5. The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook.

The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook. Joyce Lankester Brisley. 1928. 224 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Once upon a time there was a little girl. She had a Father, and a Mother, and a Grandpa, and a Grandma, and an Uncle, and an Aunty; they all lived together in a nice white cottage with a thatched roof.

Premise/plot: Milly Molly Mandy stars in a collection of stories. This book was originally published in 1928. There are other Milly Molly Mandy books. The stories--at least in this initial collection--are episodic. Each story stands more or less on its own. It features (relatively) the same cast of characters: her immediate family (see above) and her friends Toby and Susan. 

The stories in this collection:

• Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes Errands (I would personally say go ON errands, but the table of contents says otherwise)
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Spends a Penny
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Meets Her Great-Aunt
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes Blackberrying
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes to a Party
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Enjoys a Visit
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes Gardening
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Keeps Shop
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Gives A Party
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Gets to Know Teacher
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes to a Fete
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Has A Surprise
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes to A Concert
• Milly-Molly-Mandy's Mother Goes Away
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes to the Sea
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Minds a Baby
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Goes on an Expedition
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Helps to Thatch a Roof
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Keeps House
• Milly-Molly-Mandy and the Blacksmith's Wedding
• Milly-Molly-Mandy Has a New Dress

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one thoroughly. I did. It is old-fashioned for sure. These stories are like licks on a lollipop. I don't know that any one story stands out as wow or amazing. But taken together there is something satisfying about spending time with Milly-Molly-Mandy. I'm not sure how much appeal this character will have for young children or children. Perhaps if introduced to the stories by someone who passionately loves these characters, these books, and takes the time to pass on the tradition???

This is a book that I [and probably plenty of other adults] could imagine being read by their grandparents when they were little. And that adds an element of sentimentality perhaps. 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Young Readers

Millions of Cats

Millions of Cats. Wanda Gag. 1928. Penguin. 40 pages. [Source: Book I Bought]

Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman. They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was. But they couldn't be happy because they were so very lonely. 
"If we only had a cat!" sighed the very old woman. "A cat?" asked the very old man. "Yes, a sweet little fluffy cat," said the very old woman. "I will get you a cat, my dear," said the very old man.
And he set out over the hills to look for one. 

Millions of Cats is a Newbery Honor book from 1929.

Premise/Plot: A very old man and a very old woman long for a cat. The husband goes on a quest to bring back a "sweet little fluffy cat" to please them both. Is his quest successful? Yes. A little too successful. For in fact he finds

Cats here, cats there,
Cats and kittens everywhere,
Hundreds of cats,
Thousands of cats,
Millions and billions and trillions of cats.

How is he ever to choose just ONE cat from so many?! Especially since as he picks up or pets each one he sees, he finds it to be the prettiest cat. He can't bring himself to leave any of the cats behind. But it isn't practical to bring home hundreds, thousands, millions, billions, and trillions of cats. You can probably guess what his wife's response will be! Surely, they can't keep them all. For better or worse, he lets the cats decide amongst themselves. One scrawny cat remains, but, it may be the best one of all.

My thoughts: I loved this one growing up. I loved the repetition. I thought it was a fun story. I didn't--at the time--take the man's conclusion that the trillions of cats ate each other up literally. Is the book violent? Perhaps. Perhaps not. See for yourself.  "They bit and scratched and clawed each other and made such a great noise that the very old man and the very old woman ran into the house as fast as they could. They did not like such quarreling." This one might pair well with Eugene Field's "The Duel." (The gingham dog and the calico cat).

Have you read Millions of Cats? Did you like it? love it? hate it?

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10


© 2018 Becky Laney of Young Readers