Little Schoolhouse

I found this book at the Salvation Army today. It was written by Crosby Newell, illustrated by Kathellen Elgin, and published in 1958 by Wonder Books, a division of Grosset & Dunlap. What caught my eye first was that it was so old. It also has the illustrating style of the old Dick & Jane books, so that got my attention as well. The fact that it cost me ten cents was simply too good to pass up.

I didn't even read it until I got home. I like old books like this, so the story wasn't as important to me as the book itself. Apparently, it's taken from an old television show of the same name that was on in the 1950s. The story is is mostly about the children in the school, what they do each day, having good manners, being polite, storytime in the classroom, even special visitors that come to school to talk about their jobs -- policemen, postlmen, the milkman, etc.

In other words, the book is extremely outdated, which is the reason it's so awesome. It is in really good shape, although it has a musky scent to it. Even so, the little space for children to write their name on the front cover is still blank. There's only a little wear on the cover, as you can see, but the rest of the book is in perfect condition. You certainly can't beat that for a DIME, especially when the book cost 39-cents brand new in 1958!