Revisiting an Old Book

I was recently having a conversation with a student about birds and he mentioned a macaw. Just like Proust eating his madeline and being transported back to his childhood, hearing this word immediately made me think of a book that I read and loved as a child: Have You Seen Hyacinth Macaw? 

I hadn't thought about the book in years and years, but I remembered that I learned about it on a PBS show--the name of which I cannot recall--where the host would read a portion of a children's book and sketch a scene from it as he went. I distinctly remember the sketch being of the main character climbing on a fire escape to spy into the empty apartment next to hers after she hears a strange noise.

It got me wondering if the book was actually as good as I remembered it to be. I had a strong desire to read it and find out! The book is no longer in print and I couldn't get it from the library, but I was able to get a copy from Thiftbooks. 

But I didn't stop there! While I have reread a lot of the more famous or classic children's books I loved as a kid with my own children, there are other, less well-known books that I remember loving: The Great Mom Swap, Mystery at Snowshoe Mountain Lodge, and Eaton Stanley and the Mind Control Experiment. And, they just happened to be on Thriftbooks too! 

The books have slowly been arriving in the mail, the first being Have You Seen Hyacinth Macaw? I was delighted to see that it was the exact same edition I had as a kid! I was able to sit down and read it yesterday, and I am happy to report that it is as good as I remembered! I remembered some scenes, and others were still surprising. 

Now I can't wait to read the others! And, if you remember reading any of these books, I would love to know!