When I was a child these books adorned a book shelf sitting in the upstairs hallway in our 100+ year old farmhouse. I remember reading these books over and over again…and when we weren’t reading them we used them as walls for our make-shift Barbie house. Hardcover books work well for walls. 
They began a love of reading for me. I love to get lost in the imagery of a good book, and hope that our kids share that love with us.
My mom saved these books and now our little ones get to read the same books I read as a youngster.
Can’t you just see the little wheels turning in her head. The imagination is working, I can tell!
What kinds of imagination did you discover this week? 
23 Comments
That last little face is so sweet!
I’m imagining (and have been imagining) my interior walls painted in deep rich tones…
I see turquoise in my future. I need at least one turquoise room…
I love that last picture!
And the first one just transported me to days when we’d get home from the library with our weekly loot and promptly disappear for hours into a Nancy Drew mystery or Anne of Green Gables adventure. I especially love the peek at the Encyclopedia Brown… I used to read it to my cousin who is now in his first year of college!
My imagination? Our yet-to-be-constructed house… with a gorgeous vivid red tree smack dab in front of it. I’m on the hunt for the exact tree now
I can tell too !!
Love that second shot …
Is it just me, or were our books just different back then? I’m so grateful for the ones that I still have–especially Clifford’s Halloween—you know before the tv show! What a lovely collection of pics. You can totally see the wheels turning. Imagination is a wonderful thing.
Ohh, I do remember Encyclopedia Brown! Do you remember those books that let you pick from alternate endings, just by going to different page numbers? I wonder if they still make some.
She is certainly adorable! I love it when they read on their bellies; isn’t that adorable??
I actually posted a TT this week! It’s been so long!
http://mommeeandherboys.blogspot.com/2008/11/theme-thursday-imagination.html
Good gosh, I LOVE this series! I’m thinking I should bring some of my old books homs from mom’s house, for Nadia to discover….like Encycopedia Brown! That last photo is gorgeous – love the tones.
Here’s my imaginary world of the day!
http://momology.blogspot.com/2008/11/is-doctor-in.html
Oh I love where books can take you! I can’t wait until my kids can read and have that experience for themselves!
My little girl has a bug imagination:
http://motherbunny.blogspot.com/2008/11/imagination.html
The Choose-Your-Own-Adventures, Mel! Totally remember those. I have a few books from my childhood that I love reading to the girls, too. I’m so thankful that they love books as much as I do.
Now…as for the participating…I’ve been so swamped in work over here I actually forgot today was Thursday. And it was such a good theme, too! I am bummed. But I’ll just stare at your photos instead….
books are the greatest tool for the imagination!
http://www.mentalinventory.blogspot.com/
Reading books with my kids is one of my favorite things to do. That is so special that you can share the books that you read as a kid with them. I love that second picture. You can definitely see her wheels spinning.
Here’s mine:
http://newgreenmama.blogspot.com/2008/11/theme-thursday-imagination.html
Great close up shot, you can almost see the story forming in those big beautiful eyes. That’s great your mom kept the books. Mine did too. When we bought our first house, my mom drove down with boxes full of my brother and my old books. It makes me smile to see the Sweet Pickle books again.
However, W.W.’s imagination really takes form outside rather than inside right now.
http://www.killlashandra.org/wordpress/?p=1280
We read to Ella every night before bed and I really need to read more during the day to her too. Shes at the age where she pretends to read and tells us a story based on the pictures. Great imagination there. How wonderful though that your mom saved those books and now they are passed on to your kids. Love that last shot.
OH MY GOSH STACY! I didn’t finish my post last night and have been out all day, today, so I sat down finished my post and came here to link you…What did you talk about? Vintage children’s books. What did I talk about? Vintage children’s books! Too funny!
http://piercebabyproject.blogspot.com/2008/11/theme-thursday-pure-imagination.html
I’m better late than never, eh!?
Did my last comment get lost? It didn’t pop up. Oh well, I was so excited to see your theme after I finished my very late post. I did a post on my vintage books too!! How funny! I didn’t get done last night and was out all day today, so I never stopped by to peek. Who knew we were on the same page!
http://piercebabyproject.blogspot.com/2008/11/theme-thursday-pure-imagination.html
Here it is.
Did I mention that I love the pictures – as always you just capture the essence that is Anya. Beautiful. And I really like the last shot with K. in the background.
I was just so excited before about you choosing books too,(and shocked that my first comment wasn’t there) that I lost my head!
what great books!
forgot to post my link today.
http://afamiliarpath.blogspot.com/2008/11/thursday-theme-imagination.html
I’m back! It is still Thursday, right?
http://heatherk.typepad.com/heatherk/2008/11/why-you-shouldnt-throw-out-those-shoeboxes.html
Oh yes, imagine indeed. I love everything about this post…the thought…the images.
My boys have and do read books lovingly kept from my childhood. It is so sweet a gift…to them and to me.
That is so awesome that you still have them to share with your kids. I so wish I had some of the books that I would read over and over again to share with my boys. Maybe that’s why I am trying so hard to teach Francesco not to rip the pages and to treat the book well. Hopefully we can save them for him to share with his kids.
Didn’t get round to any photography this week but love your book post. I too have precious books from childhood and the BA has worked her way through ‘Madeline’ and ‘Harry the Dirty Dog’ and is now attacking my copies of things like ‘A Wrinkle in Time’. It’s a joy. You get to relive your love of a book through your child.
I love that you have these still for you kids to enjoy. What a family history they are enjoying!
I LOVE Amelia Bedilia! I can’t wait until Caden REALLY gets into books!!