A Little Twisted Vintage Golden Book Humor

I am so fortunate in that my Dad sends James and Ella storybooks that he finds at the flea market. Boxes and boxes of books arrive from Maine for the kids, and we never know what we might find inside. Sometimes there is a real gem, like this sweet Golden Book, "My Baby Sister."


Awww, how sweet. Don't you love her little push cart, her Mary Janes, the bear. Adorable!

What? You didn't notice what the real title is?



That's right. Somebody decided a better name for the story would be "My Baby Sister Smells." I tried to change the contrast in the photo so you can really see it.

I was laughing out loud when I discovered it. I had just sat down, gotten all cozy with the kids to read the book. Little did I know that I was in for a twisted surprise.


Let's start right inside the first page, with this adorable little girl holding her dear teddy bear:


Oh boy.


Looks innocent enough, but then you have to put the book right up to your nose and start reading those little conversation bubbles that some child started adding to each page.


Here Baby Sister is saying "I killed the bear." Oh my. Someone has some anger issues.


Here big brother is feeding the kittens. But someone has written "How can they eat pewk." NICE.


Here's another page about sweet Big Brother putting on a puppet show for Baby Sister.


"I'm going to EAT you" it says.


Here's a classic early look at brother sister relationships!


Here was my first hint that the bubbles were written pre-1970. I mean, who says "fink" anymore?


Here's my favorite page, and the one that really brings this child's twisted humor to light.


"Let's kill the dog and bury it." and "I'll bury you alive." Does that one make you as uncomfortable as it does me? Well, in between bouts of snorting laughter, I mean.


Here Big Brother says "I'm going to tip the table over."


Awww . . . if this is any indication of how teddy bears were treated in this child's home, I feel bad for the poor things! "I'll pull it's leg off." and "Leave him alone!"

So who do we think was the owner of this book, back in 1958?


Oh, Becky. Dear, dear girl. I hope you aren't locked up in a women's penitentiary right now, serving time for some unimaginable crime. And little did you know that as a little girl you would have provided us with so much fun 52 YEARS LATER!

Hmm, UNLESS this was done by poor Becky's older brother, in an attempt to further terrorize her when tipping the tea table, teasing the kittens and pulling arms off teddy bears wasn't enough!

Okay, hope you enjoyed that little blast from the past. I'm off to look through the hundred or so other Golden Books I have for another gem!

A Little Friday Love for My Vintage Storybooks

As I promised last week, I am dedicating Fridays here on Vintage Pollyanna to sharing a little love for certain vintage or antique items or collections that I adore. Today I am sharing with you a small part of my collection of vintage children's books!

Here are a few of my favorites. These came from my Mom and Dad over the years. Like many vintage items that I own, some of what I really like about these are the sweet graphics, the "simpler time" feeling they evoke, and the saturated colors.

One of my absolute favorites in this bunch is called "A Farm for Andy." Andy's parents leave their farm in the country and move to the suburbs. Consequently Andy is heartbroken at leaving all of his animal friends behind.


After a few days in his new town (which looks a lot to me like Longmeadow, the town where my home is right now) his parents build a small farm for him in his backyard, complete with chicks, ducklings and a bunny!


I also like "Let's Go to School." The copyright is 1954, which is right around the time that my Mom would have been in school. I look at the illustrations of the little blonde-haired girls and I think of her. Mom was also a schoolteacher. That must explain why I always loved (and still love) school so much!


Another great one is "Mary Had A Little Lamb." This is a teeny tiny book, one of the "Start Right Elf Books." It was published in 1955. When I was thinking about the design for Ella's birthday invitation, I was initially working with the images from this book.


I do have to note that "Farm Friends" and "Puppies and Kittens" are very dear to me. Mom and Dad gave these to me for Ella her first Christmas. They aren't hardcover, but the material is heavier than regular paper. They are from 1940. I want to copy individual pages and frame them for Ella's room.


I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of my vintage storybook favorites! If you have similar books that you have blogged about, please share the link in my comments!

Oh, and I am proud to say that today is my sweetheart Ella's 2nd Birthday! Happy Birthday, baby!

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