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Tuck-Me-In Tales

The Tale of Jolly Robin - With Color Illustrations

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This is a new edition of “The Tale of Jolly Robin,” originally published in 1917 by Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, New York. Part of the project Bedtime-Tales Series of classic literature, this is a new edition of the classic work published in 1917—not a facsimile reprint. Obvious typographical errors have been carefully corrected and the entire text has been reset and redesigned by Pen House Editions to enhance readability, while respecting the original edition. The eBook edition was designed in an elegant style and set to take full advantage of the readers' features.

There was a time when Jolly Robin was just a nestling. With two brothers and one sister, all of them, like him, much spotted with black, he lived in a house in one of Farmer Green's apple trees. But he grew to be a strong a beautiful bird, with lots of interesting forest friends!

One of the most important things a parent can do for their child’s education is to read to them. Arthur Scott Bailey’s books will hold the child’s interest, expand their intelligence and foster their love of reading. But just a few words would be enough to describe Bailey’s beautiful books: Charming, sweetly humorous, simply and well-written children’s books.

About the Author:

Arthur Scott Bailey was born in Vermont on November 15, 1877. He was an American writer, intellectual and author of more than forty children's books, including the famous “Tuck-Me-In Tales,” the “Sleepy-Time Tales,” and the “Slumber-Town Tales.” One of his most admirable qualities was the fact that he never used language that talked down to children; instead, he frequently used words beyond their average vocabulary in an effort to broaden their knowledge. Bailey was a graduate of Harvard. He died on October 17, 1949.

114 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 10, 2015

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About the author

Arthur Scott Bailey

102 books13 followers
Arthur Scott Bailey (1877 – 1949) was an American writer. He was the author of more than forty children's books. He was born on November 15, 1877, in St. Albans, Vermont, United States, the second child of Winfield Scott Bailey and Harriet Sarah Goodhue (a girl, Ellen was born in 1876). Winfield Bailey owned a dry goods shop that was stated to be "one of the most reputable of St. Albans mercantile concerns" and specialized in furs; namely ladies' fur coats, muffs and scarves. Bailey attended St. Albans Academy and graduated in 1896, in a class of only eleven other students. He then went on to the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont, where he became involved in a fraternal organization, Sigma Phi (with which he was very active through at least 1915; he joined the organization's Catalogue Committee in 1914 as a vice chairman, after the resignation of Dr. Alexander Duane).

However, he left UVM in 1901 and transferred to Harvard, where he earned his bachelor's degree. After graduating Harvard in 1902, Bailey traveled to Chicago and put his knowledge of growing up in his father's store to good use, becoming a wholesale grocery merchant. This lasted until 1904, when Bailey travelled to New York City and became an editor for various publishers. Which publishers these were is unknown, with the exception of the Macaulay Company, where he was working in early 1915. He was married around this time (on September 14, 1913) to Estella W. Goodspeed, a St. Albans woman; the wedding was held in his hometown. Estella Goodspeed, whose maiden name had been Crampton, had been married once before to an unknown Mr. Nelson Allen Goodspeed, and had a son, Allen Wright Goodspeed and daughter, Estella Joanne Goodspeed. Allen Goodspeed was born on August 5, 1906, and would have been nine when the first Sleepy-Time Tales were written (Estella was born in 1908.) As Bailey did not write prior to his marriage to Estella, it can be surmised that he first started crafting his stories for Allen and Estella, whom he treated as his own children. Estella Joanne later married a Mr. Lennox Stuart and moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Bailey's writing has been thus described by the Newark Evening News: "Mr. Bailey centered all his plots in the animal, bird and insect worlds, weaving natural history into the stories in a way that won educator's approval without arousing the suspicions of his young readers. He made it a habit to never 'write down' to children and frequently used words beyond the average juvenile vocabulary, believing that youngsters respond to the stimulus of the unfamiliar."

His work also includes the comic strip Animal Whys, which was syndicated in 1937.

Bailey was also known for being an intellectual, and was a member of the Salamagundi Club of New York. When it came to religion, Bailey was a Unitarian (who have long had a presence in St. Albans) and politically, he was a Republican of the old school.

Bailey died on October 17, 1949, at 71 years of age.

