Read it Yourself Books

Ladybird's Read it Yourself books - my earliest memories of learning to read were from these books!! 

I used to say "Read it Yourself" as though it was one word, and before I knew what it even meant. 

The oh-so-heart-quickeningly familiar inside cover:

One of the earliest ones I remember learning to read, with my mother helping me is The Elves and the Shoemaker. 

The Enormous Turnip is another book that brought me great joy. 

The thought of a dog, cat and mouse being called on to help pull the turnip out of the ground always made me laugh. 

It's interesting that the illustrations aren't the standard primary colours and single lines. Somehow, the illustrations used to contribute to the grown-up sensation of what reading was about. 

And it's another clue about my anthropomorphising of animals - see how happy the mouse in the middle of the table is!