Published by the White Plains Greeting Card Corp. in 1953, this
fabulous blast from the past is a collage of Mother Goose nursery
rhymes, presented in storybook form.I found this spiral softcover
book still tucked away in its original box, looking as though it had
never even been opened. It wasn't until I got halfway through the book
that I discovered two pages that, as best I can tell, originally hosted
a Red Hot stuck together, presumably the result of time and a bit of
humidity. The only other notable issue can be found on the following
page, where Miss Muffet and Jack jumping over the candlestick seem to
have something a bit sticky on the pages and Jack's groin. It may be
that someone skilled in paper restoration can carefully steam or
otherwise "unstick" the two pages, as well as clean part of Miss Muffet
and Jack's minor mess.
As for the rest of the fabulous pages,
open the front cover and you're immediately greeted by Rudolph and the
rest of the gang, along with Santa on a sleigh heavy with gifts. The
next page shows Santa sitting in a chair, reading a letter he's
received from Mother Goose to his Brownie helpers. From there, we are
delighted with a glimpse of: Hickory Dickory Dock clock, the dish who
ran away with the spoon (with a real plastic spoon included), Humpty
Dumpty atop the wall, a real Plastic Patch Band-Aid affixed to his
head. Next, we're greeted by "four and twenty blackbirds" popping out
of the King's pie. It is then that we momentarily stumble on the Queen
of Hearts who apparently decided years ago that she cared not to share
her Red Hots (or whatever the stuck candy there might be). Turn the
page and we resume the visual delight with Miss Muffet and Jack,
slightly marred as mentioned before, followed by Mother Hubbard and her
cupboard. Trip along to find the three wise men of Gotham in a sail
boat, with a real toy parachute serving as the sail, followed by a
young lad heading off to market with a 3D pig in his wheelbarrow. That
page cleverly transitions to the next, offering the story of the three
little pigs. As we near the book end, we find Little Bo-Peep and Little
Boy Blue, who is blowing a real toy horn. On the last page and back
inside cover is Mother Goose thanking Santa for all that he brought,
with a fold-out mini booklet of Mother Goose tales.
Other than
the pages with the Queen of Hearts, all of the pop-ups and featured
add-ons are present and accounting for, working as they should. I've
photographed all pages, as well as the front and back cover and box
lid, but as Ruby Lane listings can only accommodate nine photos, you
won't find all of the photos here. If you'd like to view the additional
pages, feel free to email me, and I'll be happy to send them on.
