Best of
Juvenile

1962

The Best-Loved Doll


Rebecca Caudill - 1962
    For a doll contest at a party, a little girl chooses to enter a doll that seems least likely to win a prize.

A Leg at Each Corner


Norman Thelwell - 1962
    This reissue of his classic book of pony cartoons gives a reminder of the late master's peculiar genius.

Five O'Clock Charlie


Marguerite Henry - 1962
    When his rheumatism isn't acting up, he's as frisky as any young colt. And he's certainly not ready for retirement. Charlie can tackle any tough job that comes his way. Unfortunately, Mr. Spinks, Charlie's owner, doesn't quite agree. So he makes Charlie take a permanent, though well-deserved, vacation. Poor Charlie is bored to death! But then Charlie discovers there is something he can do. Maybe retirement isn't so boring after all!?!

The Return of the Twelves


Pauline Clarke - 1962
    Under his careful watch, the "Twelves" come to life, each possessing a name and a distinct personality. As Max soon learns, they share a history filled with incident and adventure -- all an imaginative legacy of the famous Brontës (Branwell, Charlotte, Emily, Anne), who were the soldiers' original owners. In its mix of invention, excitement, character, and literary history, The Return of the Twelves occupies a rare place in children's literature. Its gripping narrative and engaging figures make it perfect for young readers of ten and up.

The Marvelous Inventions of Alvin Fernald


Clifford B. Hicks - 1962
    Maybe it's the Foolproof Burglar Alarm for his bedroom door, or a Sure Shot Paper Slinger for delivering newspapers from his bike. But there's no doubt about it, as his sister the Pest says, Alvin is a genius! With his best friend Wilfred Shoemaker (Shoie for short) and the Pest, who always tags along, there is never a dull moment as Alvin unfolds the most brilliant plan of his career to solve the mystery surrounding the old Huntley place.

O Ye Jigs and Juleps!


Virginia Cary Hudson - 1962
    With over 1 million copies sold, this humorous collection of small-town Americana has become a modern-day classic, celebrating the honesty and charm of a child's world at the turn of the century. On Moses: "I got so tired of Moses walking forty years and never getting to where he was going. I sure would have bought myself a mule." On the library: "In the library there are signs. Silence. Mrs. Simons [the librarian] must not know they are there. She talks the whole long day." These naively trouncing concepts of school, church etiquette, and everlasting life are both a child's mischievous collection of impressions and an adult's hilarious comeuppance.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase


Joan Aiken - 1962
    Left in the care of the cruel Miss Slighcarp, the girls can hardly believe what is happening to their once happy home. The servants are dismissed, the furniture is sold, and Bonnie and Sylvia are sent to a prison-like orphan school. It seems as if the endless hours of drudgery will never cease.With the help of Simon the gooseboy and his flock, they escape. But how will they ever get Willoughby Chase free from the clutches of the evil Miss Slighcarp?

The Whale People


Roderick L. Haig-Brown - 1962
    The boy trains for his role with the mixture of yearning and apprehension experienced by every youth racing toward adulthood - except that in Atlin's case, his whole community is depending on his success.With lean, sure-footed prose, Haig-Brown captures the tangled emotions of adolescence, and in the process conveys a vivid portrait of pre-Columbian life on the West Coast. Never preachy or condescending, The Whale People is richly furnished with the material and spiritual mainstays of its characters: canoes, harpoons, animals and "tumanos," the personal magic a great whaler and leader must possess."Timeless" is a term too freely bandied about, but seldom has a story so deftly married the moment with the millennia. Written 40 years ago - it was named Book of the Year for Children by the Canadian Library Association in 1964 - it could be set 400 years ago, yet there is not one quaint or dated sentence in it.

Folk Tales of North America


Jean Corcoran - 1962
    A collection of Native American and Regional folk tales and legends.

Riddle-De-Dee


Bennett Cerf - 1962
    A wacky collection of classic riddles includes those that have been declared among the worst in the history of humor, such as ""When are eyes not eyes? When the cold air makes them water!""