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Richard Scarry, I am a Bunny.
Don't know if this is the book but - A Golden book still in print or at
least recently reissued
shows a bunny going through the season, chasing
butterflieds, blowing dandelion seeds, etc. Ends with him in a
hollow
going to sleep (in winter).
Ole Risom, I am a bunny,
1963. Illustrated by Richard Scarry. Bunny named Nicholas
lives in hollow tree tells of favourite nature-related activities
associated with each season. Ends sleeping in hollow tree, dreaming
about
spring. Possibly a match?
I am a bunny. Author is Risom,
illus by Scarry. I've had a few copies but had to make sure my
granddaughter
had a copy. They were worn, anyway.
"I
Can't" Said the Ant
Betty MacDonald, The Egg and I I
read this book, too, in the 50s. It would be either The Egg and
I
or
Onions
in the
Stew. Both are by Betty MacDonald.
Hi, I love this site. The book I am looking for took place
in the East whereas Betty McDonald's took place in the NW. I have
read all Betty McDonald's books, though similar it isn't Betty McDonald.
Unfortunately this book isn't the Egg and
I. All of the books by Betty Macdonald take place
in
the Pacific Northwest and the rest of the description doesn't match
either.
H81 I just looked at a copy of Betty MacDonald's
Egg and I don't think either of her books fits. She was born
in
the west. She raised chickens, of course, but someboody else must have,
tøo. I'm trying to think of other authors with that type of
humor;
I've decided it's not the Gilbreths/ Ernestine Carey either; nor
Lasswell.
Maybe one of Jean Kerr's books like Please
Don't Eat the Daisies? She was more fifties-era, though.
Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle,
c.1948. Could this be I Capture the Castle by Dodie
Smith? Its fairly famous opening lines: "I write this sitting
in the kitchen sink. That is, my feet are in it the rest of me is
on the draining board, which I have padded with our dog's blanket and
the
tea cosy .... " This is definitely a humorous story about a family.
Dr. Frances R. Horwich, I Decided.
I loved this book too! A little girl (sorry, I don't remember her
name) goes out shopping with her mother, and because she behaves well,
her mother tells her she may choose a toy, and she has to decide which
one she wants. It's part of the Ding Dong School series put out
by
Rand Mcnally. As a little Californian child, I was as fascinated
by the girl's green snow suit as by the story!
Miss Frances Horwich, I Decided.
This is the one - if memory serves the author is only credited on the
cover
as "Miss Frances", but her surname is Horwich.
I Think About God, Golden,
1965.
This book contains 2 stories -- Why / Sue Val, ill. Christiane
Cassan
and I Do My Best / Norah Smaridge, ill. Trina Hyman. I
Do
My Best was also released by itself by Golden in 1968.
Norah Smaridge, I Do My Best (1965) I was able to
locate
both copies of the book that was posted in the solution to my stumper.
The 1968 edition is exactly like the book I had except for one
important
difference. My book was soft covered and it was definitely purchased in
1965 or early 1966. Is it possible it was published by Western
Publishing
Co. as a soft covered Little Angel Book in 1965, the copyright date?
I Do My Best was also released
in 1965 by Costello Pub. Co ("A Little Angel Book") and in 1967 by G.
Chapman
("My Little Gift Books"). Don't know if the costello book was
hard
or soft covered.
I have a turtle. Someone
wanted
to know how it ends. I remember it saying: "and that's why...no
one
will ever know...that in the corner of my room...under my bed...in my
mommy's
hat box...I have a turtle!"
Mercer Mayer, I Just Forgot (A Little Critter Book). Golden Books 18 August, 1999 Paperback. Could it be... I Just Forgot??? Little Critter struggles to remember what he is supposed to do each day. On rainy days he remembers his raincoat but forgets his boots. On school days he gets to school on time but forgets his lunchbox. At home he takes a bath but forgets to use soap. Sound familiar??
Jean Tymms, I Like To See: a book about
the five senses, 1973, Racine,
Wis.
: Western Pub. Co., ISBN: 0307684431. "Tells of the things
enjoyed
in seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting and hearing."
Jane Tymms, June Goldsborough (illus), I
Like To See (A Book About the Five Senses),
1973, copyright. A Whitman Tell-a-Tale Book. Front cover is sort
of greenish, featuring three children. Boy on left is licking a
lollipop
and has a blue parakeet perched on his shoulder, presumably chirping in
his ear. Girl in center is holding a soft kitten up to her face. Girl
on
right is smelling a red rose, and looking at a butterfly overhead.
Jean Tymms, June Goldsborough, I like to
see : a book about the five senses,
1973, copyright. Tells of the things enjoyed in seeing, feeling,
smelling, tasting and hearing.
Found the answer to my riddle tonight!
I was thrilled. It was I Like to See: A
Book about the 5 Senses by Jean
Tymms. My daughter will be so thrilled. Thanks for your
assistance. I sure will recommend your site.
Elizabeth Cadell. There's a
customs
scene exactly like this in an Elizabeth Cadell novel - but I don't
remember
which book! But she'd certainly qualify as a light romance author whose
books filled a shelf.
Elizabeth Cadell, I Love a Lass,
1956. This has to be I Love a Lass by Elizabeth
Cadell (Eng. title--Bridal Array). The bridal
outfit
is used to smuggle diamonds through customs. The other book
mentioned
is probably Six Impossible Things, the third part of the
Wayne trilogy (the first two are The Lark Shall Sing and
The Blue Skies of Spring).
"I
Remembered"
"The heart belongs to him who knows it best " is a line from a poem
that I heard around 1990, but it could be older. I would like to know
the
name of the poem and poet and/or get a copy of the poem.
Sara Teasdale, Flame and Shadow,
1920. The title of the poem itself is "I Remembered."
There never was a mood of mine, / Gay or
heart-broken,
luminous or dull, / But you could ease me of its fever / And give it
back
to me more beautiful. / In many another soul I broke the bread, / And
drank
the wine and played the happy guest, / But I was lonely, I remembered
you
// The heart belongs to him who knew it best.
Thank you so much for helping me find "I Remembered" with the line
"the heart belongs to him who knew it best." I am relieved to find it
because
my mother sent me a copy of it years ago, and I lost it or perhaps even
deliberately threw it out. After she died, I couldn't forgive myself
because
I thought she might have written it for me. I know now she didn't write
it, and I'll be able to find a copy, the best outcome possible.
Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham, of course! New
copy,
$8
it's not green eggs and ham... i know that book. the main
character in the book i'm refering to is a mouse. This was a set of
early
reading books. They were also paper not
hardbound...yellow...small...
The "I am Sam" i am looking for is not green eggs and ham. find
anything
else? thanks.
Bobby Lynn Maslen, The Bob Books, 1976.
I wonder if this isn't one of the "Bob Books". There are three
different
sets small(4"X5"), thin(12 or 15 pgs) paperbacks in primary
colors
that came boxed in sets of 12. They were published by Scholastic
and are for very early readers (pre-K or K). I have the first set and
the
book you describe isn't in this set, but I think I remember it from one
of the other sets. Here is a text example from one of my books: Lad
had a fat, fat cat. The cat is Kit. Kit sat in a box.
The title of set two is More Bob Books and set three is
Even
More Bob Books.
I remember the book that reads "I am Sam, Sam
I am..." as a yellow, soft-covered Scholastic reader with black
text.
The book is approximately 5"x7" and could more appropriately be
referred
to as a booklet. I believe these Scholastic readers were precursors to
the "Bob" books, but the concept was the same. It was the very
first
book I read in kindergarten in 1971. There were numerous books in
the set; I believe Sam was a recurring character. I've casually
looked
for this book myself as it is the first book I can remember reading in
school.
This poster should check out Stumper S246. It
sounds like he is looking for the same series of books. It is still
unsolved,
but the info in the Stumper combined with his memories might be enough
to solve it!
There's a softcover Scholastic Phonics book I
saw on eBay called I Am Sam (32 pgs).
Could this be the old Sullivan Reading
Series? I used it when I entered school in 1973.
The
characters were Sam, Meg, Nip, etc. There were several levels (up
to 20?). Some of the books had questions and you had to write the
answers in an answer book.
I See Sam, c.1970. I am
replying
to the request for an early reading series I am Sam.
I have a web site
that
they can be ordered from. Hope this helps.
I See Sam is part of a series of
"The Rainbow Edition" pamphlets from an educational program called
Reading
For All Learners by Dr. Alan Hofmeister. Still being used!
---
S246: These were yellow paper books with black and white
drawings
of a Lion named Sam, Mat the Rat, Nate the Snake?, and they were a
series
of about 55 books. The first book is Sam, then I Am?, Mat the
Rat.
They have humorous drawings, and start the series with one word.
They build on each other, and introduce new characters along the
way.
I am trying to find the name of the series, and publishing information.
This poster should check out Stumper I25. It
sounds
like he is looking for the same series of books. It is still unsolved,
but the info in the Stumper combined with his memories might be enough
to solve it!
I See Sam, 2001, reprint.
I believe this is also the answer for I25. I have hunted all over
the net for the early reader series "Sam" books, for my
grandaughter.
Both of my children used these books during the 70's I have found
several sources. The following are sources you can check out. Books can
be ordered from this
website. You may also want to check out this
website for a free download of the fisrt book. this
website also offers some information Good luck, I do hope
this
is what you were looking for.
Audrey Erskine Lindop, I Start Counting,
1966-67. This is the book, no doubt about it.
Audrey Erskine Lindop, I Start Counting,
1962,. It was made into a movie, starring Jenny Agutter as Wynne,
in '69 or '70.
I think I read this story, or its sequel as a
Readers Digest Condensed Book many years ago. I've always wanted to
read
the full book. The relatives (her aunt and uncle) are doing
experimental
work in their local woods to help reforestation in Vietnam. They live
close
to the sea. There are descriptions of Quaker meetings. Does this sound
like the same book?
Could q3 be I Take Thee Serenity
by Daisy Newman. If the original questioner remembers Sara,
then
perhaps it really was Serenity.
I Take Thee, Serenity, which I
also read as a Reader's Digest condensed book, is about a young woman
named
Serenity, who goes by the name Sara. I don't remember about her
mother
dying, but she does go to stay, perhaps for the summer, with two older
Quaker relatives who she comes to deeply respect and love. Her
college
boyfriend had been pressuring her to "go all the way" and she couldn't
decide if it was right to the time spent with her relatives and
their
inspiration gave her the
strength to stand by her convictions. I
think they may have ended up getting married in a Quaker wedding, hence
the title.
I Think About God, 1977. It's a Little Golden Book
that
has 2 stories in one, the first titled "Why".
Betty Miles, I Would If I Could,
1983. This is an almost perfect description of I Would If I
Could, although the girls' fear they had polio was due to
having
stiff legs before they realized they'd gotten poison ivy. Patty's bike
is a gift from her aunt and she's afraid she won't learn how to ride it
before the end of the summer.
Betty Miles, I Would If I Could. Thank you so much for
solving
my mystery. I can't wait to order this book and re-read.
---
This book takes place back in the 40's or
50's...it's about a little girl named Patti whose father drives her to
Ohio
to spend the summer with her Grandmother. She has friends there, a
little
girl named Mary Alice and 2 sisters that are twins and a little on the
mean side. The grandmother wins a jingle contest and she learns how to
ride a bike. Seems like they listen to Little Orphan Annie on the
radio,
so it may take place before the 40's. Thanks!
Betty Miles, I Would If I Could.
reprint. This has to be the one you're looking for. All the details
match.
Betty Miles, I Would If I Could. Thanks
so much for solving this mystery...this is the correct book that I was
looking for!!!!
Arnold Lobel, Ice-cream Cone Coot and
Other
Rare Birds, 1971.
Yes,
this is a Parents Magazine Press book. "All the birds inside this book
are very strange and rare. And if you travel to the zoo, you will not
find
them there. Don't look for them in nature books, in parks or pet shop
cages,
and thus it goes. a very entertaining children's book with really great
artwork."
I immediately thought of The Ice-Cream
Coot, And Other Rare Birds by Arnold Lobel (Parents'
Magazine
Press, 1971) but we no longer own the book so I couldn't check to be
sure.
Here's the summary: "Describes in verse such unusual birds as the
shuttercluck,
the milkbottle midge, the waterglass goose, and the highbutton
bobolink."
Ice-Cream Cone Coot & Other Rare
Birds.
This was a Parent's Magazine Press book from the 60's or 70's.
Unfortunately, they don't reprint any of their
books so you can only find it used.
Lobel, Arnold, The Ice Cream Cone Coot
and Other Rare Birds, Parents
Magazine
1971. "All the birds listed are very strange and rare, and if you
travel to the zoo you will not find them there." Sounds like a good bet.
---
My book had fanciful color illustrations of
birds that I believe were all in the shape of different types of ice
cream
cones but my memory may be faulty on that (it was sort of Dr. Seussian
but not not quite). I loved this book and would appreciate any
help
figuring out my mystery! Thank you.
I know this one. Of course, I don't have it (not right now
anyway,
sold a copy last month), but if you want me to search for it, just let
me know (I can get one for around $24). It's a fabulous,
fantastic,
funny book. Lobel, Arnold. The Ice-Cream Cone Coot
and
Other Rare Birds. Parents' Magazine Press, 1971.
---
Children's book from early 70s. One illustration was a walking scissors
creature. I don't remember the title or author. I only remember
that one illustration was of a walking scissors. The pointy ends of the
scissors formed the mouth and the eyes were set in the finger holes. I
think there were other images in a similar vein. It was a surreal and
fantastic book. I think was hard bound. It did contain many
illustrations and not too many pages. I would guess it came from the
early 70s. It probably helps explain why I grew up to be such a
nut-job.
Arnold Lobel, The Ice-Cream Cone
Coot and Other Rare Birds, 1971. Might it be The
Ice-Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare Birds (see Solved Mysteries)?
