Hi, L.W.-
There were several series of U.S. school songbooks published in the mid-1950s that had colorful illustrations inside and on the cover. I'm thinking your books might have been from the Silver Burdett Music Hour series that was published in the 1930s, but probably still in use in the 1950s. I have only two books from this series, and both have an almost-metallic finish on the cover, with an embossed title. Music of Many Lands and Peoples has a silver cover. Music Highways and Byways has a cover that I'd call bronze, but one might call it gold.
Authors were McConathy, Beattie, and Morgan.
-Joe-

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Please see this thread (click) for discussion of the song.