Edward Lear’s Nonsense Book/A Wonder Book, by Nathaniel
Hawthorne, A Companion Library “Double Book”.
The Companion Library, besides publishing classics for
children in single books, would have these reversible two-in-one books, often
related in some way (though in this instance I’m not sure how). I bought this
one at Yesterday’s Warehouse, to replace the Companion Library copy we had of
the Lear book, which was in pretty poor shape. The Hawthorne was just a bonus.
The spine-cover is missing. We had read our ‘Lear’ to rags. The best part, besides
the classic nonsense poems, was “The Story of the Four Little Children Who Went
Around the World”. Illustrations by the author.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Nonsense. Poetry. Hardback.
Mister Magoo’s “A Christmas Carol”, Adapted from the UPA
Cartoon Feature by Horace J. Elias.
Illustrated by black-and-white stills. The first animated TV
Christmas special. Susan got this in grade school (her name is in it), more or
less on our advice; it was a way of remembering its existence (it didn’t always
play every year and this was still a little before our VCR days). The book, of
course, can’t convey the humor and songs of the special.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Children’s Book. Tie-in. Christmas Special.
Softcover.
The Haunted House and Other Spooky Poems and Tales, Edited by
Gladys Schwarcz and Vic Crume. Illustrations by Gerry Contreras.
A Scholastic book, a gathering of stories and poems, many of
them classic, some funny, some ‘haunting’. Vic Crume did many novelizations for
Disney live-action movies, like “Dr. Syn”, “The Mystery of Dracula’s Castle”,
and “The Shaggy D. A.”, which we had or have. Didn’t have this book in grade
school, though John collected it later for his horror library.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Anthology. Children’s. Ghosts. Softcover.
Space Witch, by Don Freeman.
Read it back in grade school as part of my “witch itch” (or
did I?) but didn’t find this copy until Susan got it from Weekly Reader Books.
She gave it to me later when she grew up. Pictures by the author, I assume.
“Me? Ow!” says the cat.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Children’s. Softcover.
Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Story of Old King Cole,
Illustrated by Anne Sellers Leaf.
Published by Rand McNally. ‘Cole’ by Daphne Doward Hogstrom.
Now these types of books go way back in my mind, especially ‘Jack’, long before
school ever started. These “Elf Books” were very popular, and I was very taken
with her art style: cartoony but solid, and brightly colored. I can’t seem to
find any biographical information on her. The little ladybug crawling through
the pictures of ‘Jack’ is sort of a forerunner to the waving snail in
“Adventure Time”.
Ranking: Oddly Essential.
File Code: Children’s. Hardback. Pre-School.
Dorothy and the Green Gobbler of Oz, by Romeo Muller.
A tie-in to the animated special, “Thanksgiving in the Land
of Oz” (1980). I think this was another ‘legacy’ from Susan’s time in grade
school. Illustrated with frames from the special. Not a particularly good
special or book, but … Oz collection. And a Scholastic.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Children’s Book. Softcover.
Haunted Houses, by Larry Kettelkamp.
Perhaps the first book I ever read about ghost investigations
and psychic phenomenon, back in grade school. This is a replacement copy. With
illustrations by the author, and famous ‘ghost’ photos that I’d see replicated
for years to come in other, more complicated books. A Xerox Education
Publication. Quite a daring read for a young JW.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Ghosts. Softcover.
Puff the Magic Dragon, by Romeo Muller.
“Based on the Song by Peter Yarrow and Leonard Lipton, with
Pictures and Songs from the TV Special”. (1979) Another ‘Susan’ book. The style
of the drawing was very popular through the 70’s, sort of retro-mod; I saw it
on some animations from “The Electric Company” and in textbooks. Dragons!
Burgess Meredith! Cartoon!
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Animation Tie-In. Children’s. Softcover.
A Cosmic Christmas, Written by Ken Sobol.
“Based on the Nelvana TV Special with Songs by Sylvia Tyson”.
