Cole's Funny Picture Book
Children's Picture Book Nursery Rhymes & Nursery Stories Bedtime Stories Family Read-Aloud Victorian Antiquarian Australian Classics Collector's Edition Illustrated Treasury
Cole’s Funny Picture Book – the 1992 Turney Time-Capsule hardcover – is the modern re-issue of Australia’s most beloved 19th-century children’s treasury. 192 oversized pages burst with E. W. Cole’s original Victorian chromolithographs, freshly restored in jewel-bright color, while Cole Turney’s gentle updates add just enough contemporary humor to keep today’s 4- to 12-year-olds giggling. The result is a true cross-generational picture book: parents recognize classic nursery-rhyme characters, grandparents spot the 1880s graphic charm, and kids discover fresh jokes on every fold-out flap.
What makes this particular copy collector-worthy is the scarce “Turney Time-Capsule Edition,” issued only once in durable library-grade boards. It is noticeably heftier than later paperbacks, lies flat for bedtime reading, and survives sticky fingers far better than the fragile 1900 originals that now fetch hundreds in auction. Inside, every page is crisp, unmarked, and free of the foxing or crayon scars that plague most antiquarian children’s books. From a smoke-free home and stored upright on one shelf, it presents as near-fine without the usual cracked hinges or corner bumps.
Beyond nostalgia, the anthology sneaks in subtle life lessons: patience in “The Tortoise and the Mailman,” resourcefulness in “The Travelling Teddy,” and single-parent bravery in “Mum’s Magic Carpet.” The travel-themed rhymes double as conversation starters for families planning road trips, while the parent-child jokes create instant read-aloud bonding. For collectors of Australiana, picture-book art, or bedtime classics, this clean, un-inscribed copy is the easiest, most display-worthy route to owning a piece of printing history that still earns nightly requests of “read it again!”
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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