Vintage children's books

My great shopping weakness has got to be used children's books. I simply can't walk past a used bookstore without checking out the children's section. Part of the allure is the campy illustrations and storylines. They just don't write/illustrate children's books the way they used to. Here are a few we picked up recently at the stellar Buy the Book bookstore in Regina's Cathedral neighbourhood.

Out of the blue, Abner has become enamoured with pets. We took our first trip to a pet store a few weeks ago and other than commenting on the smell, she seemed to like it. This book about pets was an obvious choice for Abner. We haven't read it yet, but I'm dying to know why that parakeet is talking into the phone. I'm also wondering if Abner will ask me what that cord coming out of the phone is.

Since she is also so keen on learning to read these days, I picked up a beginner dictionary for her. Nothing like learning to read from The Cat in the Hat! Personally, I find it odd that the first word in the book is a proper noun. Since when do names go in the dictionary?

There's some debate around who this next book is for - me or Abner. It was published in 1958 by the Singer Sewing Machine company. As a resource tool, it's still pretty relevant, but get a load of some of these projects - the ribbon bow belt is actually kind of cute, but I think I'll pass on that frilly lampshade.