The SHIRLEY TEMPLE PASTIME BOOK

     by Patsy Moyer

The Shirley Temple Pastime Book was published by the Saalfield Publishing Company of Akron Ohio and New York © 1935. It is edited by Dean O’Day and illustrated by Corinne and Bill Bailey. It measures approximately 7 ½ inches by 9 ¾ inches. The color cover pictures Shirley Temple holding an Effanbee composition Patsy doll while reading a book. It is filled with activities such as puzzles, mazes, games, connect the dot pictures, poems and also a fill-in-the-blanks "Story about yourself".

My copy of this book provides the following information on the self-written story. It was owned by Betty Jane Manquis, age nine, who weighs 59 pounds and is 49 inches tall. She lives at 1925 N. 3 St. in Clinton, Iowa. Her nickname is "Beggie". She has a black, brown and white dog that can do seven tricks. Beggie goes to school and she likes English best of all of her subjects. She also goes to Sunday school and has a favorite Bible story.

Her favorite holiday is Easter because she likes to hunt eggs. On her last birthday she got a can, some candy, some pajamas, and a pass to go anywhere on the train free. For her next birthday, she wants a new sled and a little white kitten.

The most fun that Beggie ever had was when she rode a pony out on the farm. If she went to the circus, she would like to bring home a sack of popcorn and a balloon. The city she would most like to visit is New York City. If she went downtown, she would like to buy a new sled and a Shirley Temple doll.

Her current favorite plaything is blocks that she received from her Grandma Manquis and she has had them for five years. Beggie’s favorite story is "Poor Cecco." Her favorite food is whipped potatoes and roast beef.

Her best friends are Mary Nunn, Genevieve Swedberg, Betty Jones, Marilyn Foy, Jackie Justis and Dorothy Wienbeck. Her favorite game is to play fort. Her daddy is a telegraph operator and when she grows up she wants to be a nurse.

If Betty Jane Manquis received her book in 1935, she would have been born in 1926 and would be 76 years young this year. One wonders if she ever got her sled and if she kept in touch with her friends.

This is a charming little book if you can find one and I found none available on ebay. However, checking Bibliofind.com, I found two books, one priced $26.00 and one priced $100.00. This book is a fun item to watch for at garage sales or flea markets and a charming bit of nostalgia.