Maida's Little....

THIS is a bucket-list item fulfilled (and one of the few non-travel related entries on said list).


The Saint Paul Academy Lower School does a Bazaar every spring and for many students it is the highlight of the year. There are things to buy (like a big jumble sale), games, face painting, treats — one year you could even pay to pet a puppy and the winner of the drawing got to keep a puppy! (I'm sure parents were thrilled).

My first grade year, in the book section, were a few of the Maida's Little books (I think Shop, House, and Camp) which I probably bought for a nickel of my hard-saved allowance each.

I fell in love with these books.

Over the years, I slowly acquired a few more at various used book places; there used to be an especially good one in the Heritage Village at the State Fair. With the advent of the internet I could locate more, but the end of the series in general is very difficult to find and the books cost a lot. I recently got a few of Facebook marketplace for a good price, and Patrick got me one of the last ones for Christmas.

The author, Inez Hayes Irwin, was a fascinating woman as well! Born in Rio De Janeiro in 1873, she and her 17 (!) siblings were raised mainly in Boston. She attended Radcliffe, where she founded the College Equal Suffrage Lange with Maud Wood Park. Over her long life (she died in 1970!) she was a suffragist leader, and her wide catalogue of books authored reflect that ethos.

Last week, I found the LAST one of the set (Maida's Little House Party) for a shockingly reasonable price and ordered it; it arrived today. So let it storm! I have reading to do!

Comments

Meredith said…
My first Maida books were my mom's. I have also spent many hours looking in used book stores, etc. I have bought a few off the internet, but it sort of feels like cheating! I thought that I had them all, but I don't have House Party. Guess I will just have to keep looking. You are the first person I've met who loves Maida books like I do. ❤️❤️
April 28, 2025 at 1:53 PM
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