Pinky Marie

Yesterday you may recall I mentioned that I had told Frankie I was thinking about writing my blog about Pinky Marie Washington Jefferson Jackson.

I'm going to do that today.  As kids we didn't have many books, they were a luxury we could not afford.  (I seem to recall a bookcase sitting in the house somewhere.  I think it had four shelves, they has glass doors that lifted up and slid back across the top of each shelf.  All the books in there were very, very old.  I've no idea what happened to the book case and those books. I wish I had them now.)

But, I digress.

I recall I had a few Nancy Drew Mysteries, that I must have gotten as gifts for birthdays or something, today I could not even tell you the plot of those books; but I do remember my book about Pinky Marie and her lovely ribbons, it was then, and is now one of my favorite tales.

Pinky Marie is a story/picture book, titled "Pinky Marie - The story of Her Adventure with the Seven Bluebirds".  By Lynda Graham, Pictures by Ann Kirn.  Saalfield Publishing Company 1939.

 

(Picture obtained from the Internet, Item sold on E-Bay)

 

The gist of this sweet story is about a little Black girl named Pinky Marie Washington Jefferson Jackson.  Although the story does not say, you can assume from the pictures her family does not have a lot of wealth, and that they probably live in the south.  She lives with her parents who "were black as black as INK and black as black as black as NIGHT". 

Every day Pinky Marie had white rag ribbons holding her pigtails together.  However on special occasions, like church, or going to town shopping her mother would place lovely colored ribbons in her pigtails. 

One day...a "going to town" day Mrs Washington Jefferson Jackson dressed Pinky Marie in her best dress, and placed the lovely ribbons in her hair.  

Mr. and Mrs. Washington Jefferson Jackson and Pinky Marie loaded themselves into their wagon and went to town.  As Mr. and Mrs. Jackson shopped Pinky Marie sat in the wagon. 

The sun was very warm and Pink Marie got very drowsy and fell asleep.  While she was sleeping seven bluebirds came along, saw the lovely colored ribbons, and plucked them from her 'kinky' hair to decorate their nests. 

When her parents return to the wagon, she awakes and finds her lovely ribbons are gone, she is very, very sad.  To make Pinky Marie happy, even though they could not afford it, Mr. Washington Jefferson Jackson goes back into the store and buys Pinky Marie lollipops the colors of her lovely ribbons. 

Pinky Marie is a very happy little girl and I'm hoping she lived happily ever after.

I'm also hoping I have not offended anyone with some of the words in the piece above.  Some are probably not politically correct.  I simply wanted to tell you all this charming childhood story and how I loved this little tale. 

I could not stop thinking about this book so I went on-line yesterday afternoon and found two copies for sale in an antique book-store selling for forty dollars each. 

Dang, I wish I had the funds to buy one of those copies.