The book I am looking for is NOT: Lovely Summer, The by Marc Simont (Mar 1, 1992). The book is about two rabbits Gladys and Tyrone, Globby the Woodchuck, two vacationing humans with a cocker spaniel, and a conflicts in use of a garden. Pub. in 50s or 60s (?)
b & w illustrations, blue cloth cover
It’s The Lovely Summer by Marc Simont. The rabbits are Gladys and Jerome.
Really, it has to be, although I know you said it wasn’t it. Look up Gladys and Jerome, and it does match.
Are you sure it wasn’t the older version of The Lovely Summer? The one you find online is usually the 1992 version, with colored pictures, but there was a 1970s original, with black and white illustrations. (There may have been one other color as well–green or brown, maybe.) I used to have both versions, and there were slight variations in the pictures besides the color.
The original version was published in 1952.
Are you nixing the 1992 book based on the date? Because it was originally published in 1952, stars two rabbits named Gladys and Jerome, and a search inside the book on Google Books reveals 3 hits on the word “Globby” and 1 on “woodchuck.” Photo here: http://childrensbookshop.com/book-92416.html