The Best Parts

"You shall read them if you behave well,"said the old gentleman kindly; "and you will like that, better than looking at the outsides, - that is, in some cases, because there are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts."  (Oliver Twist, Dickens February Challenge)

This is the cover of a special book.  I bought it about 10 days ago when a Blippery of Blippers were on a Blipmeet in Stratford upon Avon.  I happened to see it in the window of the Oxfam Second Hand Bookshop on Sheep Street and I fell in love with it's beautifully crafted hard cover and gold edged pages.  So I was straight in and bought it without even looking inside except for a quick glance at the pictures.  As you can see it is a book of Sunday Reading for the Young.  I will give you a sample:

A Tulip Story
Pitter-Patter, all alone
As fast as she can go,
Baby knows a sunny place
Where the tulips grow.
Bonny tulips shining red
Baby loves each crimson head
Waving to and fro.


Bending over daintily -
"Baby pick us, do!
We have been so long, so long,
Waiting here for you
Baby dear", - they seemed to say
Nodding in their friendly way
"This was why we grew".


Glowing cups upon the grass
Lay them in a row,
A little breeze came round a tree
Softly laughing "Oh!"
And all the tulips flew away
Naughty tulips, not to stay
Leaving baby so!

Isn't that wonderful?  I don't expect Dickens ere wrote anything like that!