Arnold
Lobel, The Ice Cream Cone Coot, and
Other Rare Birds, 1971.
Ruth
Plumly Thompson, The Gnome King of Oz.
There's a Scissors Bird that's a character in The Gnome King of Oz.
It looks like a pair of scissors with bird claw feet.
The Ice-Cream Cone Coot and Other Rare
Birds. Thank you for solving my Book Stumper. What a great
service!
I remember that poem. I did some searching for it and came up
with the following:
Thomas Gale Joan. If Jesus Came to My House.
London:
Mowbray A. R., 1958. Cloth / Hardcover, Very Good, 32mo - over 4" - 5"
tall 25th edition, theboards are mildly soiled, Two tone color
illustrations,
red
and black. <SOLD>
Check out D'Aulaire's Greek Myths: it's a tall
picture
book with stylized 1930's illustrations, and decent history. Then
again, maybe it was more focused on the Trojan War?
I have not seen any of these books so I
cannot check out illustrations but some possible tltles: Iliad of
Homer by Barbara Picard (1966) Tales of
Ancient
Greece by Enid Blyton (1953) The
Wooden Horse and the Fall of Troy by I.M.Richardson
(1984) (too late?!) Faber Book of Greek Legends by
Kathleen
Liner (1973) Tales of Troy and Greece by Andrew
Lang (1962).
Two more possiblities: Padraid Colum's
Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy, (1918)
illustrated
by Willy Pogogy Or Tale of Troy retold from the Ancient
Authors
(1935?) by Roger Lancelyn Green, illustrated by Betty
Middleton-Sanford.
Hope this helps!
In a second hand store today I pulled down a
large volume from a high shelf and when I saw what it was I thought
-Eureka,
maybe! It is The Iliad and The Odyssey (surprise!)-the
heroic story of the Trojan War, The fabulous adventures of Odysseus
adapted
from the Greek classics of Homer by Jane Werner Watson.(1956)
Simon and Schuster (The Golden Library) Pictures by Alice and
Martin
Provensen--and what pictures they ARE! They dominate the book,
sometimes
having the look of wood cuts. The illustrations fill each page: along
borders,
sometimes along the lower half,sometimes the upper half- sometimes they
fill a whole page and flow onto the text page opposite! Figures:
soldiers,
gods and godesses are large, sometimes 10 or 11 inches high- solid,
dramatic!
The colors are mostly muted, somber earth tones-browns, tans, slate
gray-greens,
terracottas, and blacks. It is a gorgeous book. I sure hope this is it!
The bold dramatic pictures resemble those featured in the other
Provenson
book The Golden Treasury of Myths and Legends found under Anthology
Finder
at this site!
Jane watson , the iliad and the odyssey,
1970. I am just writing to confirm the fact that the beutiffully
illustrated book on the Trojan war and the adventures of odysseus is
the
book that was found in the second hand book store I have this book
.Ihave
had it since 1971 as i picked it myself in a book shop in my home town
of Paisley for my christmas present when I was 11. On picking it up and
opening it, I was transported to another time by the way the paintings
just came to life. They are dond like illustrations on old pieces of
terracotta
from an ancient time.I have lost the sleeve but the rest of the book is
still in reasonably good condititon the inside has no maks only my own
name and address My copy is about 195 pages and the book is finnished
in
red cloth with 3 figures in black line and is 13in x10 in It is written
by Jane Watson with the illustrations by Alice and Martin Provensen.
This
is the most special book I have ever owned and would never part with
it.
No wander it evoked such stong memories. It has with me .I went on to
read
the full versions when I grew up.and they had a profound effect on me.
Hope this is of some use to you
Alice and Mary Provensen/adapted from Homer,
The
Iliad and the Odyssey.
(1956)
Absolutely fabulous adaptation and illustrations of Homer's classic
tales.
I was the only kid I knew who knew this story. I still have the book,
which
is very tall and has a shiny dark red cover. The illustrations look
like
classic Greek vase art come to life. Much better than any recent
adaptation
including that awful movie Troy. Last week I was happy to see a reprint
of a Provensen page, translated into German, prominantly featured in
the
tiny "museum" at the accepted site of the real Troy, in Turkey near the
Dardanelles.
Wildsmith, Brian, Illustrated Bible
Stories,
1969. I think this is the book you want. The bible stories are
retold
by Philip Turner and illustrated by Brian Wildsmith.
Brian Wildsmith (illustrator) Philip Turner (as told
by), Illustrated Bible Stories, 1968. Words can't describe how
OVERJOYED
I was to find an answer to this ages-long search. Your information was
spot on I found a copy in a local library, and I am also going to
buy my own copy. Being able to find this book has filled an
enourmous
void. Thank you so much. I'm almost speechless. My family is
relieved
too, because I've been pestering them about this for yours. Thanks
again.
Illustrated
Man
Book is a collection of short stories. I'm
not sure if it was a children's book because I read it in late junior
high/early
high school. I'm pretty sure it's old, but can't be sure. One story was
about a man with tattoos that were alive or moved or something like
that.
I think another story (not sure if this is in the same book) was about
a man that learned how to walk out of his body - his mind went one way
and his body another. I remember the first time he did it his
body
ended up in a lake or something. He ends up starting a community of out
of body people and they get in a war with the in-body folks. I think
they
had a parade where they would get back in bodies or something. Towards
the end the in-body people trap them in bodies but I don't remember how
it ended. I'm not sure that story was in the book but I definitely
remember
the tattoo one. I think the picture on the front was of the guy with
the
tattoos. Thanks.
Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man,
1950. The story about the tatooed man is very probably Ray
Bradbury's
"The Illustrated Man," which has been anthologized several times and
(as
"Prologue") served as the framing story of the Bradbury collection of
the
same name. I don't recognize the second story offhand (it doesn't
sound to me like a Bradbury story, but might be in an anthology with
the
other).
Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man,
1951. This sounds like Ray Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man" - the
story about the tattoed man with living tattoes is used as a framework
for a collection of sf short stories.
The man with the moving tattoos might be from
Ray
Bradbury's Illustrated Man. The Man's tattoos "tell" the
short
stories in the book. The paperback copy that I had showed the
Illustrated
Man on the cover, sitting down, facing away, showing mostly his back
and
all its tattoos.
Bradbury, Ray, The Illustrated Man.
The title story of this collection by Ray Bradbury definitely sounds
like
what you are looking for. The man is covered in tattoos that are alive
and each have a story. I haven't read the entire collection, so I'm not
sure if the other story you mention is in there or not. Hope this helps.
Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man.
This is probably the "man with tattoos" book. The illustrated man
has tattoos all over his body and they move and tell stories. I
don't
remember the other story so it may be in a different book but it's
entirely
possible my memory is faulty!
Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man,
1951. Sounds like Bradbury's Illustrated Man, which uses the
story
of a man with magical, living tattoos that show the future to frame the
other 18 short stories in the book. Not sure if the one with the
out-of-body travel is part of this collection or not, but it does sound
like the sort of thing Bradbury would write. If it's not in this
one, you could check out some of his other anthologies.
Check out the Illustrated Man,
by Ray Bradbury. His tattoos morph into various stories.
I have not seen it, so I can't confirm all the
details, but you might want to investigate ILLUSTRATED MINUTE
BIOGRAPHIES;
150 FASCINATING LIFE-STORIES OF FAMOUS PEOPLE, FROM THE DAWN OF
CIVILIZATION
TO THE PRESENT DAY, DRAMATIZED WITH PORTRAITS AND SCENES FROM THEIR
LIVES.
Designed and illustrated by Samuel Nisenson. Text by William A.
DeWitt.
There are different editions (1949, 1953, 1964, 1970). Each biography
is
a page long. I did see that Cleopatra was listed in the 1964 one, but
it
wasn't a complete listing of all 150 people included, and I couldn't
tell
whether they had the subtitles for each person. But it might be worth
looking
into~from a librarian
My stumper has been solved! The librarian who speculated that the
book might be ILLUSTRATED MINUTE BIOGRAPHIES was absolutely right--I
was
able to locate a copy of the 1953 edition to verify. This is the book I
had 40 years ago; I'd been looking for it for years. Many, many thanks
to both you and the librarian.
Illustrated
Treasury of Children's Literature
A170: I remember that ALL those stories listed
were in this book. MARGARET E. MARTIGNONI, THE ILLUSTRATED
TREASURY
OF CHILDREN'S LITERATURE, 1955. over 9¾" - 12" tall. "A
remarkable and comprehensive collection of the greatest of literature
for
children. Consisting of 49 famous stories, 20 fables and legends, a
complete
picture abc, 44 fairy tales, 50 mother goose rhymes and 79 childhood
poems,
from writers such as Lewis Carroll, J.M. Barrie, Kipling, Prokofieff,
Beatrix
Potter, A.A. Milne, Kenneth Grahame, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian
Andersen, Aesop, Dr Seuss amongst many many others. The illustrators
sound
like a Who's Who of the art including Frost, Crane, Cruikshank,
Caldecott,
Greenaway, Pyle, Tenniel, Pogany and Rackham to name but a few. 509pp
plus
index, this is a marvellous introduction to literature for any reading
child.....Lear, Thornton Burgess, Flora Annie Steel, Andrew Lang, Jean
de Brunhoff, Palmer Cox & many others."
Margaret Martignoni, The Illustrated
Treasury
of Children's Literature, 1960.
---
Possibly titled A Treasury of Childrens
Stories
- this is a guess - 1940's to 1950's. This book is a compilation
of children's poems (such as The Goops) short stories (such as The
Little
Match Girl) and fairy tales all with black and white
illustrations.
The book was a light blue hard cover (perhaps cloth) and a dark blue
spine
perhaps with gold
lettering. If there was a paper cover to
protect
the book I don't remember it. The book measured about 12 inches in
length
and 8 inches in width and was approximately 100-150 pages in
length.
I loved this book as it was given to me by my mother for Christmas in
the
mid 1950's. I would think the book is now out of print but I have a
vague
recollection of a New York and London publishing house.
Might be The Illustrated Treasury of
Children's
Literature, edited by Margaret Martignoni (Grosset&Dunlop,
1955). Fits much of your description. It has 512 pages!
Both your stories are in it, and without dust jacket it does have a
blue and gilt spine and light blue cover.
I received the Illustrated Treasury over the weekend and I can not
thank you enough! The book is in great condition (probably better
than the one I had as a child) and I immediately looked up my most
favorite
stories. That book was such a treasure for me and I am so glad to
have it back. Thanks again for locating the book and having one
on
hand for me. It was meant to be!
---
I am searching for a book my Grandmother read to me as a
child.
It was about 12x12, with a light yellow cover. It contained Hans
Christian Andersen stories such as Princess and the Pea, The Emperor
and
the Nightingale, and Thumbelina. The illustrations look like
water
colors. This was in the mid-70's that she read it to me, but the book
could
be much older. I would love to read it to my children. Hope
you can help! I'm not sure of the title, but would definitely
recognize
a photo of the book. Thank you!
I also remember there being some Grimm Fairy Tales in this
book...something
about a husband who tells his wife to have sausage ready when he gets
home,
and the Frog Prince.
It could be Illustrated Treasury of
Children's
Literature, edited by Margaret Martignoni, 1955.
I
loved my copy when I was a child. It's a mix of Anderson, Grimm,
and others, and includes watercolor illustrations.
If you haven't already, peruse Loganberry's Anthology
Finder to see if any look right...
Hans Christian Andersen, Fairy Tales.
This may be the Illustrated Junior Library edition of
Andersen's
Fairy Tales. I have my copy from when I was a kid in the 70's and
the cover is yellowish with very colorful pictures.
|
Condition Grades |
Martignoni, Margaret, editor. The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature. Grosset and Dunlap, 1955, later printing. Book in excellent shape, dust jacket has closed tear and small nick out of front cover. VG+/VG- $45 |
|
A321: Possibly the 1950s The
Illustrated
Treasury of Children's Literature, ed. Margaret Martignoni?
See Solved Mysteries.
This book may be The Illustrated Treasury
of Children's Literature edited by Margaret E. Martignoni
and Published by Grosset and Dunlap. The copyright is from 1955, but
the
copy I have says over one million are now in print. I believe the copy
I have is from the early seventies. It also mentions that this printing
is made from completely new plates. It has all the titles you
mentioned.
It also contains a story titled Brownie Year Book by Palmer Cox which
is
about what brownies (elf-like looking creatures) do every month of the
year. It has easier stories and poems in the front and somewhat more
difficult
stories and excerpts from the classics in the back. I couldn't find a
story
about a dog that had eyes like plates, but if someone knows the title
of
this story I will look for it. If this is your book, it was truly
strange
that today I was moving my small collection, which of course, involved
looking at my books again, and I opened this book to the Brownie story.
I thought it was different and I hadn't remembered it. I happened to be
perusing to my own stumper when I saw yours and thought, " I have that
Brownie story." I hope this helps you. It shouldn't be that hard
to find with a million copies in print.
The Illustrated Treasury of Children's
Literature, 1955. Edited by
Margaret E. Martignon.
My book is 512 pages. It's a blue hardback with a leaf print
cover,
and came in a blue cardboard box. It's got all of the stories you
mentioned.
The original copyright is 1955, but I got my copy about 1970, so it may
have had a different cover originally.
Hans Christian Anderson, The Tinderbox.
The story with the dog with eyes like plates is probably "The
Tinderbox"
which can be found in many fairy tale anthologies. When a witch
sends
a soldier down into a hollow tree (to fetch a magical tinderbox for
her,
and gold and jewels for himself) he encounters three dogs: one with
eyes
as big as saucers, one with eyes as big as millstones, and one with
eyes
as big as the round tower. The dogs are guardians of the treasure, but
by using the witch's magic apron, the soldier is able to get by
them.
