Purpose of this Blog...

You may have noticed that not all books are equal in capturing children's imaginations and in cultivating those innocent, tender souls. My goal is to help you find the ones that do!
(Painting by Mary Cassatt: "Mrs Cassatt Reading to her Grandchildren" -1888)




Tuesday, April 9, 2013

A Golden Celebration: Sharing My Birthday with Family...and Books!

Well, I celebrated a milestone birthday over the weekend...my "Golden Jubilee"! (Sounds better than turning a half century, huh?)
If a Queen can have a Golden Jubilee, why shouldn't I??  
Wondering how this number snuck up on me so fast, I needed a fun distraction. So on Friday I decided to look up which children's books were "born" in 1963. The list made me quite nostalgic! {I've included the list at the end of my post.}

All in the Golden Afternoon...
Sunday, my lovely daughter planned an outing after church for our family to the L.A. Arboretum (with our little baby grandson in tow).  The meandering pathways and lunch under the flowering trees with the peacocks were unforgettable! 
"Curiouser and curiouser."
"Ever drifting down the stream-
Lingering in the golden gleam -
Life, what is it but a dream?"
"Would you tell me, please," said Alice, a little timidly,
"why are you painting those roses?"
Next we made a stop for ice cream at Mother Moo Creamery in the cute town of Sierra Madre, with a Golden Sunset to send us home...
Thus grew the tale of Wonderland:
Thus slowly, one by one,
Its quaint events were hammered out -
And now the tale is done,
And home we steer, a merry crew,
Beneath the setting sun.
"And what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversation?"
Take a look at these 16 "vintage" children's books that are also turning 50 this year...Help Max and me wish them Happy Birthday!

Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever
Where the Wild Things Are, Maruice Sendak
Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss
Swimmy, Leo Lionni
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree, Robert E. Barry

Amelia Bedelia, Peggy Parish
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective, Donald J. Sobol
Paddington at Large, Michael Bond
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
Rascal, Sterling North

Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back, Shel Sliverstein

Stormy, Misty's Foal, Marguerite Henry
Time Cat, Lloyd Alexander

Five are Together Again, Enid Blyton
The Mystery of the Bob-White Cave,
and The Mystery of the Blinking Eye (#11 and 12 of the Trixie Belden Mysteries), Kathryn Kenny



I guess 50 isn't so bad after all, and I think 1963 was a pretty good year for children's books! Which were your favorites?

7 comments:

  1. Happy belated birthday! Yes, 1963 appears to be a very fine vintage! Love your family photos. That peacock picture is AMAZING.

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    1. Thanks, Danzel! Yes, the peacock was happy to show off for us - there were many others, all strutting around (and flying up into the trees right over where we were having our lunch!)

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  2. Those are some wonderful books!!! Really some of my very favorites...you must be pretty cool to have been born in 1963. Happy 50th to you! Lovely photos of you and your family...your sandals are cute, too. ♥ I am just stunned at that one of the peacock and pink flowers!

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    1. Martha - Thank you for the bday wishes. My daughter took that with my little Canon digital! There were lots of people coming up to take photos with their professional cameras - think of the shots they must have gotten! It was really amazing - the peacocks were roaming around everywhere. In the trees, on the pathways, on the wall of a fountain. My little grandson was awestruck! (and so were we!) :)

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  3. Happy birthday - great idea for a post!

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    1. Thanks Leanne - I love your blog! So glad you stopped by. :) As a lover of vintage books, you may have come across this too, but I had a hard time finding an image of the first edition of the Best Word Book ever. I found an interesting comparison about differences in the 1963 and 1991 editions, since the book has been updated/made more politically correct. You can see it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kokogiak/sets/1425737/

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  4. Happy Birthday! It is so nice to see a picture of YOU on your wonderful blog. You are beautiful!

    "Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever" is one of my all time favorites. I can remember reading it over and over again, always finding something new!

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