Thursday 1 March 2012

The Tookey & Alice Mary Tales

Betty ran to the spot, but had to take great care lest she should fall in too. With some difficulty she managed to get hold of Tookey as he came to the top of he water, but the bank was so steep that all her efforts to drag him out were unsuccessful, nor could Tookey help her in spite of his frantic struggles. Minute after minute passed, and Tookey became colder and colder, and as he became colder he became weaker. Betty clung desperately to the treacherous bank with one hand, and held on to Tookey with the other, but the strength of the brave girl could not last long. She felt this herself, and began to scream for help. She sent forth scream after scream, while cold, icy fear numbed her heart. Would she have to go back alone, leaving dear Tookey cold and still under the cruel water?

The Tookey & Alice Mary Tales Pg. 115
By Robert de Montjoie Rudolf with illustrations by Margaret W. Tarrant


13 comments:

  1. Michelle Yardley1 March 2012 at 11:11

    Gee this really is a lovely site. I love that you have taken the time to set it out so well. It's a really clean site, I can find my way around here very easily. You take such great photos or scans?

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  2. Barbara, that picture of the little girl hauled up by fairies (are they fairies?) is exceptional. Thanks for sharing this book with us!

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  3. barbaraannefisher1 March 2012 at 15:16

    Hello Claudine, I think they are elves or sprites or something like that. I love the rabbits peeping round the tree. The cover of this book really doesn't look at all exciting but the Margaret Tarrant illustrations are a joy.

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  4. barbaraannefisher1 March 2012 at 15:35

    Thank you Michelle, you just made my day! They are all photographs; we have got a scanner, but I don’t get on very well with it. I’m always afraid of damaging the books while scanning. Your blog is beautiful! You can expect lots of visits from me.

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  5. oh, what a scary story! I hope someone came to help Tookey. I love the pic. Fairies are so enchanting.

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  6. I love the color illustration! It is so full of life and interesting details to take note of! The sprites or fairies are having there way- that is for sure. I have never heard of this book- but the writing sounds captivating. I would love to know what happend to Tookey! Does he get out? It is such a treat to stop in here and learn about new books and unique features in books that I may not know about. Thanks so much!

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  7. The Desert Rocks1 March 2012 at 21:54

    You sure get to read some exciting books! I think I'd have nightmares after this one!

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  8. barbaraannefisher1 March 2012 at 22:25

    Tookey is rescued by a ‘strong young fellow’ and taken to the local rectory to recuperate. I'm a big fan of Margaret Tarrant's artwork so this was a good excuse to share one of her illustrations.

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  9. barbaraannefisher2 March 2012 at 07:10

    Hello Jess, all’s well in the end. Tookey is rescued and is soon into more mischief. The story was written in 1931 so some of the writing is a little ‘quaint’ but lovely none the less.

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  10. barbaraannefisher2 March 2012 at 07:13

    I wouldn't want to be responsible for any nightmares. I will have to see if I can find something a little less traumatic next time.

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  11. Darlene Foster2 March 2012 at 17:25

    This sounds like a good story!

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  12. This is a REAL child's illustration. They just don't publish anything like this anymore. It sounds like such a unique and interesting story. Children's stories could be quite scary long ago. Today we are so much more wary of causing upset, but I think somehow the old ways made people better prepared for life and far more resilient

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  13. barbaraannefisher3 March 2012 at 22:34

    Sharon, I’m glad you enjoyed the illustration; I thought you might like it. I remember being very frightened by some of the books I read as a child, but I've never forgotten them, and I think they taught me to be more aware of danger.

    Darlene, it is a great story. Thanks for calling in.

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I really appreciate your comment. Thank you!
Barbara xx