My Favorite Childhood Books

We've been cleaning the garage, which means now our house is a mess. It's fun to walk down memory lane as I stumble upon pictures from when the kids were young or my middle school yearbooks. But one of the most surprising finds of all are my two favorite picture books from my childhood. Though I remember asking my mom for them (repeatedly - poor Mom) I don't remember actually taking possession of them, so I thought they were gone forever.

I'm so excited I thought I'd share them with you. They're so unique. Both are Hans Christian Andersen stories. The Little Mermaid and The Little Tin Soldier. They were published by Golden Press in 1966, meaning they'll turn 50 years old next year. The unique illustrations were done by Shiba Productions of Japan. I was completely enamored by these books when I was young and it hasn't changed.

The covers have a unique holographic 3D image. The pages of the books were thick cardboard (8 x 12 board books) Though there were some beautifully illustrated pencil sketches in both books, what intrigued me most were the pictures. The talented men of Shiba Productions crafted puppets for photo shoots for the picture books and the scenes intrigued me beyond measure. Then of course the stories. Mr. Andersen wasn't one for a happy ending and these two books were true to form, but even as a young child that didn't bother me.



The sea witch scared the bejeebies out of me!
Alas, no Prince for Ariel in this version.
My favorite of the two:

Drama and true love. You can't go wrong.
Another tragic ending, but beautiful sketches.
 What were your favorite childhood books?


Comments

  1. Madeline Mora-SummonteOctober 19, 2015 at 6:07 AM

    I had a set of the Little House books - yellow covers, in their own box. Absolutely loved them! I still have them, and although they've gotten warped and barely fit in the box anymore, I still love them. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorOctober 19, 2015 at 7:22 AM

      I loved Little House too. Devoured as many as I could get my hands on.

      Delete
  2. Kelly HashwayOctober 19, 2015 at 7:59 AM

    I loved R.L. Stine's Fear Street books. I read them when I was very young, much younger than the intended age group, but I was an avid reader and loved scary stories.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorOctober 19, 2015 at 8:14 AM

      I've never read them. Looks like he's still publishing them. Maybe I'll pick one up :)

      Delete
  3. Beverly Stowe McClureOctober 19, 2015 at 4:17 PM

    What a treasure to find in your garage.
    Unfortunately, I was not a reader as a child and have no fond memories or books from those days.

    ReplyDelete

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