La mésaventure des petits kanguroos

Paris : Editions Nilsson, n. d. [c. 1920s].  Oblong octavo (19 x 25 cms), wooden board book comprising 6 boards (12 pp.) each printed with text and illustrations, original hand colouring, the cloth spine expertly renewed, two leather tabs with working clasps, light wear and soiling, a very good copy.

A charming board book for children, written along the lines of Little Red Riding Hood. Robert and Julien are two young kangaroos who are sent off by their mother to bring their grandfather his lunch. Along the way they are tricked by a malicious vagrant monkey and suffer a series of mishaps. Inherently fragile, this is a well preserved example.

Very rare indeed, only two recorded in collections worldwide, the Kevin Crotty copy acquired by the National Library of Australia in 2007 (Australian Book Auctions, sale ABA0030, lot 19, $2330) and the State Library of New South Wales in 2011 (Douglas Stewart Fine Books, $2200).