vintage children's book: pirouettes

today's vintage children's book is another one of mine, reclaimed from a library and loved within an inch of its life. up until recently it was hanging together by threads: now its completely fallen apart (which i admit made it easier to scan.) i think i might have to put on my book doctor hat this afternoon and get to work with some tape to preserve it for just another 20+ years. if cats have nine lives, books must have about 15 in some homes. i have a lot of inherited cookbooks that are possibly up to their 18th life!

pirouettes is a book of nonsense poems, adapted from the original text by raymond lichette, illustrated by colette de gaillarbois. published by chambers in 1974. please click the images below to see a larger version - its really worth it!

the whale

john is a purple young whale

and a friend of the small golden fish

each evening he reads the a fairy tale

while they eat onions out of a dish

the brave owl

arthur owl is never afriad

he's the bravest bird

that ever was made

he wears plastic beads

with a watch on a chain

and his toes always tingle if there's going to be rain

the angry dragon

under the stove where it is hot

lives a stripey dragon.

his nose is in a funny knot

his whiskers are undone.

prickly peacock wings

seem to stick straight out,

when great aunt jasmine said hello

he answered me with a shout.

she said 'my goodness me!'

and 'dragons are such a bore!'

the dragon said nothing

but he gave an awful roar.

penguins

the penguins at the south pole

like to listen to rock and roll.

every night they meet their friends

and dance until the music ends.

sometimes they start to feel the heat

and then there comes a special treat.

cooler than jumping into a stream

a cone of pink

fish-flavoured ice-cream.

grunge the lion

grunge is the smallest lion

you've ever seen,

his hair is yellow

and his eyes are green.

with a pussycat smile

and curls in his hair,

he sometimes yawns fiercely

and gives you a scare.

the hedgehog

the gardener is angry

the gardener is cross,

for a hedgehog steals his flowers

and puts them in his sauce.

roses and violets

delphiniums as well,

when the hedgehog is cooking

there's a beautiful flowery smell.

the hedgehog is happy

eating lilac-pansy roast,

and every night for supper

there's rose petals on toast.