I am the lucky “winner” of an e-bay auction, for one of my favorite books from childhood, One Kitten is Not Too Many by Dorothy Levenson. This is an Easy Reader published by Wonder Books, Inc. I wonder what happened to Wonder Books … the best info I found in a google search is this article from a 1949 issue of Time Magazine, which calls Wonder Books a “new company”.
The story is about the Dooley family of four whose Fat Cat gives birth to four kittens. Mr. Dooley is frustrated by the kittens careening around the house and getting into everything. One night he returns home after a hard day at the office; Mother unties her apron and meets him at the door with the announcement that she has prepared his favorite dinner – fish. Apparently, the kittens are fond of fish also, and have eaten it right off the plate! This is the last straw, and Mr. Dooley promptly delivers the kittens to Mr. Brown’s Pet Shop. One by one, each member of the family passes Mr. Brown’s Pet Shop on their next day’s errands; each goes into the shop and comes out with a little bundle of fur, stating “one kitten is not too many.” Yes, Fat Cat is reunited with her kittens and the family laughs about as Mr. Dooley proclaims: “one kitten is not too many, so we will keep one kitten. One kitten for Sue. One for Mary. One kitten for Mother. And one kitten for me!”. Campy and predictable, the book is as delightful today as it was way back when!
Another book I remember reading and re-reading is What the Witch Left by Ruth Chew. The copy I had must have been the 1973 paperback edition published under Scholastic Book Services; I see that it was re-issued in 1993 by Scholastic, but is out-of-print again. I’ve looked for it at used book sales, and will continue my search!
Two neighbor girls get into the bottom drawer of a bureau used by an aunt when she is visiting. The girls discover the magical items stored there – seven-league boots, a robe that renders the wearer invisible (like Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility), a little box where lost items will appear, a mirror that (if my memory serves) allows one to see into another place (somewhat like the crystal ball where Dorothy sees Auntie Em crying in The Wizard of Oz). From what I recall, each chapter is an adventure the girls experience with the magical items. I wish I could remember all the details – can anyone help me out?!
Do you have (or wish you still had) favorite books from childhood that are no longer in print?
I just gave this one to my nephew a week ago or I would happily send it to you. If he does not seem interested, I will rescue it from him.
I think Wonder Books stopped publishing in the late 70’s, the reason I say this is because I had many of them when I was a child but they were all hand me downs.
My favourite childhood books were from the Little Golden Book Series – We Like Kindergarten, We Help Mommy and Little Golden Book of Dogs. I actually found all three at a yard sale and was so excited.
My Little Golden Books
Constance – yes! Please let me know if your nephew isn’t interested in What the Witch Left. I was so pleased that One Kitten is not Too Many met the expectations of my memory, I wonder if the Chew book will as well.
Book Zombie – I scooped up a bunch of Little Golden Books over the years. I have an old copy of The Gingerbread Man from when I was younger; my kids have an assortment of iconic older titles and more contemporary Little Golden Book stories. Thanks for the link.
Hi Dawn,
I remember What The Witch Left! It was a favorite of mine, too! I loved that book and particularly remember those seven league boots. Another one that I liked, also by Ruth Chew, was The Wednesday Witch about a witch that rode around on a canister vacuum pointing the hose out in front of her. A good shopping site for out of print books is http://www.bookfinder.com . They search all of the book sites, including Amazon, so that you can compare prices. I just saw a “What the Witch Left” for about $2 on there.
Carey
Carey – thanks for the tip! I’ve looked for it periodically on e-bay and half.com, but haven’t had success. I’ll check out bookfinder.com. I hope it’s as good as I remember.