Books from Childhood

[netmouse]

Illustrated by Randolph Caldecott
Originally uploaded by netmouse.

These were two books illustrated by Ralph Caldecott that I had as a child.
To quote from a book review,

The Caldecott Medal, established in 1937 by the American Library Association, is awarded each year to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. While many people are familiar with this prestigious award, relatively few are acquainted with the English illustrator after whom it was named. Randolph Caldecott was one of the most popular book illustrators of the late nineteenth century. His picture books were issued two at a time every Christmas, from 1878 until his death in 1886. He chose the subjects on his own, drawing from a mix of age-old nursery rhymes, pieces by eighteenth-century writers, and nonsense he made up himself.

Once I was older, I progressed to paperbacks with few or no illustrations. Here are some favorites that I just brought home from my mom's:



The Secret of the Seven Crows, by Wylly Folk St. John

The Light Princess, by George MacDonald, with pictures by Maurice Sendak

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson

Bunnicula, by Deborah and James Howe

Danny, The Champion of the World, by Roald Dahl

No Coins, Please, by Gordon Korman

The Wednesday Witch, by Ruth Chew

The Rescuers, by Margery Sharp, illustrated by Garth Williams

The Girl with the Silver Eyes, by Willo Davis Roberts

What were your favorite books back when you were still reading books that came with some interior illustrations?

Comments

[coppervale.livejournal.com]

Oh dear God I think I love you and now owe you a huge karmic favor that's yours for the asking.

I've been looking for the title and/or author of THE WEDNESDAY WITCH for a YEAR. But I could never dredge it up.

You have made me very happy.

[delosd.livejournal.com]

Wish I could answer, actually, but I'm afraid my memorie's not that good that far back. I do remember though reading a few books that were still around from when my mother was a little girl, and that had some illustrations. They would be quite the curiosity today, one was titled "Buddy at Rainbow Lake" and the other was "Joyce of the Secret Squadron". The latter actually talked about the famous "flying wing" aircraft - and this in a book written in 1942! It was a spin-off from the "Captain Midnight radio series.

I'm afraid I just don't remember reading much of anything prior to that.

[boywhocantsayno.livejournal.com]

I remember Danny, The Champion Of The World - I was quite a Roald Dahl fan when I was a kid. My copy of Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator had illustrations, as I recall.

I think the Moomin books might have had interior illustrations as well - I rather enjoyed those, as well as the Matthew Looney books (I think my copy of Matthew Looney In The Outback might be in a box out in the solarium, in fact). Madeline L'Engle's "Time Quartet" books were also favourites.

Oh, and how could I forget - I had (and still do have!) 20 of the "bedtime story-books" by Thornton W. Burgess.

[dr-memory.livejournal.com]

The Girl with the Silver Eyes, by Willo Davis Roberts

Holy crap, someone else read that.

[sarahmichigan.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I loved "Girl with the Silver Eyes" but couldn't remember the exact title or author until you jostled my memory. I might have to go back and re-read that!

[speedygeo.livejournal.com]

Me? I was four years old reading the Sears Christmas Wish Book. Or whatever was lying around. Including my mothers romance books.

Hardy Boys & Nancy Drew too.

[elizilla]

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, with illustrations by Tasha Tudor. When I was a kid I loved the idea of secret places.

[childe.livejournal.com]

I read a lot of the Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins, but I can't remember if they had illustrations. I know after that, I moved to the Hardy Boys series, which didn't have any illustrations. That was when I got my first library card.