11.17.2008

wings








apparently something called the literary guild review had a publication called wings back in the fifties. my guess is that the literary guild was is a book club of sorts. each issue has excerpts from books and a short paragraph by the author about their inspiration in writing the story. they're actually quite lovely. the illustrations are a plus. i had to stop myself from tearing each one apart and framing them all, they are that good. the issues i found are: august 1954, january 1955, april 1955, may 1955, and september 1955. the back pages are ads, and are interesting in their own right. neat issues, i'll certainly have my eye out for more.

11.12.2008

randy's dandy lions











i'm a sucker for a dandy lion...come to think of it, lions can even resemble dandelions, or maybe that's the other way around. this book is just adorable. even though no dandelions are mentioned. let me just warn you...this book rhymes. i know it's not for everyone, and normally i would find it irritating, but with this book it somehow works. the moral of the story is about confidence and overcoming fear...it's a nice lesson to teach kids (or even grown ups for that matter.) also, the illustrations are enjoyable.

randy's dandy lions
written and illustrated by bill peet
a children's choice book club edition, 1964, houghton mifflin, boston