This image is not actually from a vintage children’s book, but I hope you don’t mind.  It was drawn by Beatrice Stevens, and published in the Milwaukee Sentinel in July, 1914.  The illustrations in the Sentinel are some of the best I’ve seen in old newspapers, there were tons of them, and they were large — this one was one whole page.

The quality of the newspaper scans, however, is not that great as you can probably imagine.  The papers are very very old, and newspaper doesn’t scan that well, even when it’s new.  I spent a couple of pleasant hours cleaning up this darling illustration (can you believe the size of that firecracker), and I hope you like it.