The Bobbsey Twins Omnibus Collection Volume I (Books 1 2 3) Large Print: Masterpiece Collection Children's Classics

Original Bobbsey Twins

by Laura Lee Hope

Contents: The Bobbsey Twins The Bobbsey Twins in the Country The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore While Freddie and Flossie watched her with deep interest, she took a small square of tissue paper and folded it up several times. Then she cut curious-looking holes in the folded piece with a sharp pair of scissors. When the paper was unfolded once more a truly beautiful pattern appeared. "Oh, how lubby!" screamed Flossie. "Make me one, Nan!" "And me, too," put in Freddie. "I want a real red one," and he brought forth a bit of red pin-wheel paper he had been saving. "Oh, Freddie, let me have the red paper for my stairs," cried Bert, who had had his eyes on the sheet for some time. "No, I want a table cover, like Nanny. You take the white paper." "Whoever saw white paper on a stairs-I mean white carpet," said Flossie. "I'll give you a marble for the paper, Freddie," continued Bert. But Freddie shook his head. "Want a table cover, nice as Aunt Em'ly," he answered. "Going to set a flower on the table too!" he added, and ran out of the room. When he came back he had a flower-pot in his hand half the size of his house, with a duster feather stuck in the dirt, for a flower. "Well, I declare!" cried Nan, and burst out laughing. "Oh, Freddie, how will we ever set that on such a little pasteboard table?" "Can set it there!" declared the little fellow, and before Nan could stop him the flower-pot went up and the pasteboard table came down and was mashed flat. "Hullo! Freddie's breaking up housekeeping!" cried Bert. "Oh, Freddie! do take the flower-pot away!" came from Flossie. "It's too big to go into the house." Freddie looked perplexed for a moment. "Going to play garden around the house. This is a-a lilac tree!" And he set the flower-pot down close to Bert's elbow. Bert was now busy trying to put a pasteboard chimney on his house, and did not notice. A moment later Bert's elbow hit the flower-pot and down it went on the floor, breaking into several pieces and scattering the dirt over the rug. "Oh, Bert! what have you done?" cried Nan, in alarm. "Get the broom and the dust-pan, before Dinah comes." "It was Freddie's fault." "Oh, my lilac tree is all gone!" cried the little boy. "And the boiler to my fire engine, too," he added, referring to the flower-pot, which he had used the day before when playing fireman. At that moment, Dinah, the cook, came in from the kitchen. "Well, I declar' to gracious!" she exclaimed. "If yo' chillun ain't gone an' mussed up de floah ag'in!"

Genres: Childrens, Fiction

310 pages, Paperback

First published June 12, 2010

About the author

Laura Lee Hope is a pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate for the Bobbsey Twins and several other series of children's novels. Actual writers taking up the pen of Laura Lee Hope include Edward Stratemeyer, Howard and Lilian Garis, Elizabeth Ward, Harriet (Stratemeyer) Adams, Andrew E. Svenson, June M. Dunn, Grace Grote and Nancy Axelrad.

Laura Lee Hope was first used in 1904 for the debut of the Bobbsey Twins, the principal characters of what was, for many years, the Stratemeyer Syndicate's longest-running series of children's novels. Other series written under this pseudonym include: The Outdoor Girls (23 vols. 1913-1933), The Moving Picture Girls (7 vols. 1914-1916), Bunny Brown (20 vols. 1916-1931), Six Little Bunkers (14 vols. 1918-1930), Make Believe Stories (12 vols. c. 1920-1923), and Blythe Girls (12 vols. 1925-1932).

The first of the 72 books of the Bobbsey Twins series was published in 1904, the last in 1979. The books related the adventures of the children of the middle-class Bobbsey family, which included two sets of mixed-gender fraternal twins: Bert and Nan, who were 12 years old, and Flossie and Freddie, who were six.

Edward Stratemeyer himself is believed to have written the first volume in its original form in 1904. When the original series was brought to its conclusion in 1979, it had reached a total of 72 volumes. At least two abortive attempts to restart the series were launched after this, but in neither effort was the popularity of the original series achieved.

Speculation that Stratemeyer also wrote the second and third volumes of the series is believed to be incorrect; these books are now attributed to Lilian Garis, wife of Howard Garis, who is credited with volumes 4–28 and 41. Elizabeth Ward is credited with volumes 29–35, while Harriet Stratemeyer Adams is credited with 36–38, 39 (with Camilla McClave), 40, 42, 43 (with Andrew Svenson), and 44–48. Volumes 49–52 are attributed to Andrew Svenson, while 53–59, and the 1960s rewrites of 1–4, 7, 11–13, and 17, are attributed to June Dunn. Grace Grote is regarded as the real author of 60–67 and the rewrites of 14 and 18–20, and Nancy Axelrad is credited with 68–72. Of the 1960s rewrites not already mentioned, volumes 5 and 16 are credited to Mary Donahoe, 6 and 25 to Patricia Doll, 8–10 and 15 to Bonnibel Weston, and 24 to Margery Howard.

--from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Wintermote · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy the quaint presentation of events and activities of the children in this book. However, the original addition certainly has its problematic racist scenes and ideas. There’s also some violence and way people treat each other that I certainly do not want to present to my young child. The 1960s edition or the 1990s additions which may be the same as the 1960s only with new covers are my preference for sharing with young children.