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| A Rand McNally Storytime Book |
Thankfully Mum dedicated a whole 3 days to assisting me with the packing – and was very polite when she mentioned a few times – how I seemed to have quite a collection of little ceramic jugs or indeed ceramic treasures of one sort or another. Box after box after box has been filled and stacked ready for the impending move day.
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| We sailed and sailed for over a week, and followed our noses by day. |
After a solid week (and then some) of sorting and wrapping, packing and taping up boxes I feel like the end is in sight – well the end as in the day the trucks come to take it all to our new pad. Thankfully the new pad has a slightly larger studio for me (with plans to renovate it to an even bigger space – YAY!) with a separate shed for all those garden tools, the mower and bikes etc that took up space in my current studio and the really super duper exciting bit for me is that next to the house – right on the corner is a shop for me to make my own!
I think the shop has been a long time in the coming really. Lots of the treasures and then some that Mum has helped me pack are destined to go into the shop – not all of them mind you…some are too dear to me, but still over the last few days I have said – “oh, that is for the shop”…or …”I was thinking that could go in the shop” quite a number of times.
My husband Sam very carefully this morning broached the subject of us trying to keep the new house a little less cluttered. My response was that most of my stuff was destined for the shop – but of course we all know – once a bowerbird always a bowerbird!A fun part of packing up all my stuff has been re-discovering things I had forgotten I had….or perhaps realizing how many of certain things I do have. Children’s books from the 50’s and 60’s seem to be one thing I am particularly attracted too and so have collected quite a few. Captain Kitty (1957) is amongst them. I just adore the illustrations and the story……
Oh, Captain Kitty, where have you been?
I’ve been sailing the ocean blue – And Tabby went as my good First Mate, and Pearly and Mew were the crew.
We sailed and sailed for over a week, and followed our noses by day, and when the stars came out at night, we followed the Milky Way.
The breezes carried us on and on till we came to the Tropical Isles, where the warm winds blow, and the palm trees grow and the natives wear sweet smiles.
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| I'm glad you like them, said the queen. I'll order some for you! |
We saw the Queen all covered with pearls, we saw the King as well. And on his head in place of a crown he wore a big pink shell!
And Tabby said ‘Good queen, your beads are pretty and elegant, too!’ ‘I’m glad you like them’, said the queen. ‘I’ll order some for you!’
Then the King led the way through the jungle gay where up in the highest tree, ten little parrots the colour of carrots were having a spelling bee.
‘Your jungle is charming, but very alarming!’ said Tabby to the king. ‘But I have been wishing that we could go fishing if you think we could catch anything!’
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| Your jungle is charming, but very alarming! Said Tabby to the King. |
What a hulla-ba-loo when Pearly and Mew caught a prize all wet and shiny – they pulled in a whale by the end of his tail, and threw him back into the briny.
We dined on fish and coconut milk till the ending of the day. The cat with the fiddle played Hey-diddle-diddle to while the hours away.
‘Dear King and Queen and people, said I, the sun is getting low. We’ve really had a lovely time – alas, it’s time to go!
And now at last, we’re back again in Catville-by-the-Sea – We’ve been away, but I must say that Home looks good to me!’
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11 comments:
ejOH MY GOODNESS...I READ THIS BOOK TO MY BOYS FROM 1954-1967 OR SO. THEY LOVED IT AND SO DO I....WISH I HAD MY COPY. I EVEN MEMORIZED THE FIRST PARTS OF IT BY HEART I HAD READ IT SO MANY TIMES. IF YOU KNOW WHERE I CAN GET A COPY, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. THANKS, MILLY CROTHERS, EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN
cogomodo313@aol.com
born in '92.. this is my favourite book. I know it by heart. The book sits under my pillow every night :)
I know this is a very old post by now, but I wanted to share the Captain Kitty love! Born in '75, so I'm not sure if the copy I had was inherited or bought, but it was my favourite book when I was 2 and 3 and learning to read! I can still recite a good half of it from memory and that was a long time ago. ;) Haven't seen the pictures in ages, so that was a wonderful trip down memory lane.
I was born in 1960 and loved this book. I was telling colleagues about it the other
day and low and behold one of them had a copy. She gave it to me. I remember my childhood book had the cover with the kitties in the boat, but the one I just got has captain kitty standing on the dock. I have not seen this book since the mid 1960s, but I rememered the queen and her beautiful pearls. I was fascinated by her as a 4 year old. I plan to keep this copy for grand children. You can get them on ebay.
Good grief! I've been trying to remember the name of this book for 30+ years and now I've found it!
I've been trying to remember all the words from the little book that I read to my first son. He loved it so much and knew the words by heart! I wish I could find the book again, so that I could read it to my grandsons.
We found it on line at Amazon.com a few years ago. We bought 2 copies. Love this book from my childhood (& I'm in my 50's).
Captain Kitty love here too! Near and dear to me. I have my original copy from the 60's and I read it to my children as they were growing up. Soon, I hope to have a grandchild to share it with and read and re-read it as many times as they ask for it!
I used to try and skip words while reading it to my son, trying to get to bed myself - but he would always catch me and make me restart the page.
My grandmother read this book to my brother and me and I still have my dearly tattered copy. I was born in 1951 when the book came out and my brother in 49. I have the original but it's in very poor shape unfortunately. What a wonderful little story!
This was my most favorite childhood book as well. I too had it memorized from front to back...and still can recite it word for word to this day. The pictures were just enchanting and I looked at them often as a child. I would give anything if I still had it. Thank you to the author for making such a wonderful childhood memory.
I read this to baby brother Tim so many times I've never forgotten a word. I love the illustrations and the story, too. My children and grandchildren have heard it many, many times. ❤️
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