tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991232103849413429.post8408379210296335110..comments2023-10-29T05:54:26.287-07:00Comments on Imagine That: Patricia Coombs & the "Dorrie" booksLorell Lehmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17834635644137072998noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991232103849413429.post-75639537878524641702019-02-04T17:36:57.888-08:002019-02-04T17:36:57.888-08:00Dear Lorell,
I grew up in the 1970s in California...Dear Lorell,<br /><br />I grew up in the 1970s in California. As a child, I, too, couldn't get enough of the Dorrie stories and checked them out again and again from our local library. My sisters and I loved them so much, we even named our cat Gink! There was something so captivating about the illustrations. My favorite part of every story was when the spell would be cast and the picture would have the little pink and blue sparks that meant magic was happening. Those books ignited my imagination! <br /><br />I read those same Dorrie stories to my own children and now I am introducing them to my little granddaughters. My son has begun buying them as they become available used online and has started a collection for me. I have three, so far. I am very grateful to Patricia Coombs for giving me and my family so many happy hours and memories with her enchanting stories.<br /><br />When I was little, I wanted so badly for magic to be real. I read my way through the entire fairy tale section of our library. When I grew old enough for chapter books, I discovered the Ruth Chew books, starting with Magic in the Park, in which a brother and sister who seemed about my age had all sorts of magical adventures in New York's Central Park and Botanical Garden. Are you familiar with that author? She is a good one to check out.<br />Patriciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01149619684011642309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991232103849413429.post-5602763293049602042016-02-24T08:42:59.513-08:002016-02-24T08:42:59.513-08:00as a child, i loved these books as well. the illus...as a child, i loved these books as well. the illustrations were my favorite part, and i can remember riding my bicycle to the library in our little rural town, checking them out, and then sitting and looking at them for hours on end. now as an adult, i am a print designer and illustrator myself. :) <br /><br />i would absolutely love to know where i might send Pat a letter, to thank her for her lovely work, and let her know how much it inspired me - as it still does today! -amy r. amydept@gmail.com-a.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13908699398150359290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991232103849413429.post-51878921928484865132016-02-24T08:39:04.019-08:002016-02-24T08:39:04.019-08:00as a child, i loved these books as well. the illus...as a child, i loved these books as well. the illustrations were my favorite part, and i can remember riding my bicycle to the library in our little rural town, checking them out, and then sitting and looking at them for hours on end. now as an adult, i am a print designer and illustrator myself. :) <br /><br />i would absolutely love to know where i might send Pat a letter, to thank her for her lovely work, and let her know how much it inspired me - as it still does today. -amy r. amydept@gmail.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991232103849413429.post-87730540036589986302015-12-29T03:11:16.797-08:002015-12-29T03:11:16.797-08:00The Dorie books are in print again and are availab...The Dorie books are in print again and are available on Amazon. Patricia is elderly but continues to express the same love of exploration and wonder you find in her books. We grew up in California and her books were regularly available in the school system and library. I now live on the CT shoreline and Pat is my neighbor; small world. In fact, I shared a bottle of wine with her this last weekend. John Watsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12562495041319234272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991232103849413429.post-64631103287017467542015-05-31T19:42:40.603-07:002015-05-31T19:42:40.603-07:00Well, I cried when I saw your scan of the staircas...Well, I cried when I saw your scan of the staircase in the Blue Witch book, so that may tell you how meaningful these books were to me as a child! I would absolutely love to read these books again. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991232103849413429.post-7216954061758062602014-05-21T08:43:45.614-07:002014-05-21T08:43:45.614-07:00It's so great to find someone else who remembe...It's so great to find someone else who remembers the Dorrie books! I also read them obsessively in our small public library and was fortunate to have a mother who kept a journal of every book I ever borrowed and how many times. When she showed this to me a few years ago I started tracking them down on the Internet but found that in America at least they are rare and very expensive on the second hand market. So far I have one! My dream is to create a Dorrie figure in Soft Sculpture, with Gink of course. And mismatched stockings!M.E.Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18289939570441751324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991232103849413429.post-79962051651413980852014-02-28T12:39:01.255-08:002014-02-28T12:39:01.255-08:00That is so very true, Lori...in so many ways I sti...That is so very true, Lori...in so many ways I still feel as if I'm nine years old. I'm grateful for that though, I like being a big kid!Lorell Lehmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17834635644137072998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991232103849413429.post-3562515983160781492014-02-28T12:35:26.660-08:002014-02-28T12:35:26.660-08:00Oh, Grimm's Fairy Tales! I loved those too...a...Oh, Grimm's Fairy Tales! I loved those too...and of course Alice :) How lovely that you still have the copy given to you by your parents...these things are so very precious.Lorell Lehmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17834635644137072998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991232103849413429.post-59891529893088254162014-02-28T12:24:37.605-08:002014-02-28T12:24:37.605-08:00Lorell,
All I can say is that you and I are like 2...Lorell,<br />All I can say is that you and I are like 2 peas in a pod. LOL I buy children's picture books too because I just love the artwork. :-) And, too, I am a Harry Potter and Hobbit fan. What can I say. LOL :-) Imagination has no boundaries nor does it have a limit to age. :-P The Pixie Knollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17883332901340492617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991232103849413429.post-28280019628268641092014-02-28T07:16:35.571-08:002014-02-28T07:16:35.571-08:00Lorell, you brought back many childhood memories o...Lorell, you brought back many childhood memories of reading for hours my favorite books which were "Grimm's Fairy Tales" and of course" Alice in Wonderland"...I still have a two book set of Alice signed by my parents, dated 1946 which would have made me 10 years old. I can see why you enjoyed your Dorrie books, they seem delightful. And I also go to bed every night with a book in hand until I fall asleep...reading is a huge part of who I am....I love buying beautiful children's books for my grand children and hope they too will enjoy reading. Thanks for the memories.Bonnie Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06487026608483693121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991232103849413429.post-21362484734646227522014-02-27T21:51:40.421-08:002014-02-27T21:51:40.421-08:00Lori, you may not have read these particular books...Lori, you may not have read these particular books, but it sounds like you had a very similar "book life" to me...I loved (and still do) any stories related to Halloween, even though it really wasn't celebrated here in Australia when I was a kid. Anything to do with witches and wizards and ghosts was right up my alley. I'm sure this is why I loved Harry Potter so much when it came out...even though I was well and truly an adult with my own kids! I still buy children's picture books today, they give me so much pleasure. So glad this brought back good memories for you :)Lorell Lehmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17834635644137072998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991232103849413429.post-9376174521714027122014-02-27T20:30:25.698-08:002014-02-27T20:30:25.698-08:00Lorell,
Unfortunately, I have never heard of thes...Lorell, <br />Unfortunately, I have never heard of these. :( How very sad to me that I have not. However, they do bring to mind all the countless hours I would spend hovering over children's books at a very early age. Like you, I enjoyed reading, and in fact, was always several levels higher than my reading ability. Perhaps it was because I loved reading so much. :-) Seeing these brings back my fond memories of each Halloween, scarfing up all the Halloween related stories that I could find, and soaking my soul into the illustrations and stories for hours on end. In fact, even to this day, I find myself ever so tempted to dive into children's section to see the books, especially those related to Halloween. Thank you for bringing back a wonderful memory. :-)The Pixie Knollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17883332901340492617noreply@blogger.com