Antiques. I have never been an antiques shopper, but I have treasured the few old family pieces that we have. However, I have a friend who loves to shop for antiques, and when we have the opportunity to get together, we usually have lunch and try to visit a shop or two. I am a child at her knee, as she is knowledgeable about everything from sleigh bells to china. Teddy bears, postcards, crystal, many things catch my eyes, especially items that were in my house when I was a young girl.
Recently, on one of our forays to a newly-discovered antiques mall, I found a set of Childcraft and looked through each volume until I found what I was after. (For you who many not be familiar with Childcraft -- The How and Why Library, it was a series of books created in 1934 by the publishers of World Book encyclopedia. It was based on the interests of preschool and primary school-aged children and encouraged learning in a fun way. Subjects included Literature and the Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Creative Activities and Fine Arts, Health and Safety, and a final volume for parents and teachers.) I had a set of these books, 15 volumes in all, but I especially enjoyed the stories and poems. It was one of the poems I had wanted to find.
My heart beat a little faster when I saw the pages with Dorothy Aldis’* poem, “Hiding.” Although this was the 1975 edition, the illustrations were just as I remembered. To this day I can recite the first stanza:
I’m hiding, I’m hiding,
And no one knows where;
For all they can see is my
Toes and my hair.
I can hear my mother reading this to me. Perhaps this is my first memory. And, undoubtedly, it started my life-long love of literature.
*Of course I didn't know it then, but Dorothy Aldis was recognized as "a major contributor to children's literature" and was called by some "The Poet Laureate of Young Children."
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