He keeps the tinderbox for himself, and through it, is able to summon
and
command the dogs to fetch treasure for him, fetch him a beautiful
sleeping
princess, and finally save his life and win him the hand of the
princess.
The illustrated treasury of Children's
Literature,edited by Margaret Martignoni,1955.
Dirksen, Joan, I'll Find My Love, 1957.
According to M138b in the Stump The Bookseller Archives, the
unconfirmed
(though the poster is quite definite) answer is I'll Find My
Love.
Click on 'MN' in the Stump the Bookseller Queries link (blue
boxes
at the top of this page) and scroll down to M138b to see the entire
message.
Dirksen, Joan, I'll Find My Love. This
is it!! Check the Solved Mysteries. My dear cyber-buddies
solved
this one for me, and then the wonder-workers at Loganberry found me my
own copy. Well worth a re-read!
I am so happy to tell you that my Book
Stumper--T376
was solved! Also, I just ordered the book from Alibris and can't
wait to re-read it. I had the title of the book completely
wrong.
Obviously there were others who loved this book! Thank you for
this
service as I have looked for this book since I lost it in the late
1960's.
While I am now 50, I still love to read the books I loved as a
pre-teen.
Also, I wished you store had been around when I lived in Cleveland in
the
early 1980's. My sister still lives there so I will tell her
about
your store.
There were two of these books about baby
elephants
learning to use the potty - I'm a Big Boy Now featured
a
boy elephant, and of course, I'm a Big Girl Now had a
girl
elephant. There was no author listed (and no date, either, but
they
were definitely available in the late 70's). They were published
under the series title "The First Years" by Kiddie Products.
Anderson, Mary, I'm Nobody, Who Are You?.
This might be the one- I can't remember a lot about it as I read
it years ago but your post brought this title to mind.
Mary Anderson, I'm nobody! Who Are You?
I sumitted this stumper, and I think you are right...I've found the
book, and the first 2 paragraphs seem right on target. I never would
have
found it without this help. Thank you very much! I'll confirm that it
is
truely solved when I've read more. Thank you!
Elswyth Thane, Tryst.
You'll get a lot of responses to this one! Hilary returns to
England
as a ghost after being killed in WWII, only to find Sabrina and her
family
living in his boyhood home. A real tearjerker.
The lead character might be named Emily. Her friend is a girl
around the same age, I think.
Sefton, Catherine, In a Blue Velvet Dress.
Jane loves to read. She has to stay with an elderly aunt for the
summer because her parents are away and she takes a large suitcase full
of books with her. Unfortunately, the suitcase is accidentally
switched
with her father's suitcase full of work-related materials. Now
she
is stuck in a small country town with no friends, no books, no
library.
Someone starts leaving books by her bedside while she's sleeping.
That someone turns out to be a girl who lived in the house many years
ago-
a ghost in a blue velvet dress. They become friends. I
can't
remember the ghost's name- it's been a while since I've read this book.
Sefton, Catherine, In a Blue Velvet Dress.
Thanks
for solving this mystery!
I believe R42 is Katia by E.M.
Almedingen, in which a motherless little girl in tsarist Russia is
sent to live with wealthy relations. (In my library, it was
shelved
with the biographies.)
More on the suggested title - Katia(UK
title Little Katia) by E.M. Almedingen,
illustrated
by Victor Ambrus, published Farrar 1967, 207 pages. Based on the
author's
great-aunt Catherine's memoirs (published 1874),
describes Katia's life when as a child of five
she went, after the death of her mother, to live with various relatives
in the Ukraine and St. Petersburg.
Mara Kaye, In Place of Katia.
1960's. I think you may be looking for In Place of Katia.
This was a favorite of mine back in the '60's when I was in elementary
school. It took place in Russia during the Revolution and
the
part that I always remembered was the exciting escape when the girl was
hidden in labyrinth. I searched high and low for this book so
that
my girls could read it. Finally found it at a library on the
Central
Coast of California (Santa Maria?). Received it through library
loan
and the kids enjoyed it. I know the book is out of print.
Mara
Kaye wrote other books of children in Russia, so if this isn't it,
maybe
it is one of her others.
This 1946 Caldecott Honor winner comes to mind: Marie Hal
Ets.
In
the Forest. "Join the fun! There is a parade and a
party in the forest." It's been in print almost since its
publication.
I was thrilled to find out the name of the book I had you post.
---
When I Went for a Walk in the Forest is a
children's book that I read in the mid 1940s. It has black &
white illustrations & is about a little boy wearing a boat-shpaed
hat
made out of newspaper who goes for a walk in the woods. He
eventually
has a parade of animals following him & after each animal joins,
there's
a refrain: "When I went for a Walk in the Forest". His father comes to
take him home for dinner.
This is it: Marie Hal Ets, In the Forest.
|
Condition Grades |
Ets,
Marie Hall. In the Forest.
Viking, 1944. Caldecott Honor Book.
used ex-library copy, library bound, 1950 printing, G, $6 |
|
I think you'll get plenty of responses to
this!
It's In the Keep of Time by Margaret J. Anderson.
The story is based on a real Scottish keep called Smailholm Tower. The
youngest, a 5-year-old girl (Ollie), actually falls into a misty room
in
the keep near the beginning and when they rush to find her, she's
turned
into another entical-looking girl (Mae)and they're back in 1460, just
before
King James drives out the English - and the kids are English, so they
have
to keep quiet about it. After the battle, they manage to get home and
they
take Ollie-Mae with them, but she is still Mae and they have to train
her
to be Ollie and adjust to the 20th century. They learn to cooperate as
a loving family as a result, but they still can't get her to remember
her
life as Ollie. They (all four) go into the tower again, into the
future,
and find an old blind woman, Vianah(sp?) whose tribe has not yet
returned
and she needs them to get food from Kelso. They see her in daylight
finally
and she looks just like the old aunt (Grace) they're vacationing with.
When they get back to Grace's home in Scotland, Ollie apparently
remembers
some of her modern life in London but won't answer questions. They find
the same thing happened decades ago to Grace that happened to Ollie, so
they both have a stronger and more abstract understanding of "family"
than
they did before. What is also fascinating but somewhat secondary
is how Anderson subtly paints how "primitive" societies can be
patriarchal
or matriarchal and how each system can learn from the other. (Elinor
wants
nothing but to run back to the 20th century in the first half -
especially
since the women have nothing to do but hide and wait for days to hear
if
their loved ones have been killed or not - and Andrew's shocked and
horrifed
to find the 22nd century to be anything but high-tech and needs
Elinor's
methods to prevent him from getting completely lost at one point.)
Beautiful
and thought-provoking. There's a sequel of sorts, with mostly different
characters and some chilling remarks about guns and bombs being common
in the 20th century. They were both written before the mid-80s, I think.
Sounds like it might be IN THE KEEP OF
TIME by Margaret J. Anderson, 1972 4 children slip back
and forth in time in an ancient Scottish tower. There were two other
books
with the same kids.
YES, YES, YES!!!!! I am so excited. If you can
find a copy that would be great. The girl's name (Ollie) was the thing
that did it, because I remember thinking that was an odd name.
Phew!!
So excited...I got the book today!!! Could you keep your eyes
peeled for the others in the series? Thanks!!! (I'll see if I can
solve some more stumpers for you).
---
I read this book in the mid-1980s. Four or five children (siblings
or cousins) are vacationing (or perhaps sent to live) near the ruins of
an old castle. The children like to go there to play or picnic. One day
the inside of the castle is all misty. They children climb up as far as
they can go, and then the youngest (maybe a boy, and maybe
blond-haired?
but maybe not...) falls down into the mist. The other children are
afraid
he's hurt or maybe even dead, and they rush down to him, only to find
that
he has disappeared. It turns out that he has gone back in time, to the
time when the castle was inhabited. He has become a peasant boy who
lives
outside the castle walls. The children in the present can actually see
their sibling/cousin in the past, but he can't see or hear them.
The children in the present must travel back in time to get their
cousin/brother
back to the present. It is possible that there is also something about
a golden key and some green hills, but I'm not sure.
Norton, Andre, Steel Magic.
Copyright 1965, but just re-released by Starscape books- it's one of a
series. There are 3 kids-Greg, Eric and Sara, and exploring the castle
takes them to Avalon. They can't get back until they have found and
returned
three "tokens of power" for the good guys. Hope this helps.
Margaret J. Anderson, In the Keep of Time.
It's in the solved pages so you can look there for more details.
The details don't quite match, but I'd check
Solved Mysteries for Margaret J. Anderson's In the Keep of Time
(1977).
Ruth Stiles Gannett, My Father's Dragon.
Possibly
the My Father's Dragon/Elmer and the Dragon/Dragons of Blueland trilogy?
Ruth Stiles Gannett, My father's Dragon,
1940s? Could you be thinking of the 3 books written by Gannett in
the 1940s? One won a Newbury? The books are about the
author's
father, Elmer Elevator, and his adventures with a baby dragon, which
Elmer
helps return to Blueland.
Try Elmer and the Dragon by Ruth
Stiles Gannett. It is the second book in the series of My
Father's
Dragon (third is the Dragons of Blueland). It
stands
alone well too. It has been a long time since I have read this so I am
not sure of all the details you mention. But the name is close and your
cover description seems familiar. Good luck!
Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field., Pete's
Dragon, 1977. May not be the
correct solution but it sounds very much like the Disney movie "Pete's
Dragon." It was made into a book. In New England in the early
20th
century, Pete is a nine-year-old orphan escaping from his brutal
adoptive
parents, the Gogans, with his only friend, a cartoon dragon named
Elliott.
Pete and Elliott successfully escape to Passamaquoddy, Maine, and live
with Nora, a lighthouse keeper, and her father, Lampie. Elliott is
sought
for medicinal purposes by the corrupt Doctor Terminus.
Maybe some more details would help.
It's defintely not Pete's Dragon, or Elmer and the Dragon.
This is a childrens picture book, 30-40 pages at the most. It was
a medium size, probably 8.5 by 11, and it was just a simple little
story,
not a triolgy or part of a series. Thank you for all the
suggestions
so far!!
Janice Elliott, The Incompetent Dragon,
1982.
This sounds like it has a good chance of being what you're looking for,
although I've misplaced my copy so I can't check on the boy's
name.
I don't think it's Elliott, but maybe you got it mixed up with the
author's
last name? Anyway, the cover is mostly dark, with the boy riding
on the back of the dragon, who is green. They are above the earth
at night, almost in outer space. In the story, the boy's parents
are acrobats or something, and leave the boy with his mean-tempered
aunt
while they go off to sea to perform or something. The aunt feeds
her cat (also mean-spirited) better than the boy, and everything is
grey
and dark. Then the dragon falls down the chimney one rainy night,
asks for cucumber sandwiches, and then he and the boy go on
adventures.
The dragon turns the cat into a dog and the aunt into a frog, but then
feels guilty and turns them back. Only when they get turned back,
they are miraculously good-tempered and kind, and then the parents
return
at the end, so everything ends well. Sound familiar at all?
I wish I could find my copy so I could give you all the names.
In The Incompetent Dragon, the
boy's name is Christopher Magnifico, the aunt's name is Aunt Pen, and
the
cat is Black Cat. It is a British book. Here is a picture
of the cover.
Could B450 perhaps be The Reluctant Dragon
by Kenneth Grahame, the man who wrote The Wind in the
Willows?
I remember almost nothing about the book, but maybe?
What a wonderful site!! The
Incompetent
Dragon was EXACTLY the book I was searching for. Thank you
very
very very much! This puts an end to two years of searching!
I will definitely recommend this site for any of my friends who are in
a similar situation.
Hideo Miyazaki, Future Boy Conan.
The person looking for this can find more information on the movie and
book online
here. I found it by searching 'conan anime' on Google (anime is the
proper name for Japanese animation). According to the website,
the
movie was adapted from a book called The Incredible Tide
by Alexander Key. One wonderful thing about this movie, it was
made
by director Hideo Miyazaki, who just won an Academy Award for his
latest
movie, 'Spirited Away'. All his stuff is wonderful and well worth
watching
if you can find it!
Alexander Key, The Incredible Tide,
1970. This seems to be the book that the requester is looking
for.
It has a hero named Conan with a friend named Lanna, and was made into
a Japanese anime series called "Future Boy Conan". It takes place after
a nuclear holocaust and the world in the book is now mostly covered
with
ocean.
Alexander Key, The Incredible Tide,
1970. Funny I should come across this today -- I just saw the
first
three episodes at a fan
convention
on Saturday. The animation is titled "Future Boy Conan", directed by
the
famed Hayao
Miyazaki
("My Neighbor Totoro", "Spirited Away", many others). A quick
Google
search shows that it was based on the book The Incredible Tide
by Alexander Key. Since the book is so rare, I recommend
visiting
this
link for a treat.
Indian
Bunny
I'm looking for a small paperback book.
I think it was called, "The Little Indian Bunny", but my searches for
this
title have been unsuccessful and I don't remember the name of the
author.
The book was a few pages long only, about a little Indian bunny who
wore
a feather in his headband, left home and went hunting in the forest and
camped out under the stars in his teepee. My first grade teacher (1974)
occasionally sent her students home with lists of books that could be
ordered
through the
school. That's where I first got this book.
I16 - Is called Indian Bunny
and
is by Ruth Bornstein. My daughter got a copy from
Scholastic
in first grade. Cute little book.
I16 indian bunny: More on the suggested title
Indian
Bunny, written and illustrated by Ruth Bornstein,
published
Scholastic 1973. "One day a bunny said, "Good-by, I'm going to be an
Indian."