Another Susan legacy: she has written her name in it, and “I love Rudy” with a
heart and arrow. One of the first Nelvana Specials in 1977, this book came out
about 1979. I really liked the design of the three alien ‘wise men’ who come to
Earth (a little late) to find the meaning of the ‘new star’ they sighted 2000
years ago. I liked having this book around as a reminder. I guess now I can
just watch it on YouTube.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Animation Tie-In. Children’s. Softcover.
The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward.
A much-touted Scholastic book in my childhood and a slice of
Americana. One of those stories about a boy who raises a wild animal and then
must part with it; for a while it looks like he’ll have to shoot it, but it
ends up in a zoo. We were always trying to have wild pets, from a raccoon to a
squirrel to an injured owl to baby fawns. It never ended well. The artwork is
great. What I remember best about it is the feasting the bear does as he grows
up, on hams and cornfields and maple syrup. Looking at the book right now with
the skinny little boy and the huge bear, I realize with surprise that this was
probably an influence on “Elf and Bear”, especially the bear’s good-natured
gluttony. This copy bought years later.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Children’s Book.
Softcover.
The Wonderful Looking-Through Glass, by Mae Freeman.
A Scholastic book, illustrated with photos. I got this book
in 2nd grade only because it came with a cheap plastic magnifying
glass, which I coveted. Magnifying glasses and magnets were just magic to me as
a kid. The book has no cover but is in otherwise good shape, mainly because it
was basically unread. Of course in those days we didn’t really have a special
place for books, except maybe in a cardboard box later sometimes; especially in
the earliest days they would often just be mixed in with the toys. And we used
the magnifying glass as a prop in playings for years, even when it was too
scratched to see through anymore. Only now do I see that the title might be a
play on the ‘Alice’ books.
Ranking: Nostalgia.
File Code: Children’s Book. Science. Softcover.
How to Care for Your Monster, and Monster Holidays, Written
and Illustrated by Norman Bridwell.
“Care” is lacking a cover and some pages at the beginning and
end; “Holidays” is a replacement ‘Susan’ copy. We really dug monsters in grade
school (and since), of course, and these were rather reminiscent of “The Groovy
Goolies”. Bridwell was familiar to us
from the ‘Clifford’ books and ‘The Witch Next Door’.
Ranking: Nostalgia.
File Code: Humor. Children’s Book. Softcover.
Monsters of the Sea, by Barbara Lindsay. Illustrated with
photos and Drawings by William Bartlett.
A Scholastic book. Some bits about sea monsters, but mostly
scientific stuff about real creatures like whales, sharks, and squid. I liked
both; it was the mystery and danger of the sea that fascinated me. The back
cover is kind of loose; I think this was a copy bought later; maybe we had our
own copy, or maybe just read it in school.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Children’s Book. Science. Softcover.
Marco Polo, by Charles P. Graves. Illustrated by John Fernie.
A Scholastic book. I’m trying to remember at this distant era
why I ordered this book in 2nd grade. I must have heard about Marco
Polo SOMEWHERE, something about it must have appealed to me. Was it the historical
setting? Was I exploring, or trying to be a smarty-pants? This little-perused
book is an original purchase from the time. Pretty crumbly.
Ranking: Nostalgia.
File Code: Children’s Book. History/Adventure. Softcover.
Rabbit and Skunk and the Scary Rock, by Carla Stevens.
Pictures by Robert Kraus.
One of the first books I ever got in 1st grade,
this is a replacement copy. Simple, cartoony, expressive in its staging and
shading, it seemed like the sort of adventure and fears that little kids could identify
with. Even when Woodchuck is revealed to be behind the scary rock, his size and
grin is still unsettling. It reminds me now of the evil doll in “The Nightmare
Before Christmas”. Scholastic (Weekly Reader). There are several other “Rabbit
and Skunk” books.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Children’s Book. Softcover.
Georgie, and Georgie’s Halloween, by Robert Bright.
