Whitman Book Appraisal

I Have a Turtle by Kathy Bing (Whitman Publishing Company)

This item is an original title page and interior text block for the vintage children's book 'I Have a Turtle,' authored by Kathy Bing and illustrated by R. J. Davidson. The page displays the copyright dates of MCMLXIII (1963) and MCMLXVI (1966), indicating a mid-century publication. It was printed in the U.S.A. by Western Printing and Lithographing Company for the Whitman Publishing Company based in Racine, Wisconsin. The illustration style is characteristic of the 1960s, featuring a bold, stylized turtle with a green patterned shell and red body, rendered with thick outlines and a limited primary color palette. Physically, the paper shows signs of age typical for mass-market children's literature, including mild yellowing and shelf wear. Notably, the binding appears compromised, with visible stitching or staple remnants on the left edge, and as mentioned in the context, this specific example is bound into an incorrect or detached cover. The typography uses a mix of playful serif and sans-serif fonts in varying colors (pink, brown, and red). The condition is fair, with slight corner blunting and minor surface marks visible on the title page, reflecting its history as an used educational or leisure object from the mid-20th century.