I just recently purchased a lot of horse books
on eBay, and I think one of them is this book.....copyright is 42, but
this printing is a paperback from 1960. Story is of the son of an
Indian chief who tames his horse, son of a mare his father gives him,
but
runs away, he follows the horse and spends a year taming him, the story
ends when Little Falcon rides "Shadow" back into his camp. The
horse
is a paint....Sure sounds like this would be the correct book!!
You were right in thinking it was a Little Golden
Book, for here is exactly the story you seek:
Zolotow, Charlotte. Indian
Indian.
Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard. Simon & Schuster,
1952.
Little Golden Book #149. First Edition. Worn at top and
bottom
of spine, otherwise VG. $12 <SOLD>
I received the book today and am thrilled
beyond belief. I had forgotten parts of the story but it
essentially
was the same as I recalled. Being 53 now, it is so interesting to
see how a book had such an impact on me. I am now a pet sitter
and
a local columnist on pet issues. Even then, animal connections
were
important to me. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
N.I. Vilenkin, Stories About Sets.
I think this *might* be the book, as the subject matter is as you
describe
it did contain some black-and-white drawings and it was intended for
both
adult students, and teenagers with an interest in mathematics. The
author
was, however, male and Russian.
I've looked at two books by N. Ia. Vilenkin -- Stories About
Sets, and In Search Of Infinity, but neither are the one.
Could
you put it back on the active list? thanks!
Lillian Lieber, Infinity, 1953. So
I solved my own stumper. Some searching through the National Library of
Canada's
online catalogue turned up the book, and I
was able to find it at a local library.
Could this be Mind Call (1981),
by Wilanne Schneider Belden, or either of its sequels, Mind
Hold (1987) or Mind Find (1988)? Here's a plot
description
for Mind Call: "Following a disastrous earthquake, a group of
exceptionally
bright, precognitive youngsters must outwit several dangerous
relatives,
under unusual circumstances before their future is assured."
I don't think that Mind-Call is the right one. I
remember
only one girl, taken from her family, isolated by herself rather than a
group of youngsters.
Irma Walker, Inherit the Earth,
1981. The details specified made me think at once of this book I
read first in 1982 in my school's library. The main character, Shea,
was
a mindreader living in a secret government research facility in
Kentucky,
being educated by the scientists who were studying her. One of the
Scientists
thought he could block her telepathy by thinking constantly of
advertising
jingles. The facility eventually burned down and Shea was taken in by a
local mountain family. Eventually she found herself in California, the
prisoner of a wealthy man who wanted her to produce a child with his
son.
She discovered that she was a member of an entirely new species, and
set
out to find another of her own kind. It was a fantastic story, and I
was
sad to find that the writer moved almost entirely to Romance novels. I
searched for this book for more than 20 years before I found a copy
last
year, even tho I already knew the title and author.
Inheirt the Earth is the one! I feel like a piece of
my past has been put back together. After rereading the book this
weekend, it was very interesting to see how the details one remembers
mesh
with the rest of the story. Thank you so much.
Belden, Wilanne, Mindcall, Mind Find, Mind
Hold. I think you should
check
these out. I've read them and they have a very similar storyline
to your stumper. Mind Call starts out with the
girl
isolated from everyone, her brother eventually comes into the story to
help her. The others are about children with mind powers similar to
theirs.
The other possiblity could be The Girl with the Silver Eyes
by Willo Davis Roberts.
I forgot to put the twin girls/twin cats in time--I would have
read
it around 1943-45.
Charims (illustrator), Inky And
Pinky, 1936. New York: Grosset & Dunlap. 28 pages.
Jane
(good twin) & Judy (bad twin) have kittens. Judy is sometimes mean
to Inky.
H. E. Bates, Fair Stood The Wind For
France,
1975. Is this it? John Franklin was the name of the pilot. H.E.
Bates
is fairly well known he wrote the popular Darling Buds of May.
Penguin have just reprinted this in the Modern Classics series.
Robert Daley, The Innocents Within, 1999.
Kim Platt, Big Max.
Your description made me think of a book my daughter had when she was
little,
Big Max. He was a little guy, who wore a Sherlock Holmes hat and
cape, traveled by umbrella, and ONLY LOOKED AT THINGS THROUGH HIS
MAGNIFYING
GLASS, so he missed a lot of what went on around him. He was
called
the "world's greatest detective." I know this was an "I Can Read"
book and that there were several Big Max and the Mystery of the
.
. . books. Since I haven't seen them all, I don't know if
there was one with a dog and monsters.
I75 It might be worth looking at PROFESSOR
WORMBOG IN SEARCH FOR THE ZIPPERUMP-A-ZOO by Mercer Mayer.
The professor is looking for a specific monster, and meanwhile all
kinds
of monsters and things are going on around him and he doesn't notice.
The
cover does show him looking at a giant footprint while his companion
dog-sized
(but not a dog) monster looks at the monsters hovering behind the
professor.
It was recently republished. Not all the elements match, but take a
look
at the cover online.~from a librarian
George Mendoza and Peter Parnall, The
Inspector.(1970)
I had been searching for the specifics on this book for some time and
have
finally found them. It is a picture book by George Mendoza and
illustrated
by Peter Parnall. Happy to see I am not alone in my adoration of this
book!
George Mendoza and Peter Parnall, The Inspector, (1970).
The contributors listed in I75 have correctly identified the book I was
looking for. Thanks ever so much!
Probably Inside and Outside by Annette
Tison & Talus Taylor (who also did the Barbapapa books):
"Herbie and his dog look at many kinds of houses to find a style just
right
for a doghouse. Some ill. accompanied by superposed colored
transparent
overlays."
Tison, Annette & Taylor, Talus, inside
and outside. (1980)
C.E.
Merrill Pub Co Herbie and his dog look at many kinds of houses to find
a style just right for a doghouse. The catalog record says some
illustrations
are accompanied by superimposed coloured transparent overlays.
Part
of the "Color Magic Series"
Laurie and the Yellow Curtains.
Try this book, it is about a young girl who is friends with the
neighborhood
handyman, and follows him around on his Jobs. He builds a henhouse, a
doghouse,
etc., while the girl asks him to make it with a yellow door and yellow
curtains in the window. She is put out with him because he wont, and
explains
why each animal wants an ordinary house. Then the little girl goes
visiting,
and when she returns he has built a tree house in her backyard... with
a yellow door and yellow curtains of course! My old copy had a full
color
cover, but the illustrations inside the book were in tricolor black,
white,
and yellow.
Inside and Outside by Annette Tison & Talus Taylor.
This is the correct answer. The version I had was a hardcover
book
from the early 70's and not the 1980 version. Thanks to everyone.
I have this one sitting on my bookshelf right now. The title is Inside Out, and it is indeed by Ann M. Martin.
Nicholas Wilde, Into the Dark,
1987. Absorbing and suspenseful, this novel concerns a blind boy
who, vacationing on the English coast, meets a unique friend.
Nicholas Wilde, Into the Dark,
1987. Matthew is a blind boy who is bored on his summer vacation
at the shore, until he makes a new friend named Roly who has a
frightening
secret: he's a ghost.
Wilde, Nicholas, Into the Dark,
1987. Pretty sure this is the right one--the boy named Matt, the
ghost, it's all the same.
Into
the Dream
Book from Scholastic Book Club in early 80's. Plot involved
2 kids, (boy & girl) who attend the same school, both having
strange
recurring dreams in black and white of a bright light in the middle of
a field. Every night the dreams go a little further with more and more
detail. trying to figure out thier dreams they discover they were
both at a motel when they were young, where a ufo was reported. they
discover
a third child (much younger) who was unborn, but his pregnant
mother
was also at the motel, and is now very psychic. The government
(men
in black) are trying to kidnap the child. They discover the
dreams
are being broadcast by the young child's dog. Images in the
dream include the light in the middle of the field, a ferris wheel, a
lighted
sign ?"stardust"? and a sense of growing danger. Would really
love
to find the title of this book.
William Sleator, Into The Dream
William Sleator, Into the Dream,
2000, reprint. I loved this book too! I remembered the title and
looked up the author using the ubiquitous Amazon. Hope this helps!
---
book about a boy and a girl who
communicate telepathically. Their connection is their mother's
who were both at the stardust motel/hotel during a UFO landing.
for some reason i keep remembering an amusement park or ferris wheel. i
thought i might have imagined this, but my husband remembers it too! i
read it in the late 70's or early 80's.
William Sleator, Into the Dream, 1979, copyright. Two
schoolmates, Francine and Paul, find that they have been sharing the
same dream. It leads them to another telepathic boy named Noah who is
being chased by a secret government agency. The climax comes when the
agents catch up to them on top of a ferris wheel at an amusement park.
Keys,
Alexander, Escape to Witch Mountain, 1968, copyright. It sounds
a little like this or perhaps Zenna
Henderson's "People" stories...
William
Sleator, Into the Dream.
William
Sleater, Into the Dream,
1994, reprint. I can't beleive this! I told my sister about my
quest and she did a search on google and was directed to this
website...it has been solved by Loganberry Books and is filed under the
solved mysteries page IJ! This is such a great website!!
William Sleater, Into the Dream, 2000, reprint. I am a school
librarian. We have this book in our library, and I just reread
it. (I, too, remember this book from my childhood). You are
correct with just about everything you remember.
William
Sleator, Into the Dream,
1979. There's a ferris wheel on the cover, which may be why that
stands out so clearly!
Into
the Painted Bear Lair
This is a "time travel" book where a little boy crawls under a table
at a bookstore or toy store and is transported to a medieval kingdom
encountering
a female knight named Sir Rosemary. I don't recall whether "Sir
Rosemary"
appears in the title. It was a chapter book that I recall reading aloud
to a sixth grade class in 1977-78.
Pamela Stearns, Into the Painted Bear
Lair,1976.
Mark this one solved - I love this book. The boy crawls under a
table
in a toy shop (marked "Bear Lair"), and finds himself in another land
...
he befriends Sir Rosemary ( a female knight) and a bear, they go on a
quest,
etc. Houghton Mifflin.
Stearns, Pamela and Strugnell, Ann. Into
the Painted Bear Lair. Houghton
Mifflin, 1976. "Entering another world through a toy store,
Gregory
joins Sir Rosemary and a gourmet named Bear on a journey involving
princesses,
magic spells, and hidden passages."
Pamela Stearns, Into the Painted Bear Lair,
1976. '"Entering another world through a toy store, Gregory joins
Sir Rosemary and a gourmet named Bear on a journey involving
princesses,
magic spells and hidden passages."
Harriett apparently needs this book herself...
Dean Marshall, Invisible Island,
1948. Dean Marshall's INVISIBLE ISLAND, a classic
of
its kind. Plot summary online
here.
Hey, I never knew Dean Marshall was a woman! Thanks for the great
link.
L.M. Boston, Green Knowe series.
Reminds me a bit of the adventures Tolly had with Ping, etc. exploring
the waters around Green Knowe.(which one was that?) Stumper requester
might
look at T317 and see if that series looks familiar.
Wow, you guys are amazing, and so fast!
''The Invisible Island" is definitely it, and how cool that
there
are two others by the same author. I have been trying to remember
this title for 30 years. Now, I just have to find a copy for less
than $155 (what the cheapest used bookseller is listing it for). Thanks
again SO much, I am very grateful.
---
A family of children--oldest is a girl, and
there are maybe 2 others--camps out for the summer on an island on
their
new country property. The island is in a little brook that they dam up
to make swimming hole, and I think that isn't quite a real island as it
is divided from land on one side only by a tiny stream of water. There
are surprise gifts left by someone in the woods. I read the book in the
1950s or early 60s.
DEAN MARSHALL, INVISIBLE ISLAND.
IF THIS IS THE CORRECT BOOK, IT WAS ILLUSTRATED BY CHRISTINE PRICE AND
TAKES PLACE IN CONNECTICUT.
Irwin, Inez Haynes, Maida's Little Island.
Could this be it? Though, there are eight children in this
book.
It's been too many years since I read this to remember details, but
Maida
and her friends have a whole series of adventures (i.e. Maida's
Little
Shop, House, Camp, Zoo, etc.) thanks to Maida's father, who is
incredibly rich.
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island,
1948. This sounds like it could be it. Try
this link.
F209, The Four Story Mistake/Spiderweb
for Two. Could this have been more than one book? Elizabeth
Enright wrote a series about the Melendy children and I have seen
at
least one version which compiles all of the books into one
volume.
The Four Story Mistake includes a chapter where the
children
create a dam in order to dam up a brook to make a larger swimming hole.
Spiderweb
for Two is the story of a treasure hunt created by the older
ones
who are off at boarding school to keep their younger two siblings
occupied/from
missing them. It involves them finding clues both around their
house/property/barn
and in at least one instance that I recall, in the countryside around
it.
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island,
1948. This is definitely the book. I had it in the 1950s as
a Junior Literary Guild selection. Now my daughter has my copy
and
her son read it last summer! There was a sequel, Dig for a
Treasure. If you can find a copy of either book grab it!!
Invisible Island. The Invisible Island
is definitely it! Thanks!
---
Three siblings – I believe two boys and a girl – are on summer
vacation
from school. They go out the back door of their house, cross a creek at
the end of their backyard and set up a tent/camp on the other side. I
don't
remember much more but they had fun and felt grown up. I think
they
eventually brought their parents out to see their camp hideaway
although
at first they were trying to keep it secret. I believe I read the
book in the mid to late 1950s, but I don't remember the title or author
or details about the story. Just remember liking the book a lot.
Thank you for your help.
Arthur Ransome, Swallows and Amazons,
1930, copyright. The three Walker children sail a borrowed dinghy
to an island and camp there, but other than that the plot sounds very
similar.
Dean Marshall, The Invisible Island,
1948, copyright. This sounds like "The Invisible Island"
by Dean Marshall. The island is invisible because it's
really
just a section of land with creeks that flow on all sides, making it,
in
a way, an island. Four siblings set up a camp and have adventures
during the summer. Their parents let them alone but come to see
the
camp when it's all set. There are a couple of other books about these
children
too--they're a great read.
