A short and sweet story about a toy soldier, "Bill" who is accidentally left behind when Mary goes to visit her aunt. Luckily Bill can run very fast and makes it to her just in time! If the illustration style looks familiar it's because Nicholson famously illustrated The Velveteen Rabbit.
Mercer Mayer lends his hand retelling the classic and haunting tale of the Pied Piper of Hamlin. Adding a little bit of artistic license, he stays pretty true to Robert Browning's original poem about the rat infested town and the mysterious piper who offers his services.
Sometimes books come to me in the most fortuitous ways. Recently I was at an estate sale. Unbeknownst to me, the sale had been going on all summer and I was only catching the last of it. I was there to pick up a sofa but ended up digging through what was left in the boxes and bins. Lots of fabric and vintage clothes and tablecloths from the 1940's. I didn't have the time or energy to start unpacking and looking through all the boxes of books. I picked up some 1930's magazines and this book that was lying right on top. I didn't even really get a chance to look at it- all I saw was Victorian and insects!
When I got home and had a chance to sit down and properly read it I was thrilled! It is the story and drawings of two Victorian sisters who are obsessed with entomology and drive their other sister and painting teacher crazy with their antics. The watercolor pictures are quirky and beautiful and absolutely wonderful! Of all the books I could have chanced upon at that sale, this one was surely right on top just for me!!
An alphabet book illustrated by Margaret A. Cranstoun that has some wonderful vintage pictures!
School has started here and the first day was very rainy. September is usually still a warm month, but it's hard not to long for Fall and the change of leaves and cooler weather. That's how I always picture the start of school. This Golden Picture Book has such quintessential back to school pictures (though disappointingly a very homogenous depiction of children- not surprising for a vintage book unfortunately). I like imagining elementary school is still this simple- learning to hang up your coat, going for a walk in the woods, making things out of clay, story-time and singing songs.
