I recently found this book, Gypsy Girl's Best Shoes by Anne Rockwell, at a local Goodwill store. I had this book as a child and hadn't thought of it in many years. Finding it brought back a flood of memories about books in my childhood. My mother belonged to a Parents' Book Club. Every month a hardcover children's book or two would arrive in the mail. After all the years my mother belonged to that club we had many shelves of books to enjoy. I remember one rainy Saturday my brother and I tried to read every book we had. I think we failed, likely distracted by some other amusement.
Gypsy Girl's Best Shoes was published in 1966, the year I was born. I love this illustration of a New York City street, with the kosher meat market, bodega, and (as we call them today) an independent bookstore. New York has changed a lot in my lifetime. You'd be hard-pressed to find a street filled with such independently-owned neighborhood shops today.
This is truly a sweet book. I'm not sure if it is still in print, but
Amazon has several listings for used copies. Finding this book reminds me how powerful stories are to children. I know that there are books my children have formed strong connections with, ones that they will delight in rediscovering when they are grown.