Arthur Ransome, Swallowdale,
1931, copyright. I agree that it's probably Arthur Ransome
but I think it is Swallowdale, the second book in the
series,
rather than Swallows and Amazons. The four kids who call
themselves Swallows set up a camp in a "hidden" valley. There is
definitely a creek which must be crossed, and they find a cave in the
valley
which they keep secret at first and then reveal. They also bring
parents
out to see the camp.
Dean Marshall, Invisible Island,
1948, approximate. Some elements are similar, you might want to
check
it out.
Did one of the girls in the story
have long braids, which she didn't unravel all summer? And at the
end of the summer, they had to cut off her hair, because the braids
were moldy? That's the part I remember the most, but the rest of
your memory sounds vaguely like the rest of the book. If so, it's
"The Paleface
Redskins" by Jacqueline Jackson,
published in 1958.
Dean
Marshall, The Invisible Island.
This may be the book - it has a title that would have appealed to me at
that time and there are similarities to what I remember. I found
a sample of this book on the Internet with a map of the island that
appeared inside the front cover of the book. I do remember that map so
I'm going to assume that this was the book. Thank you to all for
your suggestions!
The Invisible Man, 1933.
You're
probably thinking of The Invisible Man with Claude Rains. Once
he's
invisible, he wraps his face in gauze and only leaves a space for his
mouth
and eyes. Here's
an image...
This sounds like The Invisible Man,
1933, with Claude Rains. When his bandages are removed --he is
invisible!
Monica Hughes, Invitation to the game.
(1991) Found this description: In a future world, Lisse and seven
of her friends find themselves unemployed when they graduate from the
government
school. Sent to a Designated Area to live, the eight learn to
cooperate
and build a life for themselves, and then are invited to a mysterious
Game.
In the Game they must learn to survive. Each time they return from the
Game, they seek out new knowledge to help them proceed further the next
time. Two more friends from school are added to the group, one with
medical
knowledge and one from a farm. these skills complement those of
the
rest of the group. Then, one day, the Game becomes different instead of
returning when someone is in danger, or when they sleep, the Game goes
on. The group finally realizes that they have been sent to another
planet,
to survive there.
Monica Hughes, Invitation to the Game. That's it -
thank you so much!
---
I remember reading this book in a 7th grade
reading/language arts class. It was about a group of teenagers in a war
torn or crime ridden city. It was set in the future of course. There
were
all kinds of rules and regulations they had to follow. Some how they
got
involved in some kind of experiment where they would go in this room
and
basically learn new skills I guess. At the end of the story they end up
being sent to a new world to repopulate and basically restart society
all
over again and they find other groups of people who were sent to do the
same.
Monica Hughes, Invitation to the Game,
1991.
Sounds very much like this one.
Monica Hughes, Invitation to the Game,
1991. Yes, I'd say its defiantely this book. Still one of my favourite
light reading books :)
Monica Hughes, Invitation to the Game.
Yes! Invitation to the Game.
Elizabeth George Spear , The Witch of
Blackbird
Pond, 1958.
Probably not The Witch of Blackbird Pond,
since that wasn't about an indentured girl (although Kit does feel
repressed
by her relatives' Puritan community). If it was a French-speaking
girl, it could be Calico Bush by Rachel Field.
Nan Watson Denker, The Bound Girl,
1957. Some of the key elements I remember about this book (aside
from her having to work off her passage by becoming an indentured
servant)
include her having some jewelry, including a locket, that the family
she
was working for wouldn't let her wear because it was too worldly. Later
on in the book she saves their youngest daughter and they thank her by
letting her wear the locket with a lock of the daughter's hair in it. A
romance also develops between the bound girl and the son of the couple
she works for. I can't even remember the main character's name, but I
used
to love this book.
Clarke, Mary Stetson, The Iron Peacock,
1966. Could this be it? This is from the inside cover:
"Joanna
Sprague's last link with her happy, gracious life in England was broken
on a bleak and stormy day in 1650 when her father was buried at
sea.
He died on the voyage that was to take them, refugees from Cromwell's
persecution...to
a new life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Now at the age of 16,
penniless
and alone, Joanna faced life as a bondservant, for her father had been
unable to pay the full cost of their passage...But there was little to
comfort her in the austere Puritan way of life at Hammersmith..."
Things do get better eventually for Joanna, and the book ends with her
finding a measure of contentment in her new country. The dust
jacket
of the book, printed in mostly white, blue and brown, does show a young
woman walking through the Hammersmith settlement.
Clarke, Mary Stetson, The Iron Peacock,
1966. Yes! This is the book I was looking for. Thank you so
much!!!
What a lot of time this would have saved me if I had found your web
site
sooner. Thanks.
Sean Morrison, Is That a Happy
Hippopotamus?,
1966.
This looks like quite a likely prospect for this book. "When
there
is a large thumping, the question is asked who is it and various
animals
are expected, until the end!"
M157: Richard Scarry, 1964, Is This the House of Mistress Mouse? (Yes, that's the whole title.)
|
Condition Grades |
Scarry, Richard. Is This the House of Mistress Mouse? Illustrated by Richard Scarry. Golden Press, 1964, thirteenth printing, 1979. A board book with a cut-out hole with fuzz on last page (end of hole). Spiral bound. Ink scribbles on four pages. G only. $25 |
|
Silver, Jody, Isadora. Doubleday, 1981. "A lady donkey who buys a red feather boa instead of a toaster comes to terms with her sense of frivolity."
Steven Kellogg wrote a book about mice
that travel on a boat called The Isle of the Skog.
I don't remember if it involved desert, but I know it would be easy to
get ahold of to check.
M56 marshmallow cheesecake: long shot, perhaps
Tim
Mouse Goes Down the Stream, written and illustrated by
Judy
Brook, published Lothrop Lee & Shepard 1975. "When Willy
Frog
is captured by fierce river rats, Tim Mouse sets sail on his little
raft
to the rescue. A tale of courage in an enchanting pastoral setting.
Ages
5-8" (HB Oct/75 p.530 pub ad)
M56 marshmallow cheesecake: might be worth
looking
at Mouse and Mole's Great Race by Diane Redfield
Massie,
published Weekly Reader Book Club 1982. "Very cute story. Sometimes
between friends someone doesn't play fair and that's when trouble
beginds.
Look at how Rat cheats to win the boat race! However as in this story
justice
usually wins." The cover shows the boats on a stream with the boat
in the foreground being a raft with a sail.
This couldn't be Bunny Cakes by
Rosemary
Wells. Two bunnies are making two birthday cakes for Grandma- Max
wants
an earthworm cake and Ruby is making an angel surprise cake with
raspberry-fluff
frosting! Over and over Max gets in the way in the kitchen and tips
things
over. He is sent to the market each time for eggs, milk etc. Each time
he adds his own item "Red-Hot Marshmallow Squirters" (in crayon
scribbles)
to Ruby's list.Grocer can't read his writing! In the end Grandma gets
her
two cakes and can't decide which to eat!
Steven Kellogg, The Island of the Skog.
This book must be it- the first page talks about the mice having
dessert "Hot marshmallow cheese cake with raspberry fudge sauce".
The book is about a group of mice sailing away on a boat to an
island.
There is no recipe for the dessert in the copy I have but I believe it
is the book that is being sought.
Harry Mazer, The Island Keeper. This is it! The girl's name was Cleo...
B338 Prob not the right Blackie: Palazzo,
Tony, Bianco and the new world. illus by
Tony Palazzo. Viking, 1957 burros; Italy; Sicily; circus; horse:
Blackie; juvenile fiction
Walter Farley, The Island Stallion Races.
This is one of Walter Farley's Island Stallion series, and has
science-fiction
elements. Jay and Flick are aliens who help Steve bring his horse
Flame to Cuba to participate in a race.
Walter Farley, The Island Stallion Races
(and others), 1950s. Jay and Flick were the two aliens in The
Island Stallion Races by Walter Farley, who also wrote
many
Black Stallion books and a few other Island Stallion books. I
loved
these as a child, and this particular one did have a magical feel to it.
Hi, I'm the person who suggested The
Island
Stallion Races. Just wanted to add that the shipwreck and
the black horse come from Farley's better-known Black
Stallion
series, so the original poster may wish to check both!
Thomas Baum, It looks alive to me!,
1976. "The exhibits at the Museum of Natural History come alive
as
a young boy searches during the night for the stolen moon rock."
It's
Murder at St. Basket's
I m trying to find the title / author of a
preteen books that maybe you or your fans can help me locate. I read it
in the 1976-79 year range. Took place in a boarding school
and was about the strange, mysterious happenings there. I thought the
title
had the name of the school in it.
B65 could be Down a Dark Hall by
Lois
Duncan
Could this be Down a Dark Hall
by Lois Duncan? In that book, a rather sinister woman enrolls 4
girls with "psychic" abilities in a boarding school. Somehow, the woman
is able to use the girl to channel historical figures--one girl is able
to play the piano like Schumann, one girl is able to paint, one does
mathematics.
The woman's plan was to take the art or songs produced by the girls and
pass them off as "lost compositions" or "lost masterpieces." It was my
favorite Lois Duncan book--very creepy.
B65 my first thought was the Macdonald
Hall books by Gordon Korman, but those seem to have
been
published in the 80s.
I reread Down a Dark Hall and it is
a great book but not the one I was looking for this time. I remember it
being a boys' boarding school and one of the mishaps was someone
breaking
their leg (which I believe was the pic on the cover of the hb). The
other
guess isn't it either, written too early and this was more of a mystery
book.
How about It's Murder st St. Basket's (1972)
by James Lincoln Collier. The setting is an ancient London
boarding
school and involves three new friends: an American ,Christopher Quincy,
an English student, Leslie Plainfield, and David Choudhry, a
Pakistani."
A truly macabre and dangerous situation is building up" at this
seemingly
traditional educational institution.
James Lincoln Collier, It's Murder at St.
Basket's. This book is about
3 friends in an English boarding school, one of whom gets his leg
broken
by a teacher with a hockey stick. The picture on the cover of the
book shows 2 boys, one of whom has an injured leg.
Andrew Lang, The Red Fairy Book.
Here's the table of contents from the online version at the Gutenberg
site: The Twelve Dancing Princesses,
The Princess Mayblossom, Soria Moria Castle, The Death of Koschei the
Deathless,
The Black Thief and Knight of the Glen, The Master Thief, Brother and
Sister,
Princess Rosette, The Enchanted Pig, The Norka, The Wonderful Birch,
Jack
and the Beanstalk, The Little Good Mouse, Graciosa and Percinet, The
Three
Princesses of Whiteland, The Voice of Death, The Six Sillies, Kari
Woodengown,
Drakestail, The Ratcatcher, The True History of Little Goldenhood, The
Golden Branch, The Three Dwarfs, Dapplegrim, The Enchanted Canary, The
Twelve Brothers, Rapunzel, The Nettle Spinner, Farmer Weatherbeard,
Mother
Holle, Minnikin, Bushy Bride, Snowdrop, The Golden Goose, The Seven
Foals,
The Marvellous Musician, The Story of Sigurd.
Nope... not the "Red Fairy Book".. Although
there are some stories that are similar in "The Red Fairy Book" to to
stories
that I am looking for, my quarry had fewer stories, and many of the
story
names/plots were subtly different. I have remembered that very first
story
in the book was "The Wonder Stone", and there were approximately a
dozen
stories in the whole book.
Ruth Manning-Sanders, A book of Wizards,1966.
I don't know if this will help but this was a paperback book reprinted
in 1977 by piccolo but first published by methuen in the uk. It has the
story Long, Broad and Sharpsight (aparently a Bohemian fairytale) in it
along with Aniello, Aladin, Kojata etc.
Oh boy, I found it!!! The cover is exactly as
described! Your memory is perfect! IT MUST BE MAGIC by Miriam
Blanton Huber and Frank Seely Salisbury, illustrared by Florence
and
Margaret Hoopes.( Row,Peterson and Company) 1953 (mine is a 1957
printing)
It is stated this is Book Four of the Wonder-Story Books, A Unit of the
Reading Foundations Program. That would make it part of the Alice and
Jerry
Reading curriculum, I believe. Perhaps an enrichment or supplementary
reader!
Yipee!! I'll add a little additional info in case this is someone
else's much loved book! It does, indeed, begin with The Wonder Stone,
followed by The Frog Prince, The Doll-in-the Grass, Mr. Possum, Ton
Tit Tot, The Squire's Bride, Good-Man on the Hillside, and Little Man
in
the Red Jacket. Eight more stories with Young Paul Bunyan
being
the last selection! Hope this helps others.
Norma Klein,
It's Not What You Expect.
There
is a 14-year-old boy who is a gourmet chef...Carla, his twin sister,
has
a vocabulary that would intimidate some of the most astute college
professors...
Norma Klein. I half remmber this one and
think it might be one of Norma Kleins many books. I have not
been
able to find a soruce that describes the titles enough, but perhaps
this
will be a start.
N.M. Bodecker (translator &
illustrator),
It's
Raining Said John Twaining, Danish Nursery Rhymes, 1973. One of
the poems in this book starts like this: "There once was a King who had
three daughters. The oldest he called Sip! The second he
called
Sip sippernip! But the youngest of all he called Sip sippernip
sip
sirumsip!" It goes on to tell of a neigboring king with 3 sons,
Skrat,
Skrat skratterat, and Skrat skratterat skrat skrirumskrat, and the
inevitable
weddings, ending up with "and Sipsippernipsipsirumsip got
Skratskratteratskratskrirumskrat.
As simple as that!"
