The Chunkies at the Seaside

The Chunkies at the Seaside

published by The McLoughlin Brothers

The Chunky Family (Madeleine thought they looked like the precursor to The Tub People) are ready for a holiday.  They decide to travel to Shrimpville-By-the-Sea and a series of misadventures befall them.  This is fun to read because of the outdated language:

They arranged themselves on the two most comfortable chairs they could find in the hotel lobby, and tried to see who could eat how many buns fastest.  This is a perfectly corking game, provided one has buns enough and a large mouth.  The Chunkies had very small mouths, but this did not discourage them.

Our copy of this book has a inscription of February 25, 1936.  I had never heard of the Chunky Family before but I believe it was a series of books.

This part cracked me up... after all the excitement from the day before, Mr. and Mrs. Chunky tell their boys that they are all staying in and having a quiet day at home.

A deep, dark, depressing gloom then settled down over the three boys, until their mother went out and got them some picture books and some gum drops.  They then just managed to live through the day.

And later...

However, he and Mrs. Chunky were very tired.  There's nothing like a quiet day with three boys in seaside lodgings for making one feel a perfect rag.

Castles and Mirrors and Cities of Sand

 Simple retro book all about sand, how it is made, where it is found, and what it is used for.  (I really love the cover picture!)

Castles and Mirrors and Cities of Sand

Lillian Bason

pictures by All Eitzen 1968

Sand and Snow

Sand or Snow?  I do not know and leave it up to you...

It's no secret I'm more of a cold weather lover.  I enjoy all the seasons, but can handle the cold better than the heat (and we've been having a lot of heat lately!)  The simple pictures are great in this vintage book about a girl who loves the sun and sand and a boy who loves the snow.  Each page compares their adventures in their differing climates.

Sand and Snow 

Karla Kuskin 1965

My Puppy

 A nice addition to our Eloise Wilkin Little Golden Books.  

(Once again Wilkin illustrates the most charming bedroom!)

A Friend is Someone Who Likes You

 Another sweet Joan Walsh Anglund book.   This one is about friendship.  I like how she says that a tree and a brook can be a different kind of friend!

A Friend is Someone Who Likes You

Joan Walsh Anglund 1958

Peter in Blueberry Land

Peter in Blueberry Land

Elsa Beskow

 Major score at the thrift store recently!  Elsie Beskow, the Swedish artist and children's author, created the sweetest stories about children in nature.  Her books make beautiful gifts and tend to be found in fancier bookstores and catalogues.  I was so lucky to find a pristine copy of her Peter in Blueberry Land at the thrift store (for 75 cents!)

In this story, Peter wants to collect a basket each of blueberries and cranberries for his mother's birthday.  When he goes into the woods he happens to meet the King of Blueberry Land who shrinks him down to size.  Peter then gets to play with the Blueberry Princes, meet Mrs. Cranberry and her daughters, ride wild mice and sail on a bark boat. He returns home with his baskets full just in time for his mother's birthday.

The Giants' Farm

The Giants' Farm

Jane Yolen

pictures by Tomie de Paola 1977

Here's another "blast from the past" for me, a Weekly Reader book illustrated by Tomie de Paola.  These were my bread and butter in elementary school.  How nostalgic de Paola's pictures are!

This cute easy reader follows a group of giants in a series of short stories.  The talented Yolen gives the stories substance and is what makes these vintage easy readers so much richer than some of the bland modern books I see today.  The stories are simple (the twin giants, Grab and Grub, have a secret and smart giant Dab predictably gets it out of them, or big Grizzle is sad and upset about being the biggest until Dab needs his help with a big problem).  Jane Yolen's writing goes to show that these kinds of books can be well written and enjoyable. 

One flake. 
Two flakes.
It kept on snowing.
Little Dab thought about dreaming.  He thought about eating.  He thought about rhymes.  He thought about sleeping and filling and telling. He thought and thought about making something from nothing.