Eleanor Clymer (1906–2001)

As soon as I began reading The Horse in the Attic by Eleanor Clymer, it reminded me of Shadows by Lynn Hall. The latter is to dog lovers like the former is to horse lovers. I read Shadows multiple times growing up and if I had encountered this book of Clymer's then I would have done the same. Both books have a mystery, a character who sketches, and Ted Lewin's gorgeous, detailed illustrations that make excellent use of light and shadows.

Short. Can be read on several levels. Graceful writing, captivating characters, fun adventure, interesting family dynamics. I would have read it to pieces when I was a child, learning all the little details about England and watching the sisters interact. And if you're a fan of [b:The Tale of Two Bad Mice|585747|The Tale of Two Bad Mice|Beatrix Potter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1642950006l/585747._SX50_.jpg|2796971] you must go to openlibrary and show more read this. (And if you're not a fan of Potter's story, maybe it's just because you haven't read it yet?)

I am loving discovering Margery Gill's unique and expressive illustrative style. show less

The Ozzie & Harriet-esque style of the good 'ol American white family in the former land of Cowboys and Indians and settlers recent enough to be interesting history to young boys was probably a selling point when it was released in 1950 by Scholastic as a cheaply made paperback mystery for children, but its typecast characters would not fly today in a very different country. Nevertheless, it is a cute story that details how the game of baseball is played as a young group of boys form a team show more and in the process discover a treasure that helps explain how their town was settled. show less

I'm cataloging my home library, and as I go through the thousands of books we have I sometimes like to read some of the shorter children's books that my wife and I have held onto since we kids -- not because we like them or even remember reading them, but because all books are to be hoarded.

This 1965 book about a Native American boy from an unspecified tribe was written by a prolific children's author of the era who was the child of Russian immigrants. So it is not #OwnVoices and has little show more insight into the culture. Indeed, with only a little editing, this generic story of a child overcoming his fears to help a family member could easily be reworked to be about a family of white pioneers.

Because of the time in which it was written, there is a lot of sexism about gender roles.

Meh. show less