Log Cabin Vintage Blog

It's time for another week of Book Trivia!  Last week you all had fun with the MASH question & how it related to The Last of The Mohicans.

This week I am switching the focus to a question related to Christmas:  What did Laura and Mary get for Christmas the year Mr. Edwards walked to Independence to find Santa Claus in Little House on the Prairie?

Mr. Edwards walks to Independence & meets Santa Claus on the way where Santa asks him if he knows two little girls named Laura & Mary & to deliver presents to them as he cannot make it there because of the rising creek.  Mr. Edwards agrees and he crosses the creek (with his clothes wrapped on his head) that has risen due to days & days of rain. He arrives at the Ingalls cabin on Christmas morning & delivers a peppermint stick, a tin cup, a cake made of white sugar & flour, and a brand new, shiny penny to each of the girls. Ma asks the girls to not look & quickly puts the gifts in the girl's stockings which she had hung the night before. Both Ma and Pa are touched by the trouble Mr. Edwards went to, to ensure the girls have a Christmas with presents.  He even brought sweet potatoes to roast for Christmas dinner.  The simplicity of this time period sticks with me as well. To be so grateful and excited over such simple gifts.  Yet those gifts meant so much & were so valuable - image not having your own cup in today's world & having to use a dipper each time you wanted a drink? It's something we just take for granted.

In a world where everything & I mean everything is at our fingertips, do you yearn for simpler times like the ones described in the Little House books?  I know I do.  I mean, I am so grateful for indoor plumbing & modern conveniences but at what price have they come with?  Imagine the world they lived in - no cars, no airplanes, no tractors or highways...imagine how quiet it was back then.  How peaceful.  When was the last time you were somewhere at night where you could not see lights from your street, your neighbors or the nearest town?  When the stars and moon lit up the sky for you?  When was the last time you did not hear traffic or planes overhead - where you were in a truly quiet space?  I crave space like that - where the moon & the stars light up the night sky, where all we hear is nature.  This also leads me to think...in this fast paced world where we are always chasing something...do we take the time to be truly grateful for the little things in life?  Especially the things that matter most - spending time with those we love. Letting those we love know we love & cherish the time we spend with them?  Let's let this little Christmas story remind us of the simple pleasures in life. And to make time for what matters most.  I promise you it isn't the latest gadget from Amazon or the latest Netflix series.

This is one of my favorite illustrations in all of the Little House books, the image of Santa Claus riding a dark bay horse leading a pack mule loaded with Christmas presents for the children. Garth Williams just has a way of capturing each scene as Laura tells it.  They were favorites as a little girl & are still favorites today.

Shop all Laura Ingalls Wilder books here.

Today is the start of something new and fun!  Welcome to the very first Book Trivia Tuesday.  As a lover of Jeopardy, I thought it would be fun to create some trivia around the books we loved as children. Each Tuesday I will post a trivia question on social media (Facebook & Instagram) with a link to the corresponding blog post which will have the answer & more information about the trivia being shared.  Whether it is about a book, an author, an illustrator...all questions & answers will be related to books.

Let's get started with our very first question:  What two men became authors in part due to their service during World War I and World War II?

Hugh Lofting, the author of the Doctor Dolittle books, served in World War I.  It was during his time on the front he wrote letters home to his children to overcome boredom & deal with the war. Those letters later became the basis for the very first Doctor Dolittle book and a career as an author & illustrator was born. He was injured during the war & sent home.  He eventually moved to The United States where he spent the remainder of his life. He wrote one Dr. Dolittle book each year for seven years & in 1922, The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle won a Newbery Award. To add his books to your bookshelf, click here.

Roald Dahl was a fighter pilot for the Royal Air Force (England) in World War II.  He was injured in a crash landing in Libya & he went on to serve as an Assistant Air Attache in Washington, DC where he was encouraged by C. S. Forester to share his stories about his RAF missions. This led him to start writing other stories & the rest, as they say, is history. He went on to write 19 children's books during his career. His books are seeing a resurgence in popularity in recent years thanks to movie adaptations & Netflix shorts.  He stories have stood the test of time & are still well loved today. To add his books to your bookshelf, click here.

Some of the information was found on Britannica's website.

Happy Reading,

Wendy

Hi I am Wendy the owner here at Log Cabin Vintage. I figured it was time I shared a little about myself here on the blog. 

I am a life-long resident here in Historic Bucks County, PA where I live with my husband, our youngest daughter, two dogs & a handful of chickens.  I am an avid reader & have been for as long as I can remember - when I was little my mom would take my glasses away at night because I would just stay up & read with a flashlight if she did not.  I grew up read everything I could get my hands on.  My earliest memories are of my parents reading board books to me & I specifically remember Pat the Bunny. In elementary school I remember falling in love with the Billy & Blaze series by C. W. Anderson because horse books were my favorites.  My mom read all of the Little House Books to us kids & I had a subscription to Cobblestones Magazine (American History for kids). As I grew older, I enjoyed Nancy Drew, Sunfire Romance books (which, let’s be honest, were more historical fiction than romance), Janette Oke books & on & on. As an adult I still love to read & have found such joy in reading through the books of my childhood again (especially those books I should have read as a kid but somehow missed reading).

