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This blog has been retired. I won't respond to any inquiries but have retained it in case it is still of interest to anyone passing by.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

The Proud Rose


The Proud Rose

When I was a child many storybooks sought to teach lessons as much as to entertain, instilling values of courtesy and consideration in a gentle way.  This little book with its exquisite illustrations is one of my favourites.  (Unfortunately the cover is a bit damaged but inside the book is perfect.)

The book was published by Piccoli of Milan in 1957.
Written by Jolanda Colombini and illustrated by Mariapia.

By today's standards there is quite a lot of text - a page and a bit of writing for every illustration. But the illustrations are self explanatory in themselves and (with a short summary by me) tell the story beautifully:



At the start of the season the Queen of Summer decides to hold a grand ball.  A prize will be presented to the loveliest flower attending.  Nightingale is sent to spread the news . . .




The flowers get ready, each making sure she looks her best . . .




There is great excitement as the flowers make their way to the ball (the empty sign must have been too great a temptation for me - learning how to write my name!) . . .
 



Rose travels alone.  She is confident of being the most beautiful in the land.  The woodland folk endorse her view. . .




All the dignitaries assemble, waiting for the queen and the flowers to arrive.  Even the press are there . . .




The queen arrives on a lily pad drawn by two swans.  (I can remember that I loved the way the butterflies held up her train) . . .




Rose rushes to be noticed by the queen, pushing timid little Daisy out of the way.  She is sure the queen will announce her the winner. . .




Instead the queen admonishes her, telling Rose that beauty only has value when accompanied by a kind heart.  To be really beautiful you must know when to say a kind word or do a kind deed.  Sweet little Daisy is awarded the prize of a golden leaf instead . . .




Of course no-one stays unhappy for long.  By the time the fire-flies light their way home Rose and all the other flowers are good friends!
  




A Glamorous 'Chicken'


Sometimes pheasants wander into our garden from the adjoining fields.  My husband joking calls them 'good looking chickens'.  They appear to be quite tame - after walking around a bit and finding things to eat they saunter off again!





After the most dismal summer we are suddenly enjoying the most glorious weather.  This afternoon we ate lunch outside and I was able to make a lovely salad (while the 'boys' BBQ'd), sourced predominantly from the garden - salad leaves, tomatoes, little onions, mushrooms grown locally and blackberries.  The only 'exotics' I added were a few grapes, some avocado (and a bit of cheddar cheese which my son likes).

When we eat outdoors I always like to make another staple from my 60's childhood - stuffed eggs!.




7 comments:

Three Hoodies Save the World said...

I'd love to barbecue but every time I try it the food is already charred to a cinder before the coals are properly hot and then I have to spend the next two hours putting it out.
I stick to the microwave these days.

Nora said...

What a lovely way to spend the day. I loved the illustrations from the story book as well as the story (and moral) itself. I remember such books with great fondness. I wish I'd kept mine.

One other note which made me smile...you call them "stuffed eggs" we call the deviled eggs. :D

CraveCute said...

Oh Sharon! I am delighted to see those darling vintage images! I may just have to Pin them all to my Pinterest vintage board! Glad you are enjoying some sun there finally! We are having nice weather here too, much cooler, but still in a drought! Your salad looks scrumptious and my goodness ...pheasants!

Unknown said...

What a darling story and I love that the daisy got the prize, and the story ended happily.
The pheasants are absolutely majestic.
I love to eat outdoors. I do have an indoor grill that I use a lot. Over here, we call stuffed eggs - deviled eggs and my family loves when I make them.

Barbara said...

Such a beautiful book and one I’ve not seen before. I think Daisy is much prettier than Rose, so I’m glad she got the prize!
Your salad and stuffed eggs look very tasty. I could spend a very happy hour or two in your garden watching the good looking chickens.

DMS said...

What a lovely book! I think the drawings are beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing! I very much enjoyed this post. :)

Thanks for stopping by my blog- I am glad because it helped me find your interesting blog.
~Jess

Retha said...

Wow, what a treasure of a book...

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