This was Thackeray's only children's book and it's absolutely hilarious. Our copy even includes his own illustrations. Madeleine found it when we were visiting a used bookshop in Lambertville, NJ one afternoon and she wanted to bring it home.
Over the course of a few weeks Madeleine read this out loud to us (we're still a family that reads aloud to each other). The characters Thackeray created are so funny and reading all the ridiculous names out loud is the best! There's Prince Bulbo, and Prince Giglio, poor mistreated Betsinda and the ridiculous governess Gruffanuff (her full name is Barbara Griselda Countess Gruffanuff). Thackeray's story has it all- the kingdom Paflagonia seized by greedy relatives, attempted murder, mistaken identities, star-crossed lovers, and a mischievous fairy who is good-hearted all along. In the end you know it will all turn out right, but Thackeray has a fun time zigzagging his way there.
Here's an example of his sense of humor:
Madeleine brought this book up last night and was remembering all the silly stories that made her laugh as a child. So we had to read a few out loud again! They come from all parts of the world and are really quite silly!
We first read this story in a book collection of Children's literature. Madeleine loved it. Egielski's pictures are perfect for telling the story of a family of tub people (little wooden bath toys) who played ship with the soap and had water races during bath time. One night a terrible thing happens, the little tub child gets sucked down the drain! Eventually he is rescued by a plumber and the tub people are lined up on a bedroom windowsill instead of the tub. Now they can play mountain climbing on the bunched up quilt!
Last time I was at the thrift store I found The Tub Grandfather. I had no idea there were other Tub People books! In the first book, the list of characters includes a mother, father, child, grandmother, policeman and doctor. In this story, the missing grandfather is accidentally found underneath the bedroom radiator. Covered in dust and with only one eye, he doesn't respond to his excited family at first. They even try to jog his memory by showing him the infamous tub. It's not till the grandmother dances with him on the rug that he remembers his love for her and is part of the family once more.
Another vintage Weekly Reader book snatched from the thrift store. I originally thought the pictures were by Mercer Meyer, but despite my mistake, it's still a nice addition to our library. I was not familiar at all with the history of the Sea Adventure and it's journey to Jamestown in the 1600's. This fictionalized version told through the eyes of a girl and her younger brother and sister definitely piqued my interest.
