Rootabaga Stories Part Two
Children's Picture Book American Fairy Tale Bedtime Story Vintage Collectible Literary Folklore Poetic Prose Read-Aloud Art-Deco Illustrated
Carl Sandburg’s long-lost 1923 classic “Rootabaga Stories Part Two,” now in this scarce 1989 hardcover re-issue, is the vintage picture book collectors and parents fight to find. 179 oversized pages burst with dreamy, jazz-age American fairy tales—like “How the Three Happy Z’s Went to the Ocean” and “The Potato Face Blind Man”—that stretch vocabulary without ever talking down to children. Sandburg’s muscular, poetic prose predates modern “read-aloud” favorites yet still feels fresher than most contemporary bedtime fare, making it a stealth literacy builder for ages 4-12 and a nostalgia rush for adults who grew up on his Abraham Lincoln biographies.
What sets this copy apart is the complete, unrestored dust jacket showcasing Maud and Miska Petersham’s iconic Art-Deco color plates—images that influenced early Disney storyboards and are seldom seen un-faded. Inside, the paper is still creamy and supple; the binding is square and uncracked, ensuring the book will survive many more generations of nightly readings. A neat gift inscription on the front flyleaf (not author-signed) only adds period charm and guarantees you are holding an authentic ’80s reprint, not a modern POD facsimile.
Because the Rootabaga books have been sporadically in and out of print for a century, intact hardcover editions—especially with dust jacket—command a premium in the secondary market. This gently-loved copy offers that collector-grade scarcity at a readable price, perfect for bedtime rotation, classroom story-time, or display on an Americana shelf. Snag it now before another Sandburg fan does; once this vintage copy is gone, the next may not surface for years.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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