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5 stars
71 (40%)
4 stars
53 (29%)
3 stars
38 (21%)
2 stars
14 (7%)
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for  Mummy Cat Claire.
836 reviews15 followers
August 18, 2017
Read this with my boy through Easy Peasy homeschool. I've never read a book by this author and never heard of this story before. I don't love the story and my son wasn't so into it either.

Jolly Robin is a happy bird who loves to sing. He meets and interacts with many characters of different species. Jolly often mistakes things for monsters or funny looking things. He likes to convince his friends to come see the strange thing.

The book follows Jolly Robin from birth to older age bird who doesn't seem to change himself. Although Jolly's parents are in the first chapter, they disappear afterward. My son asked about this.

Jolly meets old Mr. Crow and Jasper Jay. Each character has their flaws but their good points too. Jolly's strength is finding joy in things but he was a bit of a bossy pants and wanted others to do things his way.

I was entertained by the mistaken identities but I don't think my son gasped the humor. The language is old fashioned but straightforward. The chapters are short. I would not consider this an easy reader. My son reads on a first grade level and he was quite intimidated by this book.

Overall, it was nice to read an older book that is kid friendly. I wasn't super impressed with the story and the flow of the book. The characters make for some good discussion with your kids about many different subjects that come up.
Profile Image for Nola Tillman.
652 reviews50 followers
September 3, 2014
This children's story is written in clear, simple prose that evokes some excellent imagery young children will enjoy. My second and fourth grader both enjoyed the tales. The short chapters made for easy bedtime reading breaks, and my kids were constantly after me to read more. Jolly is a pleasant and funny bird, somewhat focused on the idea that his way is best, but overall a cheerful fellow. The story provided some great discussion points, and quickly became a favorite. Both kids were sad to have it end.
2 reviews
May 30, 2022
Generally Arthur Scott Bailey does a really good job of describing habitats and habits of the various critters starring in his books. From THIS one, however, I learned that Arthur Scott Bailey believed birds, or at least Sammy Jay, could actually READ. Who knows? Maybe they can.

Also, since I believe education is important and a broad vocabulary desirable, I encourage all reading this review to hasten over to Google and look up the meaning of the noun form of "Buttery". I suspect you will be surprised.

If you are interested in my tongue-in-cheek-reviews, check out thedroningvoice.com
More reviews will be posted here as I get around to them.
1 review1 follower
September 18, 2017
Great Book.

Great read, easily a great book for school time or free time. Twists and turns and overall a great book.
Profile Image for Ani Lawless.
1 review3 followers
January 18, 2018
Jolly stayed away from home a long night!!!

The book was great! But there was one problem,I didn't like the part where jolly just sat and laughed. Good book not perfect but good.
Profile Image for Sienna.
16 reviews1 follower
February 21, 2018
It was funny. They had funny names and it was funny they thought the neck yoke was extra arms. My mom made me read it.
Profile Image for April.
67 reviews2 followers
March 28, 2019
A cute tale of a robin from birth to mature robin. Follows his adventures and the creatures he meets.
Profile Image for Joyce.
12 reviews
April 19, 2018
Love Love LOVE the entire series from Bailey. If you are looking for delightful and wholesome books for your children ages 6 -10, I highly recommend this series of animal tales, starts with this one, The Jolly Robin. I have read some of these aloud to my kids when they were not a reader yet. They always ended with fits of giggles from the stories!
Profile Image for Jill.
239 reviews
November 26, 2013
Fun characters, silly stories, underscores how people interact with each other, and moralizes in an amusing way. Written for young readers.
Profile Image for Tim Comstock.
32 reviews
January 29, 2014
I read this and it was funny like for example, jolly robin saw a snowman and he thought it was a white monster.
Profile Image for Jenn.
51 reviews11 followers
February 27, 2014
Read with my 7 y.o. He found it quite amusing.
Profile Image for Sarah Jane Ho.
10 reviews1 follower
September 25, 2014
My daughter had to read this for her homeschooling assignment. It was well written but a bit slow so she would say she didn't like it.
Profile Image for Courtney.
788 reviews
October 25, 2015
I read this with my daughter. The story was written many years ago so some of the language is a little out dated, but it is humorous and good reading practice for my daughter.
Profile Image for Genny.
103 reviews4 followers
June 18, 2014
Cute story. Gave us lots of opportunities for discussions on how to interact with others.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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