Friday’s Vintage Finds::The ABC Bunny and Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag

My girls and I have been working through Before Five in a Row since last fall, doing the activities as we (I, really) see fit and have the time, resources, and energy for.  I ordered all of the titles from Amazon I could affordably purchase back before Christmas because many of them are so old that our local libraries no longer own copies.  I have loved reading these old gems, so I thought I would highlight some of the older books that we find and love in a periodic post called Friday’s Vintage Finds.

The ABC Bunny is a delightful ABC book by the author and illustrator Wanda Gag (pronounced Gog, not Gag).  The book has beautiful, black and white illustrations that appear to be done with charcoals or pencil.  The only touch of color on each page is the letter for each page, and it is done in red.  This ABC book actually tells a story, which makes it entirely appropriate for older children, as well as toddlers and preschoolers.  The illustrations have a very fluid look to them, so the idea of movement is communicated.  First copyrighted in 1933, this Newbery Honor Book is highly recommended!

Our discovery of The ABC Bunny led to a search for Gag’s better-known, earlier book, Millions of Cats.  This one is delightful and rythmic, prompting back-to-back readings once today already.   Like The ABC Bunny’s illustrations, this book’s illustrations are done in black and white and create a sense of movement.  The best part of this story, though, is the refrain that echoes, even after the book is shut:  “Hundreds of cats,/ Thousands of cats,/ Millions and billions and trillions of cats.”  Copyrighted in 1928, this book was also awarded a Newbery Honor.

On a related note, have you read or heard much about the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act?  News of this has been floating around blogdom for a while, but I must admit that I have been rather nonchalant about it.  This post at Semicolon, though, helped me to realize its impact on the bookish world.  Sheesh!  From the sounds of things, my “vintage finds” might be harder and harder to come by, if the U.S. government has anything to do with it.