Well, it's not The 3 princes of Serendip
[luckily - since it is expensive]. Google says: SERENDIPITY (from The
American
Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 3rd Edition) The
faculty
of making fortunate discoveries by accident. [From the characters
in the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip,
from Persian Sarandip, Sri Lanka, from Arabic Sarandib]
Sirip. Had to laugh when I saw
this one, kept looking past it but thinking to myself how as children
in
the car, my sister and I imitated the windshield wipers saying
"Sirip...
Sirip... Sirip..." Drove Mom crazy! Turns out your book title does have
to do with 'wain' :)
J.T.
I read this book in the 1970s while I was in grammar school.
It's the story of an African American boy who finds a cat, can't take
it
home so makes it a home in an abandoned stove in what I'm pretty sure
was
a junk yard (he even put an umbrella over the stove to keep the rain
out.
One day, some mean boys find the cat and torture it (I believe the cat
dies). The book was illustrated (black and white photographs) and
though
I can't remember the title, just thinking about the book moves me to
tears.
The book even appeared as a film strip in the library...so it must've
been
somewhat popular (right?)
I believe this is J.T. written by Jane Wagner, 1969
(of Lily Tomlin's In Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the
Universe fame), with photographs by Gordon Parks.
Neville, Emily, It's Like This, Cat. I
see there's a solution up for this, and I can't be sure of my answer
either,
but it could be worth a look.
#B125--Boy finds cat: This is definitely
NOT It's Like This, Cat, by Emily Cheney Neville.
That boy did live in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of New York, but he
was white. The cat was given him by a neighbor, not found, and he
kept it at home. His father wasn't thrilled about the
arrangement,
but the cat was never evicted or kept outside anyplace. There was
one scene when the cat got out and the boy was teased by bullies while
carrying it home, but the cat was never killed or seriously
harmed.
I forgot to mention it is also not illustrated with photographs.
All I can add to this is that I recall seeing
an adaptation of the story on television around Christmas. The
boy
and his mother are having trouble getting along, both getting by and
with
each other. J.T. has been "charging" cans of tuna at the corner
store
to feed the cat. The Mother comes through in the end gives him a kitten
for a Christmas present.
Jack
and Jill Visit the Zoo
Around 1944/45 my mother bought me a book in Boston, Mass. It was
about a visit to the zoo by a boy and
girl.
Probably 16 pages with soft cover rather taller than wide, possibly 1
foot
high. The front was predominantly light ochre in colour. It might have
had a die cut outline. The cover had a pile of rock around and opening
with die cut bars so you could see between them into the cage of the
gorilla
who was sitting inside on the next page. There were giraffe houses with
tall roofs on later pages and it ended with monkeys all over a peanut
cart
stealing paper bags, with zig-zag edges at the opening, full of
peanuts.
A pointer to publishers of such die cut books at the time would help.
There
was text but not much.
This might be Leo Mero, Jack &
Jill
Visit the Zoo (Whitman Publishing,'40). Die cut scenes, 12-15"
tall.
How Amazing! Talk about Cast Bread .
. . . I am sure that is right. It would have been in stock after
a few years in the war and my mother gave me some other Whitman books
too.
My Goodness ,want want want. I had given up on it. Please
let
it not be the case that AlephBet books buy this kind because the price
will be out of this world. At very worst I may be able to get a colour
xerox of it from somewhere. Or have you got a copy? I will look at my
list
and put some more up I think! Many thanks for letting me know!
Well, I finally got a xerox of Jack
and Jill visit the Zoo. At first
I wasn't sure, the cover was not as I had recalled it, the cage bars
had
become a kind of lattice work at the zoo entrance. No gorilla, but
there
was the giraffe house with the peaked roof and bellpull and the peanut
bags and the monkeys at the end, though not with the vendor.
However,
it looked so 1930ish, I kept wondering whether I was just imagining
this
to be it. Then I looked at the elephant and I knew the
identifiaction
was right. Up welled the old feeling of shock that the elephant
was
eating his food off the FLOOR and, my goodness, the keeper was EATING
one
of the elephant's carrots. I hope he washed it. Yup, that
is
the book. Well done, only about half my clues were right!!
Kitt, tamara, Jake, 1969.
An easy-to-read retelling in rhyme of the old folktale about the
simple-minded
son who does exactly what his mother says--but in the wrong situations.
Illustrated by Brinton Turkle.
Tamara Kitt, Jake,
1969. This book is definitely Jake by Tamara
Kitt.
It is about a son who follows his mother's instructions, but always in
the wrong situations. No doubt about it.
I read this book to my daughter just the other
night. It is James the Jaguar by Mary Lystad,
illustrated by Cyndy Szekeres. Published by G.P. Putnam's
Sons.
Copyright 1972. LC # 76-187562. It is also identified as
coming
from The Weekly Reader's Book Club. I bought my copy at a garage sale
or
library book sale. I did a search, and it doesn't seem to be in
print.
D6 dress-up baby brother: more on the suggested
- James the Jaguar, by Mary Lystad, published
New
York, Putnam's 1972, Weekly Reader, 24 pages. "Charming color
illustrations
by Cyndy Szekeres on every page highlight this story that tells of
young
James who is constantly picked on by his older sisters. When his uncle
sends him a jaguar suit, James is transformed into a strong willed
jaguar
who sets his sisters straight."
Jane-Emily
S60 Supernatural Thriller with Female Teen
Protagonist--I
think this must be JANE-EMILY by Patricia Clapp,
1969.
The female teen goes with her young niece stay with a family in
Massachusetts.
In the garden, there is a reflecting ball. The ghost of a spoiled young
girl is trapped in the reflecting ball.
S60 sounds like Jane-Emily
published
in 1969 by Patricia Clapp. Louisa, the main character, is
18 and is sent to accompany her niece Jane to her grandmother's house,
where Jane becomes possessed by her dead aunt Emily. Emily had a
reflecting ball in the garden.
Thank you a ton for this service!! The
responses to S60 (my request) were right. I have spent a year trying to
figure this out without success asking everyone I know. I
absolutely
am addicted to your site now. Only wishing your store was in my town!
Thank you so much! I have been looking
for this book for so long and I am so thrilled. Your website is a
life-saver!!
---
G82: I'm sure it was from Scholastic Books. It was about
a girl at her grandmother's house for the summer (?) and there
was
a doll that belonged to her grandmother. There was a button jar
that
later turned out to have the original doll's eyes in it. There
was
a gazing ball in the yard. The doll was evil (?) and made the gazing
ball
blow up. Then the evil was gone.
Aaahhh!! Synchronicity!! I can't solve the
puzzle,
but I'm very interested in finding the answer! This is a book plot that
has been running in my head for YEARS, but no one could ever give me
the
title---much less even say that they had read such a book. I've
just
returned this evening from my first kid-lit book club meeting, where I
asked my usual question: "Anyone read the book about the little girl
and
the haunted witch ball in the garden?" No reply, but one woman pointed
me to your website and suggested I post the question there. This is my
first visit to your website and what is the first thing I see? "Book
Stumper
of the Week---Gazing Ball"!! I'm stunned. This means something--I know
it. I am finally meant to find the book again after all the years!
Can't
wait to see the answer! Thanks!
I can't think of the title, but if it is the
book I am thinking of, here are more clues: It is an historical novel,
taking place in the administration of President Taft. It is
horror.
A little girl and young woman stay at a house with a gazing ball in the
garden. A young doctor's little girl friend is a ghost with long
curly black hair. At the end, the young woman runs out to the
garden
and breaks the gazing ball, thus stopping the ghost's revenge, and
saving
the little girl's life. The problem is, this seemed to be a
romance
novel for older girls, since the young doctor and young woman date each
other, plus I don't remember a doll!
Clapp, Patricia, Jane-Emily.
A gazing ball is a major part of this supernatural type juvenile book.
Lunn, Janet, Twin Spell (Double
Spell), 1969, (1968). I think the original poster is
conflating
THREE books: 1) Jane-Emily (which is definitely the
answer
to the second and third poster's stumper - excellent plot description
btw)
2) Magic Elizabeth by Norma Kassirer Summary:
Sally
goes to live with her stern Aunt Sarah and finds an old doll in the
attic.
She travels back in time to experience three of the doll's original
owner's
days - another Sally - who turns out to be none other than her (now
thawing)
Aunt Sarah 3) Twin Spell by Janet Lunn
(originally
published in Canada as Double Spell in 1968) Cover text
of
my Dell Yearling copy: "Jane and Elizabeth were almost drawn to the
antique store where they bought the old doll. Afterward nothing was the
same. And, when they moved to Aunt Alicia's house where the doll
'seemed
to belong', the twin terrors began. The girls began to have similar
dreams
and to feel the possession within them of a cruel person long dead.
Stranger
and stranger occurrences plagued their lives as they sought out the
ghostly
secret. Then in an explosive climax, the dreaded terror revealed
itself."
Ginnie and the Mystery Doll (C
1960) by Catherine Woolley.Ginnie takes her find Geneva on her
family
vacation to Cape Cod. The girls get friendly with a Miss Wade who lives
in a neighboring cottage. Miss Wade once had an old doll from Paris
named
Miss Vanderbilt that had belonged to her mother. It had mysteriously
disappeared
years ago. At an auction the girls spot the doll and spend the rest of
the story trying to track it down. While at this same auction Ginnie
bids
on a big jar of buttons for her mom. Later they discover Miss
Vanderbilt's
conch pearl necklace in this jar.( very valuable) The gazing ball-evil
doll part of the recollection is not here at all. I think the
posted
must be combining events from two books.
There is a book by Ruth Arthur called
A
Candle in her Room. This has an evil doll called Dido who has
been
handed down and has frightened other family members who have
owned
her. I can't remember a gazing ball in it though.
Patricia Clapp, Jane-Emily. The
button dolls eyes in a jar I think must be from a different book. But
the
child staying for the summer, the evil garden ball (which is destroyed
at the end), and all of the following: "I can't think of the title, but
if it is the book I am thinking of, here are more clues: It is an
historical
novel, taking place in the administration of President Taft. It
is
horror. A little girl and young woman stay at a house with a
gazing
ball in the garden. A young doctor's little girl friend is a
ghost
with long curly black hair. At the end, the young woman runs out
to the garden and breaks the gazing ball, thus stopping the ghost's
revenge,
and saving the little girl's life. The problem is, this seemed to
be a romance novel for older girls, since the young doctor and young
woman
date each other" are DEFINITELY from Jane-Emily.
---
I read this paperback book in the very
early eighties. It was about a young girl who finds herself haunted by
the spirit of a very beautiful but spoiled girl from the past
(Victorian?) who died by deliberately soaking herself and then sitting
by an open window. Spoiled and trying, I think, to make her suitor
jealous, she thought she would get ill and make him worry but instead
caught pneumonia and died. It was really frightening: she becomes
jealous of the main character and tries to kill her. I think the girl
keeps seeing the reflection of the evil spirit in mirrors of the house
and if I remember correctly the book cover was pink and blue (I want to
say Dell Yearling paperback but that could be totally off). Any help
would be HUGELY appreciated: have checked your website and it is not Elizabeth, Elizabeth, or A Sound of Crying. Thank you!!
Clapp, Patricia, Jane-Emily, 1969,
approximate. This certainly sounds like the book you are looking
for. It has been recently reissued. Lots of informtion on the solved mystery
page.
Patricia
Clapp, Jane-Emily.
This is definitely the book. Louisa goes to stay with the mother
of her brother-in-law, who along with Louisa's sister died in a
carriage accident. Jane is Louisa's orphaned niece, who is being
haunted by Emily, the grandmother's daughter who died in childhood in
the way that you described. It is definitely a scary
book! I made the mistake of reading it for the first time when I
was alone in the house on a stormy night.
Pamela
Sykes, Mirror of Danger / Come
Back, Lucy.
Maybe? Check the solved stumpers.
Dorothy
Macardle, The Uninvited.
This sounds a lot like the plot of the movie The Uninvited (1944 version), which
was based on a book by Dorothy Mcardle. (Also goes by the title Uneasy Freehold.)
I saw the movie as a kid, and I remember the pneumonia/open window
thing gave me nightmares for a while. It's a long shot, though, since I
don't think this was a children's book.
Clapp,
Patricia, Jane-Emily,
1969. This sounds like Jane-Emily but
instead of mirrors in the house there is a gazing ball in the
garden. "This 1969 psychological horror story is reminiscent of
Henry James's The Turn of the Screw. Eighteen-year-old Louisa Amory is
off to spend the summer with her aunt and young niece, Jane, who has an
invisible friend, Emily. Seems innocent enough, until Louisa learns
that Emily was a real girl who died in the house years ago but maybe
never quite left."
Pamela
Sykes, Mirror of Danger (aka Come
Back, Lucy), 1974, copyright. "11-year-old Lucy was
brought up by her eccentric aunt to love all things Victorian. When her
aunt dies and she has to move in with modern and loud (though very
friendly) relatives, she can’t handle both her grief and the stress of
change, and pulls away from her new would-be family. A little girl who
lived in the same house in the 1870s, Alice, can peer into/haunt the
future house and has become determined to make Lucy her playmate...
forever."
Patricia
Clapp, Jane-Emily,
1969, approximate. "Emily was a selfish, willful, hateful child
who died before her thirteenth birthday. But that was a long time ago.
Jane is nine years old and an orphan when she and her young Aunt Louisa
come to spend the summer at Jane's grandmother's house, a large,
mysterious mansion in Massachusetts. Then one day . . . Jane stares
into a reflecting ball in the garden—and the face that looks back at
her is not her own. Many years earlier, a child of rage and
malevolence lived in this place. And she never left. Now Emily has dark
plans for little Jane—a blood-chilling purpose that Louisa, just a girl
herself, must battle with all her heart, soul, and spirit . . . or she
will lose her innocent, helpless niece forever." This is absolutely
your book! I distincly remember the part of her dying by catching a
self-inflicted cold.
