Best of
Animals

1950

Jennie


Paul Gallico - 1950
    To his considerable astonishment, when he recovers, he is not a young boy, but a cat! Fortunately, he meets Jennie, a cat who had been abandoned by her family when they moved away, who educates him in the wiles of the feline world. Will he stay a cat with Jennie, or return to being a human boy?

The Jolly Barnyard


Annie North Bedford - 1950
    “Cluck! I will give him eggs,” said the hen. / Said the rooster, “I’ll wake him in the mornings, then.” / “Baa-aa, we’ll give him wool,” said the sheep. / “For our fleece is soft and warm and deep.”

Peppermint


Dorothy Grider - 1950
    If you've read it, you may remember the image of a kitten who has been accidentally dyed blue. You may also remember how heartwarming it is when a sad little kitten and sad little girl find happiness together.The story, while clearly from a bygone era, is still memorable. It's a great read--I'd highly recommend it to anyone who can get his/her hands on a copy!

Blaze Finds the Trail


C.W. Anderson - 1950
    So one day they set out on an old woodland road that is new to them. They have a wonderful ride, but their adventures soon lead them off the trail and deep into the woods. Before they know it, the sky grows dark with a coming storm, and Billy can't find the way out of the woods. Can Blaze find the trail and get them safely home again? Blaze Finds the Trail is part of the classic Billy and Blaze series. Sensitive drawings and easy-to-read words capture the warmth and special understanding between a boy and his horse.

Petunia


Roger Duvoisin - 1950
    Those children have grown up, but Petunia is every bit as fresh and funny and muddled as the day she was born. In this, the first of the series of classic books featuring the silly goose, Petunia finds a book—and, deciding that if she owns a book she must be wise, dispenses hilariously mistaken advice to the other animals in the farmyard. With its gentle lesson and the kind of humor that kids love best, this new edition of a beloved classic will delight and inspire a whole new generation of readers.

Born to Trot


Marguerite Henry - 1950
    Trotters are the world to him. But all he ever does is practice. He's still too young and inexperienced to drive in a real race. Only he knows he's ready for the big league. If people would give him a chance, then they would know it, too. Gib's chance comes in a filly named Rosalind. Now Gib can prove that he's man enough to train a champion. But does he really have what it takes? Can he and Rosalind go all the way to win the Hambletonian, the greatest race of all?

Elephant Bill


J.H. Williams - 1950
    You read it as a small child, or even as a adult, and never forget the images it conjures up, of a wonderful Englishman who lives in the mysterious forests of faraway Burma and of the kind native people who teach him about their lovely country. But most of all, you never forget the elephants! For this is a story about those magnificent creatures. Though he was officially known as Lt. Colonel J.H. Williams, the author was known to the world at large as “Elephant Bill”. That is because he spent 25 years living with the elephants in the mountains and forests of Burma. There he trained them to haul teak logs out of the isolated jungles.Yet this is also a story of great courage because when the Second World War struck, it also came to Burma. The Japanese Imperial Army planned to confiscate the Burmese elephants, drafting them to make the bridges and railways they needed to invade India. When he learned of these plans to put his beloved animals to a war-like purpose, Elephant Bill knew what had to be done. The mighty kings of the jungle had to be evacuated to safety.Personal story of Colonel Williams' adventures in Burma. A bit tedious but quite interesting to read about his involvement with working elephants.

Cats


Wilfrid Swancourt Bronson - 1950
    It grew out of years spent by the author in studying cats and keeping them as pets. The physical characteristics of cats, their instincts and habits are described and explained. There is an interesting section on how to play with a kitten or cat, what kind of den to construct and directions for making it. There are rules for raising healthy, happy cats--how to feed them, keep their quarters clean, and train them. In the last part of the book, the author takes up the whole cat family--lions, tigers, cheetahs, and their cousins--and he ends with a brief history of our pets as we know them today. The amusing and informative pictures on every page not only illustrate the text, but provide a wealth of additional information. Younger children will find endless entertainment in the pictures, and there is no age limit to those who will enjoy the informal, authentic text. Wilfrid Swancourt Bronson wrote his first book at the age of eight. Called "Animal People," it started like this: "This book is for children who are interested in animals and birds. It has verey good pictures in it and children can understand it verey easily." He later learned to spell, and wrote and illustrated over twenty books for children with "verey good pictures" that they could understand. Young readers everywhere are glad he did.

No One Should Have Six Cats!


Susan Mathias Smith - 1950
    David's mother thinks he should give one of his six cats away, but which one should it be?

Pirates, Ships, and Sailors


Kathryn Jackson - 1950
    All sea-loving children—and their parents—will be wowed by Gustaf Tenggren’s beautiful illustrations.

Bees: Their Vision, Chemical Senses and Language


Karl von Frisch - 1950
    More significantly, he discovered their dance language and their ability to use the sun as a compass. Intended to serve as an accessible introduction to one of the most fascinating areas of biology, Bees (first published in 1950 and revised in 1971), reported the startling results of his ingenious and revolutionary experiments with honeybees.In his revisions, von Frisch updated his discussion about the phylogenetic origin of the language of bees and also demonstrated that their color sense is greater than had been thought previously. He also took into consideration the electrophysiological experiments and electromicroscopic observations that have supplied more information on how the bee analyzes polarized light to orient itself and how the olfactory organs on the bee's antennae function.Now back in print after more than two decades, this classic and still-accurate account of the behavior patterns and sensory capacities of the honeybee remains a book written with a simplicity, directness, and charm which all who know him will recognize as characteristic of its author. Any intelligent reader, without scientific training, can enjoy it.--Yale Review

One Horse Farm


Dahlov Ipcar - 1950
    It's a book that comes from the heart for legendary Maine artist Dahlov Ipcar, who has lived on a farm in Georgetown, Maine, for more than seventy years. "It was the life I lived," she says.

The Wise Robin


Noel Barr - 1950
    To read to or to be read by. Charming story and illustrations. Reading age 7 plus.

Toyon, a Dog of the North and His People


Nicholas Kalashnikoff - 1950