From Alice in Wonderland to Winnie the Pooh

A recent book buying trip turned-up lots and lots of lovely books. I thought you might like a quick rundown on some of them ...

Left to right; Lovely vintage copy of Alice's adventures in wonderland paperback published by Puffin Books, 1949. Alice through the looking glass hardcover published by Golden Pleasure Book, 1964. Alice's adventures in Wonderland Pop-Up book published by Macmillan, 1980. James Roger Diaz did the paper engineering and his pop-up (or should that be pop- down) showing Alice descending into the Rabbit-hole attached to a piece of thread is wonderful. Alice's adventures in Wonderland with superb illustrations by Helen Oxenbury published by Walker Books in 2002. Winner of both the Kate Greenaway medal and the Kurt Machler award. 

A child's garden of verses hardcover published by Harrap, 1953 with very pretty illustrations by Hilda Austin and Leonard Cotterhill. Badger's Bend the animal hotel published by Odhams Press, 1964.The idea of running an animal hotel come to young Tim after he moved to the country. At first, everything had been strange, and no wonder for Tim was a city boy; even the silence of the woods was alarming until, one day, Betsy, the girl-next-door, came into his life. Tim began to assist the local vet, and slowly but surely a love for animals was born. Dusty published by Thomas Nelson, 1960, early reader. Engines, Aunties and others by Rowland Emett. Published in 1943.  Steam trains. Not your hum-drum 8.15's but the more snuffling sort which go investigating branch lines and subside steamily at places called Snailbeach, Fumbling and Owlpen-for-Cheesewring. These are the Engines that almost always go back-to-front and never give one puff if two will do!

The Fairy book published in 1922. Mabel Lucie Attwell and Honor Appleton provided the six colour plates and numerous black-and-white drawings for this gorgeous book. The illustrations accompany favourite fairy tales including Cinderella, the three bears, Henny-Penny, Jack and the beanstalk, Tom Thumb, the little old woman and the snow Queen. All the colour plates are beautiful but my favourite is Little Red Riding Hood and the Boo Boos (elves) visiting ‘grandma’.

Flower fairies of the spring hardback with dust jacket published by Blackie in 1953. Once Upon a time a Janet and John book c1966. Tai-Lou talking is a wonderful little book published in 1952, illustrated by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone Tai-Lu the Siamese cat visits a circus, saves a little boy from drowning, captures a gang of thieves and spends a day at Brighton! The Littlest one by Marion St John Adcock Webb is another sweet little book. A collection of poems, including through the prickle hedge, the Nugly little man, the hole in the curtain, the creaking stair, the magic door and the squeaky shoes, four colour plates by Margaret Tarrant.

From; the littlest one by Marion St John Adcock webb
There's Aunt Matilda's child'en, and they're playin' hide-an'-seek,

but they sez I mustn't join them 'cos I've got on shoes that squeak.

An' when you're playin' hidin' you must never make a sound,

or they'll creep along an' hear you, and you're certain to be found.

They said, "put on you slippers, come along, an' hide away."

But I said I'd keep my shoes on or I wouldn't go an' play.

So they've gone to play without me. They can jus' do what they choose.

'Cos I had them new this morning I shall sit an' wear my shoes!

Princess Pony Book No. 2 published in 963. Interesting collection of pony stories including - five for a ride by Bunty Martin, the maltase cat by Rudyard Kipling, jumping around the world by Pat Smythe, the phantom horseman by Verdi and a spot of mischief by Siegfried Sassoon. Red Ribbons and Mr Anders by Elizabeth Wilton, 1970.  A small town in Denmark is the setting for this story; a town famous for the storks which come each spring to their rooftop nests. This year, however, the storks have not returned - and the townsfolk link their non-appearance with the fact that there is an extremely large number of stray cats in the town.Winnie-The-Pooh a reprint from 1973. I just had to include this so that I could share the picture of Christopher Robin dragging Winnie the Pooh down the stairs. I've always loved the Ernest Shepard  illustrations, and this is one of my favourites.

This quick run down ended up being rather long - I hope I've not outstayed my welcome. Thanks so much for visiting.

Update July 2016: March House books closed on my retirement in 2015, but I do still blog here at March of Time Books and always appreciate your visit.