I knew Georgie even before school because Captain Kangaroo
read the book on his show. I loved the old-fashioned junk in the Whittaker’s
attic where Georgie lived, his cat and owl friends, and the dozens of little
mice that shared his room. Perhaps this was an influence on the hordes of
imaginary mice that lived in the walls of Loop Drive and kept Maggie and
Gaylord company. A tinge of reddish-orange here and there gives the Halloween
book just the right look. There are ELEVEN other books in this series, which
Bright kept writing up until 1983; I was only aware of three of them, up to
now. Some of the aesthetics of Georgie go right to the root of some of my
tastes. Scholastic.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Children’s book. Softcover.
The Witch Next Door, and The Witch’s Christmas, Story and
Pictures by Norman Bridwell.
The Witch Itch strikes again. A little different from most of
your neighbors, but a nice person when you get to know her, the Witch next door
uses her magic for everyday chores and has some cute “monsters” as pets. She
even saves Santa when his sleigh gets tangled up with a space module. People
are a little afraid of her until they get to know her. The little brother
reminds me of Linus, with his short pants and striped shirt. There are 2 other
books in this series, “The Witch’s Vacation” and “The Witch Grows Up” (about
her childhood), and also “Norman Bridwell Presents The Witch’s Catalog” (not a
story, but a mock catalog). Bridwell himself only died in 2014! These are
replacement copies. It makes me think of how monsters and witches were
metaphors during the 60’s for minorities and eccentrics (‘hippies’) and sort of
training wheels for tolerance.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Children’s Books. Scholastic. Softcover.
Clifford the Small Red Puppy, Clifford the Big Red Dog,
Clifford’s Tricks, and Clifford’s Halloween, Story and Pictures by Norman
Bridwell.
Having already mentioned Norman Bridwell, we go on to his
most famous creation, Clifford the Big Red Dog. This was quite a popular
franchise, and again, a metaphor for non-conformity. Clifford, although he
poses some problems because of his unusual size for a dog, also has many uses
because of the same. There’s a place for everybody, Rudolph! There are SEVENTY
SIX other Clifford books, the last (in 2015) was “Clifford Celebrates
Hanukkah”. “The series helped establish Scholastic as a premier publishing
company, and Clifford is Scholastic's official mascot.” – Wikipedia. It
was also made into an animated TV series.
Ranking: Inescapable.
File Code: Children’s Books. Scholastic. Softcover.
The Man Who Lost His Head, by Claire Huchet Bishop. Pictures
by Robert McCloskey.
A man wakes up without his head. He tries to replace it with
a pumpkin and a parsnip, and then carves himself a wooden head. It is rather
foolish and unfeeling and gets him into trouble. Finally, a ragamuffin boy uses
some Socratic questioning to help him pin down his troubles, then uses a short
sharp shock that makes the man wake up in bed with his own real head again.
It’s almost a metaphor for analysis. I liked it for its whimsy: a man with a
pumpkin head! The illustrations are a slice of Americana; the illustrator
McCloskey (I’ll talk more about him later) was famous for writing and
illustrating his own books, especially “Make Way for Ducklings”. He died only in
2003, which I find surprising. This copy is a later buy.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Children’s book. Scholastic. Softcover.
A tale of sibling rivalry. While Harvey Muskrat and his
sister Mildred are at odds, they pretend that each belongs to a secret club to
make the other jealous. I envied Harvey his competence and independence: he
could build a raft and light a fire, and he had his own secret hideout – though
it was rather lonely. I wanted adventures – just safe adventures, I guess. I’m
still pretty timid. This is my original 2nd grade copy, and it shows
its age.
Ranking: Precious Antique.
File Code: Children’s Book. Softcover.
City Mouse – Country Mouse, and two more mouse tales from
Aesop. Pictures by Marian Parry.
We had a copy of this years before, from my 1st
grade year, I think. This is a replacement copy bought during the Susan era,
secondhand, I presume (it has “Irene” on the cover), but Susan wrote her name
in it. Mice, of course, were another of my old obsessions when it came to kid’s
books. A Scholastic.
Ranking: Oodles of nostalgia.
File Code: Children’s Book. Scholastic. Softcover.
Uncle Wiggily Goes Camping, by Howard R. Garis. Illustrations
by Lang Campbell.
