Hello, I am trying to help my 89 year old mother locate a beloved book from her childhood. Her memories are vague, but here is what she told me.
The title is something like The Adventures of Little Tom or something similar. It was probably published in the 1920’s or earlier. It had a green, faded linen cover. There were gorgeous, colorful illustrations, maybe by a Czech or European illustrator. The pictures were very detailed, of tiny people and flowers. There was a soldier fighting ants. He had a girlfriend who died and there was a picture of her lying in state surrounded by tiny, white flowers. That’s all my mom can remember. She has been looking for the book for years. I searched online but had no luck. Maybe you can find it.
Thank you!
Could it be “The Novel Adventures of Tom Thumb the Great,” by Louisa Mary Barwell? I found it on Google Books, and there’s a chapter where Tom visits some ants. I don’t find the illustrations you describe, but there are illustrations in the edition on Google Books, and there may have been other editions.
https://books.google.com/books?id=_0ZiAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA116&lpg=PA116&dq=tom+thumb+ants&source=bl&ots=v3zqbMlyVz&sig=iKG23WB166MA77KM-ZeYAa28c7g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj2z_SHhPjSAhUCqlQKHUa2CHc4ChDoAQgsMAc#v=onepage&q=tom%20thumb%20ants&f=false
Either way, maybe Tom Thumb is the Little Tom of your mother’s memories — there must have been many children’s books about him over many many years. I hope you find it.
Whoa, never mind my comment above — I’ve found it!
Here’s a picture of the cover:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/312929874078794564/
And here’s a listing of a copy for sale that clearly names the pictures your mother remembers, including “War of the Ants” and “Chrysomela’s Death”:
http://www.oldchildrensbooks.com/books/little-tom-17356
And on abebooks I find both original and facsimile copies for sale for much less than the $200 that the above site wants:
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=V.+Tille&cm_sp=det-_-bdp-_-author
Hooray! I hope your mother enjoys it!
Thank you so much!!! This has to be it! I will show my mom tomorrow. She will be so happy!!
Alec, you made an 89 year old woman very, very happy! Thank you again! My mom was overcome with emotion upon seeing her beloved book. I can’t believe how her detailed descriptions of her favorite illustrations were spot on! I will investigate the links you sent me to see if I can get a copy of the book for her. Thanks again, Sara
🙂 My pleasure!