11. My Book House — Volume 2: Story Time
Volume 2 of My Book House by Olive Beaupré Miller contains stories and poems from all over the world written by some of the world’s best authors and poets. For instance there are works by Sir Walter Scott, Edward Lear, Eugine Field, William Blake and Hans Christian Anderson.
One of the stories I remember most from this volume is How the Finch got Her Colors which, according to the table of contents, is a Flemish legend. I always think of the painted bunting when I think of this story — but I guess finches are colorful too.
Another story I vividly remember was The Village of Cream Puffs by(!) Carl Sandburg, which I think, now, after reading it again, was very weird.
This book also contains a version of Little Black Sambo which I remember my mother reading to me. I heard they changed the title or maybe removed the story completely from the set in later versions of My Book House. The story — which is about a boy in India who outwits a tiger, itself, is innocuous – it is the title that is offensive.
One thing I forgot to mention in the first post about My Book House is the end papers. As I told my mom on the phone the other day, anyone seeing these end papers would want to become a reader. I remember sitting and staring at the endpapers, wishing I could transport myself into the scene. Except I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near the clown. He looks evil.
Left end paper for My Book House
Right end paper for My Book House
