Monday, August 26, 2013

reading is FUNdamental

i have always loved reading. i remember being 3 and reading about a gem-encrusted crown in the childcraft encyclopedia. i read all the nancy drew books before 3rd grade. i would check out the maximum allowed on my library card and my mom's at the same time and chain-read them until i was done. same with anne of green gables, the baby sitter's club, and sweet valley high.

the textbooks in school when i was growing up had incredible covers. they inspired curiosity!  compared to the bland computer-generated covers of today, they are vibrant and interesting. all hand done.

these are all houghton mifflin reading book covers from the late 70's. my earliest classroom shelves were full of these. i was transfixed!








 this 'secrets' one i particularly remember because they were left over on a back shelf from an earlier year and i had to ask my teacher if i could take one home with me and read it. she said yes. i mean who wouldn't want to read 'secrets' with a cover like that?!






all this started when i saw this "windchimes" book at a second-hand store today and my mind was awash in a flood of cedar hill elementary school book covers.



the covers today do not hold a candle.

From Houghton Mifflin

9 comments:

kid D said...

I think I had the Tapestry book at one point in my life. That peacock looks very familiar. Was it some sort of reading or vocabulary book?

Anonymous said...

the dvds for these would have been killer. imagine those fantastic images moving around?!

Anonymous said...

I love it. You devoured books. What a thirst you had. It was fun to watch.

skippy haha said...

kid D - yes they were reading books. as i remember, short stories with a few questions at the end of each. i am sure houghton mifflin had nation-wide distribution in the 70's - i was wondering if these were in tulsa, too!

Anonymous #1 - it would be very much like the beatles' movie 'yellow submarine'

Anonymous #2 - thank you, it was fun to read!

Unknown said...

I want to find this book. I had the exact one as a child. I don't know who published it? Maybe more information would be super helpful.

Unknown said...

I want to find this book. I had the exact one as a child. I don't know who published it? Maybe more information would be super helpful.

TIMKAT Entertainment, Inc. said...

I remember many of these books, growing up in the late 70s and early 80s in Kansas City. There were two other Houghton-Mifflin books from elementary school: one had a tan cover called 'Surprise' and I believe the other was purple and yellow, called 'Melody' or something similar. Thanks so much for posting the memories! -K

skippy haha said...

Nice, K! I think the purple one was Medley? http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41zNq9M0a4L._SL500_SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
i dont remember surprise, but it sounds fun :)

Anonymous said...

When i was in Elementary school back in the late 80's like maybe 3rd grade, the school would have a book sale with all of these old books from the reading room. They were 10 cents to a quarter for the books. The big score was getting the Teacher's Edition of these books. I had the teacher's edition for Signposts. I have the TE for Reading Rainbow I use as supplemental material!