Thursday, September 17, 2009

Thursday Tab- Whitman Nurses Three, Part 2

The back inside flap of the paper doll folder
The famous Clipboard
Inside storage pocket
I titled this file *hbinsideillustration*, but I have no idea what *hb* was. Silly me for being so cryptic. But it's a good explanation of these glamorous nursing sisters (only a passing mention of the overbearing,  passive/aggressive father... who is a doctor... of course)
edited to add: I'll bet *hb* means Hardback, as in this is the back flap of all of the hardback books- they're all in storage, so I can't check for sure.
A Career for Kelly- the youngest sister, still a Student Nurse, tempted by a naughty roommate, testing her independence...
Middle sister Penny weighs romance and work... work and romance... duty and pleasure... and pink hats
Middle sister Penny disappoints her impossible father, chews a pencil, and deals with barefoot farm boys (and judging from the illustration, Fidel Castro).
Oldest sister Tracy, blonde and beautiful (is there any other kind of oldest sister???), shakes things up (looks like a huge salt shaker, doesn't it?), and confronts poverty and romance and more wicked roommates.
______
There were evidently seven books about the Scott Sisters and their Dragon Father. (I really disliked him). All written between 1963-1965, by Jean Kirby, a pseudonym for Virginia McDonnell, who also wrote some of the Trixie Beldon Books. It looks like the books came before the paper dolls. I own the above books. Others in the series are : Olympic Duty (Penny on Skis), Tracy's Little People (children, not dwarves), and On Call for Trouble (Kelly, again). They're all pretty typical of girls' books from the time- uplifting, and totally sexist. Stay in your little box, Pretty Nursing Sisters... Don't dissapoint your Father... We expect 110% from each of you, 110% of the time...be independent, but not so independent that you ever question Doctors (or your father), because They Know Best.

1 comment:

joannamauselina said...

I never saw those books in my youth, but I loved Trixie Beldon, as did my daughter and as does my granddaughter. We liked her better even than (dare I say it?) Nancy Drew. And we liked Nancy Drew a lot!