Italian Peepshow

New York: Henry Z. Walck Inc., 1960. First Edition . Hard Back. Very Good/Very Good. 6" x 8 1/4. Ardizzone, Edward. 96 Pages.This is the First of the 1960 Editions. Not an ex-library. There are a couple of paste-ons to the front cover - Award Winner and Hot. There is a ¾" paste-on green and maroon ribbon on the back cover. No other defects noted to this otherwise As New book with flawless interior text pages. The dust jacket is complete with flaps and has light wear to the edges. Bridget and her Mummy and her sisters, Chloe and Nan, and her doll Gianina lived in Italy in a villa on the top of a hill above Florence. There are all kinds of stories to be told about the sunny land of Italy, with its orange trees, its carnivals and its strange food. Some are adventures that really happened to Bridget and her family, such as the trouble everyone had the week the great white oxen with their scarlet tassels did not bring the pasta up the hill. Others are stories told to the three girls at bedtime -- -how King Nero of Tripoli gathered pasta for the Italians from the sea and the birds and the sky. Here are eleven tales of humorous realism and poetic fantasy by Eleanor Farjeon, a well-known and gifted storyteller. Edward Ardizzone, in delightful illustrations, has caught the enchanted spirit of the festive world of Bridget, Chloe and Nan. Contents in Eleven Chapters: Bridget in Italy, Oranges and Lemons, The Birthday Carnival, Rosalura's Birthday, Anina, The King of Tripoli Brings the Pasta, Nan and Cecchino, The Herb of Fear, Nella's Dancing Shoes, Good-Bye Italy, and The Story of Mr and Mrs Ringdaly.