Honey Bunch facts for kids
The Honey Bunch books were a popular series for young children that came out in the 1920s. They were created by the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a company famous for making many well-known children's book series like Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and the Bobbsey Twins. The Honey Bunch books were written under the pen name Helen Louise Thorndyke. Most of them were published by Grosset & Dunlap. The series started in 1923 and followed a young girl named Honey Bunch as she went on different trips and adventures. It was one of the most famous series for younger kids from the Stratemeyer Syndicate.
The Story of the Books
The Honey Bunch series began in 1923. The first sixteen books were written by Josephine Lawrence. These stories followed Honey Bunch on many exciting adventures, such as:
- Honey Bunch: Her First Visit to the City, 1923
- Honey Bunch: Her First Days on the Farm, 1923
- Honey Bunch: Her First Trip on the Ocean, 1927
- Honey Bunch: Her First Trip in an Airplane, 1931
- Honey Bunch: Her First Little Mystery, 1935
Later, Mildred Wirt Benson, who is very famous for writing many of the early Nancy Drew books, also wrote five books in the Honey Bunch series. Some of these included:
- Honey Bunch: Her First Little Treasure Hunt, 1937
- Honey Bunch: Her First Little Club, 1938
- Honey Bunch: Her First Trip in a Trailer, 1939
The series kept going for many years, with new books coming out in the 1940s and 1950s. The original series had 34 books, with the last one published in 1955. For the final two books, the title changed from just "Honey Bunch" to "Honey Bunch and Norman." This change was made to try and make the books appeal to both boys and girls.
In 1957, the series was updated with a new title, starting the "Honey Bunch and Norman" series. Some of the stories from the older Honey Bunch books were used again in this new series, but with new titles. For example, Honey Bunch and Norman on Lighthouse Island (1957) was first published in 1949 as Honey Bunch: Her First Trip to a Lighthouse. These updated books were written by Andrew E. Svenson and had more illustrations than the earlier books.
The "Honey Bunch and Norman" series ended in 1963 with the book Honey Bunch and Norman and the Walnut Tree Mystery. There was also a 13th book planned for this series, called The Wooden Shoe Mystery, but it was never published. You can find the manuscript for it in the New York Public Library archives.
Looking at the Covers
Even though the last book came out in 1963, the books were still printed for several years. The way the book covers looked changed over time. The first 12 books had unique artwork for each cover, created by Walter S. Rogers. He also worked on covers for other famous series like The Bobbsey Twins and Hardy Boys.
Later, Marie Schubert took over with book 13. Her artwork showed more modern fashion, as the Stratemeyer Syndicate wanted their books to have a more up-to-date look. Marie Schubert continued illustrating until book 23.
After book 24, the books stopped having individual cover artwork for a while, until the series was updated in 1957. From book 25, Harry Lane created the cover illustrations. His artwork was also used for older books that were re-issued. Harry Lane's artwork was used until book 32 of the original series. When the series was updated in 1957 with "Honey Bunch and Norman," individual cover illustrations were brought back.
The original Honey Bunch series had 32 books, and the Honey Bunch and Norman series had 12 books.
