Fall Is Here, a 1948 early science reader.

I know Hallowe'en is over but this book is about the entire Autumn season, and I love Autumn. "Fall Is Here" was first published in 1948 by Row, Peterson and Company, this copy is the 1951 edition.

Up until this year I had not realized that this book sums up my entire outlook about Autumn and Hallowe'en.

The book starts out with all of the signs of Autumn, the changing colour of the leaves, the flowers of the season, the fruit and nuts of this time of the year, and the rain... there is a lot of rain on the West Coast.  Because this is an American book each of the three months that make up Autumn seem to have a separate identity. September is harvest, October is Hallowe'en, and November is Thanksgiving.

We have a totally different holiday arrangement in Canada. September is harvest time as it is in the United States but mid October is Thanksgiving and the end of October is Hallowe'en. November is a kind of no man's land for holidays. Remembrance Day is not a holiday, it is a time of reflection and gratitude for those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

Hallowe'en in the United States is a time of ghosts, goblins, black cats, witches, and jack-o-lanterns. It was that in Victoria where I was born and grew up but for me it was filtered through the Autumn harvest, the colourful landscape, and Thanksgiving. Victoria was the most British city in all of North America so toss in fireworks for good measure. Guy Fawkes Day on November 5th is celebrated with fireworks so we took the fireworks for Hallowe'en instead. I believe that some people celebrated Guy Fawkes Day in Victoria but I didn't know any of them.

Enough with my talking; have a look at this science reader for yourself.

This sculpture, "Landscape Rattle; Ambrose and Monty, his Parade Lantern" uses a lot of the elements that I mentioned in the beginning of this post. I love Autumn and I love this sculpture, it sums up the season for me.

Please email me at lenbenny@shaw.ca if you wish any more information or to purchase this sculpture. Go to this post for a full description and more pictures of this sculpture.

Go to the EHAG Emporium to see lots of other great work to add to your collection.

Children's Textbooks with Hallowe'en Stories

This spelling textbook was first published in 1930 with a second edition published in 1932. It was published a third time in 1950, so I most likely used this book in grade two. Textbooks were used over a long period of time as this book has a stamp on the inside front cover "LANGFORD SCHOOL" and another stamp with the date "SEP 10 1964".

The illustrations are delightful, they capture a childhood innocence that is not present in the modern day celebration of a holiday that takes place at night.

Karen, a collector friend, gave me this "Happy Holidays" children's reader for Christmas one year. The name is appropriate don't you think?

The title page says...

"HAPPY HOLIDAYS

and other fun days around the year"

By E.C. Reichert

Illustrated by Suzanne Bruce

Rand McNally & Company - Chicago

copyright MCMLIII (1953)

Here is the chapter for Hallowe'en. I will post other chapters during the year as the holiday approaches.

I discovered this pencil drawing on a sheet of newsprint several years ago. I must have been in grade 5 when I drew it. I'm not sure where it turned up, it could have been at my Mum's place when we were tidying some things or it could have been tucked into something here at home. I am so glad that I found it.

I crammed in every image that goes with Hallowe'en that I knew; a split rail fence surrounding a field of corn shocks, a tree... with a face, a ghost, a carved pumpkin... I never called it a Jack-o-Lantern just a carved pumpkin, a black cat that may be on a rock or a pile of leaves, who knows, two bats, a moon, and a witch on a broom.

The Jack-O-Lantern Twins - a 1941 primary reader

The Jack-O-Lantern Twins by Anne M. McCauley and illustrated by Vera Stone Norman was published in 1941 by Lyons and Carnahan. Having this book to read just before Hallowe'en would have been absolutely wonderful! The anticipation that it would build would be delightful. I have scanned it in it's entirety, enjoy reading it.

Go to my Etsy shop to purchase all sorts of delightful goodies for Hallowe'en, just click this link.

I was lulled into a sense of wellness

Leading up to Valentines I was not feeling the best at all. Valentines came and went with a bit of a sigh on this blog it seems. Monday came along and I got to work catching up with various things that needed to be done. Thursday was all right I guess, it's just that I wasn't feeling great but I wasn't sick. Last Friday came along and I managed to get a blog post up and that was about that. For the next 5 or six days I felt terrible.

All is better now. I am working on some new pieces for spring. I'm looking forward to the autumn season and Hallowe'en, I have some fun things planned.

In case you were wondering these images are from two children's readers from the 1920's.

I have received a comment from a fan (I hope) but it is in Asian text so I cannot read it. If that person can resend the comment translated for me I would love to post it.