I never felt I had a calling for a certain career & happily stayed home with our youngest while she was in school. I had a little vintage home décor business (I sold online, at in-person events & in a booth at the local antique mall).  And in 2022 I turned my online business from the vintage home décor business to an online vintage children’s book shop. And I finally feel I have found my calling!  My lifelong passion for reading & my love of collecting books has blossomed into a job I love. To me, there is nothing better than helping people find their favorite books from childhood. The feeling of nostalgia when you reread a childhood favorite cannot be beat. The memories of the beloved books & even more beloved are the memories of those who read them to us.

What makes Log Cabin Vintage different than other book shops?  Well to start with, I only source books I would want in my own library. As I mentioned above, I am an avid reader & I also collect books as well. Rest assured; I am not going to source just any old book to make a profit. I source books I either own, I would love to decorate with in my own home or a book that is going to teach me something. It is why you will always find beautiful editions of children's books in the shop, books focused on nature & learning, great classics everyone should read, books beautiful enough for decorating, & books worthy of gift giving.

Another thing that makes Log Cabin Vintage different is my commitment to the environment. Yes, I could buy fancy boxes & padded envelopes to ship your book purchases in, however, I have made a commitment to use as much recycled packaging & shipping supplies as possible. Therefore, all of my padded envelopes & boxes are used - saved by friends & family. My packing peanuts are from a local honey company's shipments of glass jars & are biodegradable, & the tissue paper is made from 100% recycled materials. The only thing I have not been able to find that is sustainable is the bubble wrap - but I do use recycled bubble wrap when I can find it.

It is my hope this website will bring back wonderful childhood memories, encourage you to reread the books you loved growing up & to fill your home with books.

Happy Reading,

Wendy

With the celebration of Earth Day this coming Saturday, I thought it was the perfect time to chat about why buying vintage books is a great way to help the environment. I also wanted to let you know what I do as a business owner to help reduce the carbon footprint of shipping these vintage beauties to all of you. Together we can make a difference in this world - one vintage book at a time!

Thrifting for used items has always been a part of my life and as an avid reader, I have purchased secondhand books since the third grade when I saved all of my fake, school money (we spent part of the year learning about money & used fake money in class) buying all of the books from the teacher at the end of the year.  She was moving & was not taking her classroom books with her. I was thrilled to bring home a huge box of books on one of the final days of school!  - That really was the beginning of my career, I just did not know it at the time - I have never lost my love of children's books.  When I decided to start selling vintage books, I knew I needed to do what I could to reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible. 

Here at Log Cabin Vintage my commitment to be as sustainable as possible has led me to do the following things:

• All of my books are purchased second hand & 99% are vintage!
• Use padded envelopes and boxes that are used - saved by friends & family.
• Use biodegradable packing peanuts & only use them when absolutely necessary to help secure books inside of a box for shipment.
• Use tissue paper made from 100% recycled materials.
• Use a thermal printer that does not require ink.

You can be assured you are helping the environment with the books you purchase here at Log Cabin Vintage.  Shop now.

According to an article published by Bookriot.com, a book’s carbon footprint may be reduced by half if it is kept out of a landfill. Here are a few great ways to do reduce the carbon footprint of each book you purchase:

• Purchase used books as often as possible – there are many great used book sellers out there offering a variety of genres of books for sale – the focus here at Log Cabin Vintage is vintage children’s books.
• Donating books – think outside the box on this one – not only do thrift stores accept most book donations, but often times places like nursing homes, churches and even local libraries (think used book sales as fundraisers for these organizations) will accept them as well.
• Share your books with others:
  • Start a book swap with your friends or co-workers.
  • Leave books in area Little Libraries – they seem to be popping up all over the place & there is nothing better than checking a Little Library and finding a book on your "To Read" list waiting for you!

Let's Make Every Day Earth Day!

October's featured author is Marguerite de Angeli.  She has local ties to the area I live in (Eastern PA) & her illustrations get me every time. I thought it would be fun to share a little bit about her & some of the books she has written and illustrated. 

Marguerite was born in Michigan in 1889, and her family moved to Philadelphia when she was only 13 years old.  It wasn't until she was married & was living in New Jersey when she really began to hone her skills as an illustrator. Before becoming an author, herself, she illustrated many children's books and was a contributor to The Country Gentleman Magazine.  She was also a singer and soloist in several church choirs in Philadelphia, having left high school to pursue her singing career.  

Over her lifetime she wrote and illustrated 27 books. The one that intrigues me the most is The Skippack School in which Christopher Dock is the school master. Anyone in our area of Bucks and Montgomery Counties, PA will recognize the name Christopher Dock as that of the local Mennonite High School. She also wrote about the Amish & addressed racial prejudice in 1946 with the publication of her book Bright April.

She has won countless literary awards and is known as the Grande Dame of Children's Literature.  At the age of 95, she was inducted into Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.  Her awards include:  The Newberry Medal for her book The Door in the Wall (1950) and The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for Bright April.  She was also a two-time Caldecott Award Nominee.  

I always enjoy finding her books when out treasure hunting.  Shop available Marguerite de Angeli children's books for sale in The Marguerite de Angeli Collection.   

Some information taken from the internet, including https://miwf.org.