The writing inside says it belonged to “Harold Kurtz in
1944”. It is a little board book in rough condition, but it has great pictures
and both covers still, and sold for ten cents. I loves me some period Uncle
Wiggily. Skeezix and the Pipsisewah (looking much as they did in the board
game) are up to their old tricks.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Ancient Children’s book. Hardback.
Walt Disney’s Grandpa Bunny, Told by Jane Werner. Adapted by
Dick Kelsey and Bill Justice.
A Little Golden Book, read (and more importantly, looked at)
very early at McQueeney. Talking about the colors made me SEE the colors, and
that, with the Disney house style, made a deep impression on me. The autumn
leaves, the blue shadows on the snow, the transparency of the green leaves,
appealed to some sort of artistic yearning in me. The fact that it ends with a
gentle metaphor about death is a bold and melancholy yet comforting move. It
also appeared (in shortened form) in “Walt Disney’s Story Land”. This is a
newer copy bought later.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Children’s Book. Hardback.
Walt Disney’s Donald Duck’s Toy Sailboat, Told by Annie North
Bedford, Pictures by the Walt Disney Studio, Adapted by Samuel Armstrong. (2
Copies)
A Little Golden Book, these are both replacements for our
original copy. The older one has Susan’s name in it, the other (secondhand and
newer) “Bobby Nance”. The appeal for me: the golden autumnal leaves, the acorns
(I’ve always been an obsessive/compulsive gatherer – I still pick up random
acorns), the use of a model by little characters as the real thing – these were
all to my tastes. Did it start here? Maybe. It was early enough.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Children’s Book. Hardback.
Duck and His Friends, by K. and B. Jackson. Pictures by
Richard Scarry.
Aunt Melva and Uncle David gave us this book, and I think it
must have been Darlene’s (I didn’t know her given name was Wilma until years
later, and it has “Wilma Rauch” written in it). I loved this book. The idea of
building a raft and paddling down the river on an adventure possessed my dreaming
soul. Also the pictures of buttery pancakes, eaten with honey. I certainly
identified with the timid duck, afraid to swim. A Little Golden Book that’s
missing its cover but otherwise complete.
Ranking: Essential.
File Code: Children’s Book. It was originally a Hardback.
Smokey the Bear, by Jane Werner. Pictures by Richard Scarry.
Another Little Golden Book, ubiquitous when we were kids.
Probably helped with my obsession with bears. I recall particularly noticing his
bandaged paws after the fire, held with safety pins. Ends with fire safety
tips, where cigarettes are called ‘smokes’ – simpler to read, I guess, but a
strangely antiquated term now. The condition is a little rough; secondhand.
Ranking: Keeper.
File Code: Children’s Book. Hardback.
Captain Kangaroo and the Panda, by Kathleen N. Daly, Pictures
by Edwin Schmidt (1957); and The Golden Egg Book, by Margaret Wise Brown,
Pictures by Lilian Obligado.
Two Little Golden Books. The “Captain” was in a lot Susan and
Andy bought at auction; I imagine the “Egg” was from the same garage sale as
that copy of Donald Duck’s Toy Sail Boat”. They are good, but not a lot of
emotion attached to them, as I got them years later.
Ranking: Keepers.
File Code: Children’s Books. Hardbacks.
Walt Disney’s Santa’s Toy Shop, Illustrations by The Walt Disney
Studio and Adapted by Al Dempster; Jingle Bells, Story by Kathleen N. Daley
(based on the Traditional Christmas carol), Pictures by J. P. Miller; The Night
Before Christmas, by Clement C. Moore, Illustrated by Corinne Malvern.
All Little Golden books, two (‘Toy Shop’ and ‘Night’) from
Bobby Nance again, and ‘Bells” from John Burgett, but all bought in a bundle, I
seem to recall. ‘Toy Shop’ has all the delights of a Disney production, and
‘Night’s style is that solid highlighted style of the late 40’s -early 50’s,
while ‘Bells’ is more stylized, like an old quilt. Nice, but again, not much
emotional attachment to them, just technical admiration.
Ranking: Keepers.
File Code: Children’s Books. Hardbacks. (I suppose I should
say, ‘board books’?)
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