My mom purchased this Animal ABC Book (circa 1935) almost 40 years ago, being drawn to Milo Winter’s artwork. The book was in really rough shape (see photo below of the back cover), having been well-loved, with almost every page having the scribbling handiwork of some child long ago. There was one page that was still pristine and it happened to have the letters J and K on it.  Her plan was to frame the picture for my room when I was a little girl (my maiden name is Jensen).  However, the colors never worked out so the book remained unused.  Recently, she decided to refurbish the front cover by painting it with acrylic paints – a twist on the paint by number approach, if you will – mixing colors to match what was depicted on the cover or in some cases, going a different direction by changing the color and pattern (note the mommy bunny’s dress in the first picture compared to the others). The effort created a super cute piece to frame, perfect for our playroom.

Reality Check. We looked this book up on Ebay to see what the value might be of a piece this old.  One in good condition was valued at $60. Mental note to check that next time before painting.