Betty Birney's Blog

When I was growing up in the 50s and 60s, like most middle class families, we didn’t own a lot of books. I’m sure there were bookstores in downtown St. Louis, but in the suburbs, which were relatively new, they weren’t around yet. You could buy books at a department store, though. I remember being taken to Famous-Barr to get my Girl Scout Handbook. Department stores had everything back then – even bakeries and household goods such as soap. The bookstore there was somewhat limited but they sold Nancy Drew and popular series. Let’s face it, there weren’t as many people back then and there weren’t as many books. So … we went to the library.

Even before the bookmobile came to our suburban town of Affton, my parents took us to libraries in the city – mostly near where both sets of grandparents lived. While my older sister, Janet, was already checking out chapter books, I was still too young to read, so I browsed the picture books. There were two popular series of books that I checked out time and time again. They were by a Swedish author/illustrator named Maj Lindman and involved two sets of triplets. The boy triplets were Snipp, Snapp, Snurr. What three or four-year old wouldn’t enjoy saying those names? The girls were Flicka, Ricka and Dicka. The series were completely separate but they were very similar. The identical triplets in both series were very blonde and dressed identically. Although I didn’t realize it then, the stories were somewhat similar in theme, but the settings varied.

Even back then, they were old-fashioned. Originally published in the 1930s, the books featured peasants and farm life – women in long skirts and bandanas, plenty of cows!

Many of the stories revolved around the triplets (either set) wanting to earn some money to share something but often ending up sharing their bounty with others. They got into mischief but never did anything bad – merely careless. In the book pictured, they pick strawberries for money, get lost, go to a cottage (of strangers!) and ask for help. The family who helps them is poor (but clean – that’s stressed) and when the girls get their money they buy a dress for the little girl in the cottage and a teddy bear for her baby brother. Mother brings a basket of goodies.

The books are all in print again (available on Amazon.com) and give you a glimpse back to a time that was much more innocent.

The book at left is a little different – the sun is an actual character, as you can see, and there’s not a lot of story. However, it would be a great way to introduce the cycle of nature and food to a young child. Even though I was so young, I do know that it was the art that drew me to these books – not the story. I have vague recollection of joy at finding a Snipp, Snapp, Snurr or Flicka, Ricka, Dicka book on the shelf.

By the way, these books have a lot more text than contemporary picture books, which I think was quite typical. Maybe parents had more time to read to their children back then – what do you think?