#7: Just thinking about the Around the World motive and the number of European-themed made me wonder if that didn’t reflect the times. During the 1960s Latin America and the Far East were relatively new missionary areas and the Church was small in many of those regions. Although I really wasn’t around, my impression is that during the 1960s, when we considered the global church, we thought in terms of Europe. Of course, now when we think of the church abroad we think of Central and South America. When we think of missionaries going foreign we think Spanish-speaking.

This has been a delightful set of pictures.

That’s probably because I wasn’t called “Mina” as a child; it’s a derivative of my given name that I didn’t acquire ’til the mid-80′s.

But yes, I agree there is something predictive, if not downright prophetic, at work here!

Do you suppose that gives them special insights into the clothing of the First Nations of the far north?

I had assumed January was Greenland!

The February story is “Mina’s Lucky Chance” which I will interpret as meaning that it was predestined that these covers appear on Keepa. The story character Mina Bronner has a chum Lotte Glauser and dance instructors Professor and Mrs. Gignoux. She is excited “to think that I, Mina Bronner, am going to dance in the great Swiss National Exposition! To see Geneva! I never dreamed of such good luck.” The paper doll is a little boy with a Germanic costume that I can’t pin down particularly, but since he is equipped with an Alpenhorn I’d say this is another suggestion of Switzerland.

Research into children’s magazine cover art. How typical of Keepaninnies!