Shabby Sunday

I have a bunch of old vintage books and seem to keep acquiring more. One of my plans when  starting this blog was to do a post every now and then sharing one of my cherished vintage books. Then I thought there might be other book bloggers out there that have some vintage books, heirlooms, or maybe some old books from childhood that they might want to share.

This meme titled ‘Shabby Sunday’ is for those who would like to participate and share some of their old vintage books. Do you have some shabby books you’d like to share? If so, please feel free to participate as anyone can join. Feel free to use my meme image if you’d like to. If you decide to do this meme, please consider linking back to me in this post so that I can see the book you’re sharing.

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Last time I shared:

Humpy the Moose 

Today’s Shabby Share:

Rhyme Stew

By Roald Dahl

Blurb:

An irresistible, hilarious collection of ribald rhymes featuring characters from fairy tales, fables and nursery rhymes including ‘Dick Whittington and his Cat’, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ and ‘Hansel and Gretel’. The perfect treat for Dahl fans tall and small. ‘There is no end to the Dahl invention, and this will join all the other cherished favourites. Quentin Blake is his perfect illustrator’ Books.

We found this book at a community rummage sale over a decade ago. What a gem! This particular sale has books ranging from .10 cents to .25 cents and never more than that. Because people in the community just offload their stuff, there’s no telling what you’ll find. Today you can find a copy of this book for around $5.00 (new) online.

Our copy is a Penguin Book’s paperback published in 1990. The original was published in 1989. It’s super thin and only about 79 pages total.

Roald Dahl basically took some well-known fables and tales and turned them into silly rhymes. We all know how Roald Dahl had quite the imagination, so this collection can be crazy and hilarious. Some of the rhymes are a bit too risqué and aren’t really suited for kids as they reference sex, adultery, and even cannabalism, but I think some of it would likely go unnoticed. Definitely read at your own risk! Others are completely harmless…

Quentin Blake’s iconic illustrations are absolutely perfect in every Roald Dahl book we’ve read. They magically work together with his stories, creating interesting characters. The kids have grown used to seeing his illustrations in most of their favorite Dahl books.

It’s no surprise that his sinister version of “Hansel and Gretel” is my favorite. Something unique about this one is this little addition toward the end:

“The Brother’s Grimm who wrote this story
Made it a thousand times more gory.
I’ve taken out the foulest scene
In order that you won’t turn green.
It is beyond me how it came
To merit such enormous fame.
Did parents really, in those days,
Agree to read such gruesome plays
To little children in the night?
And did they ever die of fright?
It might have been okay, who knows,
If there’d been humour in the prose.
Did I say humour? Wilhelm Grimm?
There’s not a scrap of it in him.”

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Overall, this is a hilarious collection of twisty rhymes with some of Roald Dahl’s wicked humor. There’s no denying his books can make children laugh, but he certainly knew how to entertain adults as well. This one will always remain in our collection.

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Find this book on Goodreads and Amazon:

• Publisher : PUFFIN BOOKS; New Ed edition (January 1, 1990)
• Language : English
• Paperback : 80 pages
• ISBN-10 : 0140343652
• ISBN-13 : 978-0140343656

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Other blogs who have participated in Shabby Sunday:

Nicky@ An Introverted Bookworm

Claire@ Brizzle Lass Books

Author Didi Oviatt

Sassy Brit@ Alternative-Read

Brittany @ PerfectlyTolerable

Shari @ Sharisakurai.com

Jennifer @ Jennifertarheelreader.com

Lisa @ Way Too Fantasy

*Please stop by these blogs to check out all of their beautiful shabby shares!*

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Thanks for checking out Shabby Sunday! Have you read this book? Do you have any shabby books to share? Feel free to share your thoughts below.

♥️ Mischenko