Patricia
Clapp, Jane-Emily,
1970s, approximate. It might be this book; Jane goes to her
grandmother's house and is haunted by the spirit of her dead aunt
Emily, who died after dumping water on herself and then sitting in
front of an open window in the cold.
Patricia
Clapp, Jane-Emily,
1969. This sounds like Jane-Emily...a
very creepy ghost story. Louisa and her niece Jane go to spend
the summer with Jane's grandmother, and Jane starts to talk about
Emily. Emily starts to dominate Jane, and terrorize Louisa (who's
falling in love with her childhood sweetheart) until Louisa figures out
what's going on. It turned out that Emily was her grandmother's
daughter, who died before Jane was born, exactly the way you remember.
Patricia
Clapp, Jane Emily.
This is definitely JANE EMILY. Check it under solved
stumpers. Many have wondered about it, it is one of the more
popular ones! I read it in the 1970s and was scared silly by the
final scene with the gazing ball in the garden.
Patricia
Clapp, Jane-Emily.
This sounds a lot like "Jane-Emily"
because Jane becomes possessed by the spirit of her dead aunt, Emily,
who becomes jealous of Jane's aunt Louisa's relationship with a doctor,
Adam. Emily died because she sat in front of a window during a
storm to catch a cold so Adam and his father, also a doctor, would come
visit her. Jane sees Emily's reflection in a mirrored ball that's
in the garden of her grandmother's house.
Patricia
Clapp, Jane-Emily,
1969, copyright. Jane-Emily is a
classic ghost story set in 1912. It is now available in reprint by
HarperCollins. The story is about a selfish young girl named Emily who
died years earlier of pneumonia due to her own willfulness. Emily's
spirit has never left the house. Years later, Jane visits her
grandmother's mansion for the summer. Jane becomes increasingly aware
of Emily's evil spirit. One day Jane looks into the reflecting ball in
the garden and sees Emily's face. Emily is jealous of the life she
never had and wants to destroy Jane. Emily also wants to end the
romance between Jane's Aunt Louisa and Adam, who she loved as a child.
Still a good read, a chilling ghost story.
Thank
you so much for your wondeful service - the book I have been looking
for for YEARS is indeed Jane-Emily!
I have put the new edition on my birthday list and can't wait to be
scared silly again. Thank you to everyone who sent it the suggestions
(funnily enough I have just read Come
Home Lucy - really good and would recommend!) Please post my
thanks and looking forward to spending more time on your site - have
already discovered many new books that sound so interesting!
---
The second book was a slimmish
paperback book read during the same time. It was a ghost story. The
cover showed a Victorian house with a girl, in a nightgown or that type
of dress, I believe. At some point in the story there was the mention
of pneumonia, or a girl becoming very ill from being dunked in water
and then standing in a window and catching a chill. I remember the book
being "just the right amount" of scary. Not too much, not too little.
Clapp, Patricia, Jane-Emily. See Solved Mysteries.
Patricia Clapp, Jane-Emily,
1969. Isn't this Jane-Emily?
There's a lot about it on the Solved I-J
page, also Stumpers
E-F -- check there and see if the descriptions match up.
Patricia
Clapp, Jane-Emily,
1969, copyright. This sounds like Jane-Emily. It's
on the solved mysteries J page.
Clapp,
Patricia,
Jane-Emily. This
sounds a lot like Jane-Emily. Its on the solved
mystery pages.
This could be Jane-Emily, by Patricia Clapp again. Check
the solved mysteries!
Jane-Emily. Yes! It is Jane-Emily! The minute I saw the
title I remembered it. Thank you!
Kathryn Worth, They loved to laugh,
1942 (and reprinted). You might want to give this one a
try.
I haven't read it yet, as I've ordered it and am still waiting for its
arrival as a possible solution to my own stumper (G254). Your
description
sounds quite a bit like the online ones I have read and it's on the
solved
mysteries pages under "T" on this site.
Elizabeth Janet Gray aka Elizabeth
Gray Vining, Jane Hope, 1933. This book is definitely
Jane
Hope by Elizabeth Jane Gray. Jane Hope is a
tomboy
from Philadelphia whose Yankee father has died, and she moves back to
the
Carolinas with her mother, her sister Mary Louise, and her brother
Pierce
to live with with her maternal grandparents shortly before the Civil
War.
The snipe hunt is there, the balls, her mother being courted by the
local
doctor, Jane Hope breaking her wrist climbing the grape arbor, etc.
Elizabeth Jane Grey, Jane Hope, 1933. Yes, I am sure
Jane
Hope is the book I was looking for! The name even sounds
familiar
now that it's been suggested. Now to find a copy! Thanks.
Gathorne-Hardy, Jonathan, Jane's
Adventures
on the Island of Peeg.
London,
Ross, 1968. There can't be too many stories with this plot!
"Jarred
loose from the ocean floor by a tremendous explosion, an island
occupied
by a young girl and her two companions floats out to sea under the
command
of two British sailors who believe that World War II is still in
progress."
Just wanted to let you know that indeed this
is the right book for my stumper, Operation Peeg. The first
title
you listed, Jane's Adventures on the Island of Peeg didn't
sound
right, but the description couldn't possibly be anything other than
what
I was looking for. As I was trying to find it in our university system
libraries, I found out that it went
by the Operation Peeg name as well,
and it compeltely clicked. I can even picture the title on the dust
jacket
that my school library had! One of the libraries indeed had it, and I
got
to read it last night. None of it seemed familiar, so it was delightful
to read it again having no idea how it would turn out! Thank you so
much
for finding this for me. Last year, I asked some librarian friends for
help with no luck. I will be telling them about your site!
T-9 This story appeared in Cricket
Magazine. I remember it. I believe her name was
Janet,
and she lived in Ireland with her two brothers and grandma and
grandpa.
Their farm was called "Faraway Farm" or something similar, and
she
had another adventure where her brother George told her not to look in
the well or she'd see a horrible creature I can't remember the name
of.it.
Thank you for this response from Cyberspace. Did the story
appear in Cricket Magazine recently? If not, do you
remember
roughly when? Years ago, or months ago? I will contact
them.
I'm so thrilled that someone actually remembers this story!
It was Janet of Reachfar, I
remember
now. It appeared in Cricket magazine in the late 70's,
maybe
78 or 79. Gosh, I hope I'm remembering right! If it's
not the right series, then it's terribly similar. I still
remember
the pictures of the girl leading the cow past the stones.
Janet of Reachfar - There was a whole series
of about 20 books by Jane Duncan called My Friend ...
written for adults but with the main character Janet Sandison whose
childhood
had been spent at the family
croft/smallholding called Reachfar in
north-eastern
Scotland (not Ireland). Three stories of Janet's childhood were
rewritten for children and published as picture
books with illustrations by Mairie Hedderwick. They were: Janet
Reachfar and Chickabird, Janet Reachfar
and the Kelpie and Herself and Janet Reachfar.
In
that part of Scotland people were often called after their property
rather
than having their surname used when people spoke of them. Jane Duncan
wrote
a kind of autobiography, Letter From Reachfar in which
she
indicates which bits of the My Friend and Janet
Reachfar
books are autobiographical and which imaginary.
Janice
in Tomorrowland
Well, here's another case of trying to find a book with part of
my brain left back in the 60's... The book was called Janice
(Janet?) in Tomorrowland (I think). J. went up (down?) the
fire
escape to visit the professor and went (was sent?) to the
future.
Clearest memory is of her room in the future: the ceiling Showed the
night
sky and various pictures... My fifth grade teacher
promised
that if she were ever to get rid of it, it would be mine, but when I
went
back for it after my junior year of college, she had retired and gotten
rid of all the classroom books. Author, anyone?
Janice in Tomorrow-land by Emory
Holloway published in 1936 by the American Book Company.
WOW! Thank you! Another grateful book lover applauds
you! Do you know of anyone currently having Janice in
stock?
Many thanks!
Eric Quayle, The Shining Princess and
Other
Japanese Legends, 1989. Is there any chance that you could be
mistaken
about the date? Because Eric Quayle's book, beautifully
illustrated
in soft watercolors by Michael Forman, is otherwise a pretty good
match.
The front cover shows the princess in an elegant yellow kimono,
floating
through the sky, with a mountain below her and the moon in the
background.
The book also includes the story of Momotaro (the Peach Boy, or Peach
Warrior),
"The Ogre of Rashomon," and seven other Japanese fairy tales. If
this isn't the version you're looking for, it might at least help your
search to know that the story of the Moon Princess, who is found inside
a stalk of bamboo by the bamboo cutter and raised as his daughter, is
also
called Kaguyahime ("The Shining Princess") and Taketori ("The Bamboo
Cutter").
I do not have the answer, but I believe I also
had this book as a child. It was the largest book on my
bookshelf.
Requester has timeframe right, I had this book in the late 60s/early
70s.
I believe it had a generic sort of title, like "Japanese Folk Tales" or
"Stories of Japan." It also included Urashima Taro (I remember
the
illustration of the man riding the back of the turtle in a loincloth,
how
risque! -- this may have been the back cover), The Man Who Made the
Trees
Bloom (the story of the white dog, Shiro, this one was illustrated with
a man holding the bowl of ashes, balancing legs-spread in a cherry
blossom
tree while the nobleman rode a horse below) and The Tongue-Cut Sparrow.
Shirley Goulden, Tales from Japan,
1961. This might be the one you're looking for. It's a large,
hardcover
volume of Japanese Fairy Tales, illustrated by Benvenuti. Stories
are: The Great Timimoto, The Fisherman's Gift, The Odd Oyster, The Moon
Child, The Special Sparrow, Nymph of the Pugi Mountains, The Greedy
Polecat,
The Dancing Tea-Urn, The Maker of Flowering Blossoms.
Mildred Marmur (editor), Japanese
Fairy Tales, 1960. Might be worth checking out. This is a
large, hardcover book from Golden Press (A Giant Golden Book),
illustrated
by Benvenuti. Stories include: The Story of Issoumbochi, The
Legend
of Urashima, Sima Who Wore the Big Hat, The Story of Hime, The Sparrow
Whose Tongue Was Cut Out, The Magic Veil, The Wicked Polecat, The
Dancing
Teapot, The Man Who Made the Trees Bloom.
Here are a few possibilities, though the last
one is from a later time period: Japanese Fairy Tales by
Marmur,
Mildred. Folk tales of old Japan by
Shirane,
Mitsuo. Contents: The peach boy, The old man who had his wen
removed
by goblins, The crab's revenge, A fisherman and the sea princess, The
rabbit
and the raccoon dog, The old man who made dead trees bloom, The old
couple
and the sparrow, A midget who defeated goblins, The grateful raccoon
dog,
The story of a grateful crane, The Japanese cornucopia, The magic hood,
The man who married a heavenly maiden, The old man and his affectionate
son, Gengoro's ascent to heaven, Princess from the moon. Japanese
Tales and legends by McAlpine, Helen. Contents: The
birth
of Japan, The luck of the sea and the luck of the mountain, Tales of
the
Heike, The Peach boy, The old man who made the trees bloom, The young
Urashima.
The vanishing rice-straw coat, The tale of Princess Kaguya, The
tongue-cut
sparrow, The lucky tea-kettle.
I'm not the original requester, I'm the second
replyer! The Marmur is the book I had, and there's a photo on
your
site:
http://www.loganberrybooks.com/kidcat-big-golden.html
I hope it is the one the requester is searching for, too.
Applause
to the person who submitted the solution.
Thank you SO much--this is indeed the book
I had as a child. I'm very pleased to have found the info--will
be
looking to find one to purchase. Thanks again VERY much.
B117 boy in outer space: I just picked this up
at a consignment store - Jed's Junior Space Patrol: a Science
Fiction
Easy-to-read, by Jean and Claudio Marzollo, pictures by
David S. Rose, published Dial Press 1982, 56 pages. In chapter 1, Help!
Jed and his parents land on Planet X5. Jed hears a call for help and
explores
a cave. "He saw a strange animal lying under a rock. He could tell that
it was hurt. It talked without moving its mouth. "Please," said the
animal.
"Take care of my babies." The animal died before it could say more."
The
babies are 'cogs' something like cats and something like dogs. Jed
takes
the animals to the ship, but a Planet X5 patrolman takes them away to
study
at Headquarters. Jed's parents give him a "teddy robot computer. It's
programmed
to take care of you and to be your friend." The robot is a large teddy
bear, about the same height as Jed but wider, with wheels on its feet
and
antennae. A printout comes out of Teddy's nose (I'm not making this up)
telling Jed how to find the cogs at Headquarters, and boy and robot go
on a rescue mission. I think this is it.
I love that little rhyme myself. I think
it appears in Eloise Wilkins' Good Little Bad Little Girl (A
Little Golden Book), but it must appear in other places too. I
think
it's one of those common-domain old-as-the-hills kinds of rhyme that
has
lost its authorial roots, but I could be wrong about that...
Not a solution to this request... but here is
the rhyme that the person is referencing: There was a little girl,
who
had a little curl, Right in the middle of her forehead. When she was
good,
she was very, very good, And when she was bad, she was horrid.
N29: This, according to Louis Untermeyer
in The Golden Treasury of Poetry (easily the best poetry
book for children as they grow) may have been written by Henry
Wadsworth
Longfellow! See
the poem here. See
an additional verse here.
And Longfellow apparently named this little girl
Jemima.
I think this rhyme appears in a Junior Elf book
called Humpty Dumpty and other Mother Goose Rhymes.
