Did You Get Enough Summer?

Summer is waning. It won't be long and cooler Fall temperatures will be here. I'll have to put my shorts and flip flops away and start wearing socks again. While Fall is a season I do love, the question is did I make the most of this Summer, enjoying all of Summer's goodness? Well, no. In part because it was a Summer of working, working, working and me being a lazy slacker the rest of the time. I did drink ice tea and lemonade while I lazed, which is very summerish.

Remember all the things you couldn't wait to do when you were a kid? All the hallmarks of Summer like swimming, camping, going to the fair? Now I'm too lazy to do them, but I can still enjoy them, vicariously. I'm sure you can guess where this is leading. : > )

Image via Envisioning the American Dream

Image via The Art of Children's Picture Books

The Golden Book of Camping and Camp Crafts

Image via Book Community

Image via Pinterest

Norman Rockwell "Kids Eating Corn"

image via My Vintage Book Collection

image via plugged-in

image via Visualize This

image via ebay

image via My Vintage Book Collection

Image via Tracey's Toys

Image via Vintage Library

How about you? Did you get enough Summer? There's still some time left to get in a last few rites of Summer!

April Showers Bring May Flowers...

There seems to be some discrepancy as to when the rhyme was first penned

by farmer and poet Thomas Tusser "Sweet April Showers Do Spring May Flowers." Some accounts say 1500's, others 1600's or 1800's. Whenever it was

written, it has surely stuck and been modified along the way to just "April Showers bring May Flowers." 

In searching for vintage children's books about flowers, I was struck by how lovely the antique books were. I thought about young children of long ago looking at these beautifully illustrated books and how they would have informed young minds, fueled their imaginations and provided exposure to fine art.

Flower Fairy by Cicely Mary Barker

image via duermevela

Daffodil Fairy by Cicely Mary Barker

May Day

image via lululetty

Little Flower Folks

image via Homeschool Commons

The Alphabet of Flowers and Fruit, 1856

The Alphabet of Flowers and Fruit, 1856

image via San Francisco Public Library

The Alphabet of Flowers and Fruit,1856

image via Letterology

Chasing the Green Faerie, 1925

Image via Bohemian Wornest

Beautiful Flowers of the Months, 1918

image via Terri 

Almanack for 1890, Kate Greenaway

image via Antique Children's Books

Gertie's Sun Flower

image via I am a Child

The Water-Babies, Jessie Willcox Smith

Today's vintage children's book, The Water-Babies, was written by Charles Kingsley (1819-1875) and illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith (1863-1935). Smith was a very successful artist who worked during the Golden Age of Illustration. She studied under Howard Pyle at his Brandywine School of Illustration, illustrated more than 40 books and did hundreds of magazine illustrations. Her work is very recognizable and she is known for her beautiful illustrations that capture the essence of children.

From the summary at the front of the book: The adventures of Tom, a sooty little chimney sweep with a great longing to be clean, who is stolen by fairies and turned into a water-baby.

The Water-Babies

By Charles Kingsley

Illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith

Books of Wonder

William Morrow and Company, 1997

Chanticleer and The Fox, Barbara Cooney

Today's vintage children's book is a repost from April of 2012, a wonderfully illustrated book by Barbara Cooney. It would have to be in my top ten of children's picture books.

To view that post, click here.

To read a lovely post done at Anemotion in 2010 on Cooney, click here.

Image via Flickr

Barbara Cooney was a very skilled draftsman and had a beautiful style.

Image via Pictify

Image via Light and Shade

The link above to Light and Shade has a good post on Barbara Cooney. I have to agree with Vincent Desjardins about Cooney's work in black and white. I think those illustrations and others with limited color schemes really showcase her skill as an artist.

Image via Mama Hooper 

Image via Flickr

To view other posts I did on Barbara Cooney books:

Miss Rumphius

Seven Little Rabbits

Basil of Baker Street, Paul Galdone

Today's vintage children's book is Basil of Baker Street, written by Eve Titus and  illustrated by Paul Galdone. Galdone was a prolific illustrator who collaborated with Titus on several books. Two of their books, Anatole and Anatole and the Cat won Caldecott awards. This book has sentimental value for me as well. My son who is grown, adored the Basil books as a child, reading and re-reading them.

To view a past post of another book illustrated by Paul Galdone, click here.

Basil of Baker Street
By Eve Titus
Illustrated by Paul Galdone
McGraw Hill Co., 1958

Snow, Corydon Bell

Today's vintage children's book, Snow, is chock full of information about snow and everything snow related. It also has lovely illustrations done in different shades of blue. I've always been drawn to illustrations done in limited color schemes. When they are done well, it is a testament to the artist.

Snow

By Thelma Harrington Bell

Drawings by Corydon Bell

The Viking Press, New York, 1954