It is always nice to find one of the earliest reviews of a story. It seems that the older newspaper articles gave out more details than the quick dash ones about the later stories. It is just nice to know more details about the author, how the new story relates to their life and maybe a little bit about the background of the scenes being written. That seems to make is more interesting and personal somehow.
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Below is a copy of an article written in the authors home town newspaper about another one of her children’s books that was published at the beginning of the 1950s. <\/p>\n
The Central New Jersey Home News – November 4, 1951<\/p>\n Publishes New Book<\/strong><\/p>\n Dorothy Gilman Butters, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Gilman of Highland Park has another juvenile book to her credit. She has just had published “Ragamuffin Alley”, a story of a teen age Philadelphia girl who inherited a set of puppets and together with one of the young boarders in her mother’s home in a shabby but pleasant house in an equally shabby but charming street, went into the business of producing puppet shows.<\/p>\n The story is the type that is interesting to youngsters and yet not boring to adults.<\/p>\n The characters are well drawn and natural, the plot has sufficient excitement to keep it moving and the end is as happy as a fairy tale.<\/p>\n Mrs. Butters, who now lives in Parsippany with her husband, a veteran and a history teacher, got the backgroun for the Philadelphia story when she lived there as an art student. The Butters have one son, Christopher to whom the book is dedicated.<\/p>\n This is the young author’s third. Former juvenile books were “Enchanted Caravan” and “Carnival Gypsy.” She showed an interest in writing when as a child of 11, she won first prize in a short story contest sponsored by this newspaper.<\/p>\n As she grew up her interest in writing was sidetracked by the desire to become an illustrator. Hence the art study in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n Incidentally, “Enchanted Caravan” has been translated into Norwegian for sale in Scandinavia.<\/em><\/p>\n Until next time: Keep on reading<\/p>\n