I had this paperback children’s book in 1970. It is probably from the 60s. It is an American book with words. The illustrations were line drawings.
All I remember is that an old man lived possibly on a hill. The town was having a cleaning contest, and he cleaned every bit of his house, and I distinctly remember he even cleaned the cobwebs out of the corners. The people came to judge his house and he won. This may not be right, but my memory comes with the color yellow. Maybe the cover- or maybe the man wore yellow. I’ve tried and tried to find this book.
Stump the Bookseller
New format, same book stumper solving.
http://d2bn0peauzh8l1.cloudfront.net/media/images/books/9780816642434.jpg
Gone is Gone or The Story of a Man who Wanted to do Housework by Wanda Gag. Cover is yellow.
The classic illustrated folktale by the author of Millions of Cats–now back in print after nearly thirty years! Gone Is Gone addresses an age-old question between couples–who works harder? This long-out-of-print children’s book is based on a charming Bohemian tale recited to Wanda Gag when she was a child, and is now once again available to enchant audiences of all ages. The tale’s sly peasant humor and conversational style combined with Gag’s expressive black-and-white illustrations made the book an instant classic. In this delightful story we meet Fritzl, who lives on a farm with his wife Liesi and their baby. Fritzl works hard in the fields every day. Liesi works hard all day, too, but Fritzl somehow feels that he works harder. When he complains about how hard he works and how easy Liesi has it, doing nothing but “putter and potter about the house a bit, ” Liesi calls his bluff and suggests they trade places. The hilarious outcomes of Fritzl’s calamitous day at home are portrayed in Gag’s singular illustrations. In the end Fritzl admits that Liesi’s work is “none too easy” and begs to return to his fields and not do housework another day. “Well then, ” says Liesi, “if that’s how it is, we surely can live in peace and happiness for ever and ever.”
This book features in the following series: Fesler Lampert Minnesota Heritage, Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage .
There are 64 pages in this book. This book was published 2003 by University of Minnesota Press .
Wanda Gag (1893-1946) was born in New Ulm, Minnesota, the daughter of an artist and the eldest of seven children. Wanda initiated the double-page spread, designing two facing pages as one panoramic scene. In recognition of her rare artistry, she was the posthumous recipient of the 1958 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for Millions of Cats and the 1977 Kerlan Award for the body of her work.