In the best condition of any of the old
department store children’s books we ever got, even though it was very well
read. Mended with transparent packing tape. “The Jungle Book” was one of our
favorites, perhaps because of the Disney movie, which we’d seen in the theater.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Classic. Hardback.
Great American Folk Heroes, by Lewfy Olfson. Illustrated
(poorly) by Richard D. Wolf.
Thought I was getting something like “Tall Tale America”, but
no. Has my name and “Grade 4” on the cover. The fact that it still exists
(ragged though it be) is a clue that it was not a favorite.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Children’s Book. Softcover.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame. Illustrated by
Dick Cuffari.
An Illustrated Junior Library book. It was in a copy like
this that I first read TWITW, but hardbacked, in middle school, with these
illustrations. I was inclined to it, both by the old Rankin/Bass TV show and the
Disney Golden book in 3rd Grade. And now I really got into Grahame’s
wonderful prose. Bought this copy in memorium, as it were, for these old
pictures (see the picture of Mole End). The domesticity, the snugness, the joys
of the countryside, sank deep into my soul.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Children’s Book. Classic. Softcover.
The Great Quillow, by James Thurber. Illustrated by Doris
Lee.
Bought this at a library sale, in the hopes of finding a new
“Thirteen Clocks”, but no such luck. Perhaps my least favorite Thurber. [Not my
cover.]
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Children’s Book. Hardback.
Frog and Toad Are Friends, by Jared Lobel, Illustrated by the
Author.
Frog and Toad were fairly new (1970) when we started reading
them, and we had at least a few from Weekly Reader over the years. We loved the
whimsical semi-anthropomorphic set up with little houses, teapots, beds, and
buttons, and friendly Frog and tetchy Toad. This was a new hardback I got years
later.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Children’s Book. Hardback.
Storyland Favorites, by Harold G. Shane and Kathleen B.
Hester
An old grade school textbook. I don’t particularly remember
if we used it, but there is an illustration to “How the Bear Lost His Tail” of
a bear with a striped muffler, looking exactly like my own character, Bear.
Coincidence or what?
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Textbook. Hardback.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl. Illustrations
by Joseph Schindelman.
The movie came out in 1971 and was a big noise around the
school. I remember Scott Bate got great points for bringing the record to show
and tell. When I checked out the book (in 4th grade?) I accidentally
lost it by leaving it on the roof of the car when we were loading in and
forgetting it. Mom was pissed when she had to pay for that! That was the old
‘chocolate’ Oompa-Loompas edition, replaced later by the rosy skinned
blonde-haired Oompa-Loompas. That’s what this later secondhand edition has.
Dahl’s attitude reminds me of Chesterton’s quote: “For children are innocent
and love justice, while [adults] are wicked and naturally prefer mercy.” [without this jacket.]
Ranking: essential.
File Code: Children’s Book. Classic. Hardback.
James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl. Illustrations by
Nancy Ekholm Burkert.
This looks like it might be an original 1961 edition. By the
time Mrs. Bratton was reading it to us in 4th Grade (1973) it had
already hit classic status and was appearing in textbooks. I loved the cast of
giant bugs and their big personalities, who reminded me of Baum’s eccentrics.
And we always said that Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker could have been played by
our teachers Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Davenport. It had the classic form of a strange
journey in an unusual mode of transportation with episodes of adventure along
the way (like ‘Voyage of the Dawn Treader’, or an ‘Imram’). Full of Dahl’s
Hilaire-Belloc-like poetry. [without this jacket.]
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Children’s Book. Classic.
Hardback.
Fantastic Mr. Fox, by Roald Dahl. Illustrations by Donald
Chaffin.
An ex-library book. I preferred the illustrations in John’s
copy, but these are all right. Read years beyond even high school, so it was a
little late to actually have much of an effect on me. Still, with its
underground house and animal families, it does have all the right elements that
appeal to me.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Children’s Book. Classic. Hardback.
The Story of the Grail and the Passing of Arthur, Retold and Illustrated
by Howard Pyle.
The last volume in his four Arthur books, this copy is from a
San Antonio library sale. So I only need “The Story of Sir Launcelot and His
Companions” to complete the set. The art is the main point of having them.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Legend. Art. Hardback. Classic.
No comments:
Post a Comment