Vogel, Ilse-Margret, My Twin Sister
Erika,
1976. The date makes this one hard I don't know of a book
about
the death of a twin girl written before 1960. "My Twin Sister
Erika"
was written in 1976 but definitely tells the stoy of a young girl
coping
with the death of her twin. An earlier book is Home from
Far
by Jean Little (1965), but in that one a girl is coping with
the
death of her twin brother. Two other books that do deal with
girls
whose twin sisters have died (but were published much too recently to
be
what you are thinking of) are Signs of Life by Jean
Ferris
(1995) and I Miss You, I Miss You! by Peter Pohl
(1999).
I believe the twins in this book were named Jenny
and Molly (who died). I wish I could remember the title. I
really liked the book, too.
The book is Jennifer by Zoa
Sherburne, published by Whitman in 1959. It was a
smaller-than-usual
paperback (Whitman had a line of such books -- I think for young
adults) with an illustration of Jennifer with her short curly hair, in
pastel, in muted shades of yellow and green. After Molly's death, the
family
disintegrates. The girls' mother becomes mentally ill and
self-medicates
with alcohol. I believe the father deserts the family. Jennifer at
sixteen
is her mom's sole caretaker and is ashamed to bring friends home. The
story
is how a friend of Jennifer's helps her find the right kind of help for
her mother. Family were walking together, Molly ran ahead
and
turned around to call to Jennifer, ran into the street and was hit by a
car. "She had not stopped missing Molly", "They had been ust eight when
Molly had died". "Molly hadn't even seen the car that struck her", and
assurances from the coroner that Molly had died instantly.
Zoa Sherburne's books often dealt with then-unmentionable issues -- the
young women in her stories have abortions, epilepsy, psychotic parents,
etc. The Girl Who Saw Tomorrow is about a girl whose
family
exploit her psychic powers for money. Sherburne is probably best known
for Almost April and Girl in the Mirror.
All
her books are out of print. Jennifer won the 1959
Children's
Book Award.
Hi!
A number of years ago I wrote to you asking about a book concerning the
death of a twin. Someone wrote and said they think the dead
twin's name was Molly but they couldn't remember the name of the book.
The deceased twin's name is Molly. The name of the book is Jennifer by Zoa Sherburne. It
was published in 1959. Take care!
W118: Sigh, one of my favorites. Jennifer,
Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, 1967,
written
and illustrated by E.L. Konigsburg. "She is the only author to
have
received both the Newbery medal and a Newbery honor book award in the
same
year." There is so much to say about this one....for starters,
the
author got the idea for the book - so I
heard - when her very lonely daughter became
joyful over having a new friend, the friend came to play and turned out
to be a black girl - rare in that neighborhood. Excellent book - even
if
some modern kids, black or white, may not always understand the
isolation
Jennifer feels or why she puts Elizabeth through all her trials before
accepting her as a real friend. Take the birthday party, when Elizabeth
is forced to abstain from so much fun that she's in the same emotional
position Jennifer is as someone who was not invited and who would have
been shunned if she were. (It's mentioned only once - aside from the
illustrations - that Jennifer is not only black
but the ONLY black kid in the whole school. That fact was very subtlely
made in the play chapter.) Someone said elsewhere: "Some people
objected
to the watermelon. My own theory, which I think is supported by
the
text and by Konigsburg's body of work, is that Jennifer deliberately
picked
watermelon to see how Elizabeth would respond to that. Of course, the
fact
that she could *get* watermelon in January is also a plot point." (I
never
heard of the stereotype in the late 70s, so it went over MY head
completely.)
Also, near the end, maybe Elizabeth's calling her "JENNY" instead of
something
worse was the proof Jennifer needed to rest assured that Elizabeth
really
did respect her and deserved respect in return. Jennifer's fiercely
held
dignity, Elizabeth's juicy private thoughts, and two-faced princess
Cynthia
all shine very memorably. There was a 1970s after-school special called
"Jennifer and Me". Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
#W118--Witch in a Tree: Jennifer,
Hecate, MacBeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, by E.
L. Konigsburg.
E.L. Konigsburg, Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth
and Me. This is the English
title I think the American title was longer. About Elizabeth who
is apprentice 'witch' to Jennifer, in a half-believed pretend game.
Jennifer
is African-American, not African.
E. L. Konigsburg, Jennifer, Hecate,
Macbeth,
William McKinley, and me, Elizabeth, 1967.
Maybe? "Two fifth-grade girls, one of whom is the first black
child
in a middle-income suburb, play at being apprentice witches."
Margaret Mahy, The Witch in the Cherry
Tree, 1974. A bit of a
longshot,
as it doesn't match all the details, and it's a boy, not a girl, but a
possibility: "As David's mother baked cakes, a witch flying over smell
them & came down on his lawn. But when she didn't get invited in,
she
causes problems for David. This is the story of a little boy's
interactions
with a witch who lived in his cherry tree. On the last page, there is a
recipe for Gingerbread Witches."
El Konigsburg, Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth,
William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth first meets Jennifer when she sees her feet hanging out of a
tree. Jennifer is African-American (the book is 1970s, so this is
kind of a big deal and brought up often in the text) and believes she's
a witch. Friendship and adventures follow.
E. L. Konigsburg, Jennifer, Hecate,
Macbeth,
William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth. Two
fifth-grade girls, one of whom is the first black child in a
middle-income
suburb, play at being apprentice witches. Being the new kid in
town
isn't easy for Elizabeth until she meets Jennifer--an
honest-to-goodness
witch! From the moment Jennifer starts sharing her powers with
Elizabeth,
their secret friendship is sealed. Each Saturday they meet in the park
to cast spells and work on their witchcraft. Then just when they think
they've perfected their special flying potion, Jennifer and Elizabeth
quarrel
over the main ingredient. Will it take a magic spell to make them
friends
again?
Yes. That's it! I am so happy. I can't wait
to read it again and perhaps even my great niece will enjoy it as much
as I did! Thank you!
|
Condition Grades |
Konigsburg, E.L. Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth. Illustrated by E.L. Konigsburg. A Dell Yearling Book, 1967. First Yearling paperback printing, 1985. VG. $5 |
|
I'm still looking for it too... don't despair... here's another request:
I'm looking for a book called A Gift for Jennifer. The book was set during the late 1890's or early 1900's. It had a rural feeling. Jennifer seemed to be attending school in a one-room school building. It was Christmas time and there was something about gifts (for the teacher? for the other children?). I don't remember much about it besides the title and I may be wrong about that, but it made such a great impression on me that I named my second daughter for the Jennifer in the book. I do vaguely recall the art work on the cover: it seems to me that there was a picture of the heroine dressed in winter clothing - coat, hat, mittens, etc. - and that she was smiling and waving. As I said, I may be wrong about all of this, but after nearly fifty years, I would love to see this book again and determine whether it was as wonderful as I remember it.
Well I certainly hope it is that wonderful, and you're not the only
one who remembers it! It must be the same series as the previous search
request here, and now if I can figure out who wrote the gem, I hope to
find copies for both of you.
News from the field--there are four books about
Jennifer: The Jennifer Prize, Jennifer Dances, The Jennifer
Wish,
and
The
Jennifer Gift. They were published in the late 40's and early
50's
by author/illustrator Eunice Young Smith.
At last! Now the trap is set! . . .
Not only have I discovered the author of your long lost memory, but
I found a copy of the book!
Smith, Eunice Young. The Jennifer Wish. Bobbs-Merrill,
1949. Green cloth, ex-library, bottom of cover worn. Binding tight and
pages clean. G+. <SOLD>
Would you believe the first requester called me from England
to
thank me?!?! And here's another thanks:
My book arrived yesterday - so exciting to see
it after all these years! All very familiar (except I could have sworn
the cover was blue, not green...! ) Oh well, the memory plays tricks.
Thank
you very much for all your help! I can't tell you how many book
searches
I've tried for this one.
Regarding the "Jennifer" series
of books by Eunice Young Smith, your stump the bookseller page
states
that there are 4 books in the series, actually there are 6. You missedJennifer
is Eleven and High Heels for Jennifer. I have
been
collecting this series for years, and I have all but The
Jennifer
Gift. Let me know if you have a copy! Thanks!
My second search is for The Jennifer Wish,
by Eunice Young Smith. It is the first of a series of
several
books
about Jennifer who visits a country home and
makes a wish that her family might some day live there. Over the
years, I have often looked in used bookstores
and even in libraries for the first 2 books in the series, and I found
the second book, The Jennifer Gift,
on eBay a few months ago. Now I am even more eager to find the
first.
Perhaps you can help??
Yep, that's the story all right! Got my
hands on a copy of the Jennifer Wish, and would also
like
a copy of the Jennifer Gift. If I
could
obtain that, it would be wonderful.
---
It's about a girl named Jenny, I think, and
it takes place around 1890-1900. I don't remember much about the
story with the exception of a couple of things: The story seems
to
center around a pond in the woods. And the main character used
two
slang terms throughout the book. One was "spiffy," and the other
was "spondelux (sp?)." I would love to find this one...have no
idea
of the title or author.
J9 is possibly Jennifer Wish,
by
Eunice
Young Smith. Jennifer and her family move out to a house in
the
country for the summer. The pond in the story is her wishing pond
where she goes to wish that they could live there forever and not go
back
to the city. I don't have this book in front of me but I do have
the Jennifer Gift, a sequel, and they do use the word
"spondelux".
I think there are other descriptions of these books in solved mysteries.
The Jennifer Wish, illustrated
and written by Eunice Young Smith, published Bobbs-Merrill
1949.
This is the
first story in the JENNIFER series. "And that
was how the wonderful summer of 1908 began. For the four Hill children,
living on the farm was like a dream come true. They explored the woods,
the creek, the barn and the
pastures. What a perfect place to spend a summer!
The creek was shallow enough in spots for wading, deep enough elsewhere
for swimming, fishing, sailing a raft. The boys could have a menagerie.
The girls could have a
playhouse. The barn would hold all the pets they
could accumulate, and cat, kittens, pigs and chickens were
soon added to the family. There sere no neighbors
to complain about noisy games--the children were as free as the air for
two whole months!"
J9 jenny: there's no Jenny, but some other
similarities,
so perhaps The Lost Pond, by Marguerite Fellows
Melcher,
published Viking 1956, 190 pages. "A New Hampshire village in the
1890s
is the setting for this story of Pauline Franklin's 15th summer in the
beautiful old house to which the Winn sisters brought their families
every
year. There are exploring trips in the woods, a reception and dance for
an older cousin, a County Fair, and various family activities; but the
story centers around Pauline's growing up, ... She knows that Lost
Pond,
so deeply hidden in the mountains that it is almost impossible to find,
has a special secret meaning for all who do come upon it, and at the
end
of this last summer of her childhood she herself finds it ..." (HB
Dec/56 p.460)
Eunice Young Smith, The Jennifer Wish,
1949. After decades of searching, I have finally obtained all of
Ms. Young Smith's "Jennifer" books and can say with certainty that the
book referenced in Query J9 is indeed "The Jennifer Wish".
---
Author= begins with P-W, best guess= S, prior to 1960.
I am searching for a children's book. A family moves to an old
house
in the country. A girl is the protagonist. She and a friend
play with paper dolls. I think they may have found some of he raw
materials or the dolls themselves up in the attic.. I remember
that
the book was in the part of the library that housed the end of
the
alphabet. Think that the Noel Street books were on an adjacent
shelf.
Publ prior to 1962. PS I got excited that I had found it recently
when I found "miracles on maple hill" but this is not the book I am
seeking.
Smith, Eunice, Jennifer Wish.
Slight possibility this might be it. Jennifer and her sister
spend
time playing with paperdolls. Then family goes out to the country
to live in a house for the summer, Jennifer's wish is that they live
their
permanently and in the end they do. Sequels include Jennifer
Gift, Jennifer Prize etc.
#J14: Jenny becomes a cat--Several
people
sent this same inquiry into the message board at Alibris, and none of
them
were quite clear on it either. One was sure it was about a boy
struck
by a car, who, while in a coma, becomes a dog named Jenny.
Another
was sure it was a cat. Finally they came to the consensus that
the
book was Jenny by Paul Gallico. Jenny was
the
name of the cat the boy temporarily became.
thanks so much. i knew the book was called Jenny.
by all means, please search for it
thanks but i live in canada
Jenny by Paul Gallico,
About
a little boy who loves cats but is not allowed pets. He is knocked down
by a car while running across the street to see a cat, and goes into a
coma. During this time he 'becomes' a young male kitten, mentored by
the
street cat, whose name is Jenny. She teaches him how to act like a cat,
including the invaluable advice "when in doubt, wash". They have many
adventures.
By the end of the book Peter is almost a grown cat.
Gene Inyart, Jenny. I
am pretty sure this is the right book, though it have been many years
since
I read it.
Gene Inyart, Jenny. I'm answering my
own stumper! I accidentally stumbled upon this as I was
Googling.
Thanks in advance to anyone who tried to figure this out. You
have
a FABULOUS site and I'm so glad I found it!
A longshot: Jenny and the Insects
(New York: American Sunday School Union, 1857), 298 p."A children's
book
written from the perspective of a girl conversing with insects.
Contains
7 handcolored plates of butterlies, ant eater, moths, etc."
Thanks! I'll follow up and see if I
can find out more about it. I didn't think it was that old, but,
it may have been reprinted in the edition I read. It sounds very
similar, though, and the right length for the book.
Just another possibility, and a later
publication:
The
Journey to the Garden Gate by Ralph Townsend, published
by Houghton, 1920s "Prudence-Anne goes down through the small end of
the
telescope, and finds herself a companionable size with Bluebottle Fly,
Bee, Wasp, and the other creatures encountered in one's garden.
Naturally
the journey from the house to the garden gate becomes a series of
adventures.
Entertaining, well-written nonsense for those who like "
Another more recent book in a similar theme is
People
With Six Legs, by M. Bosanquet, illustrated by R.
Reckitt,
published Faber 1953, 92 pages. "Belinda, like the immortal Alice,
becomes
small and goes into a strange world. Here it is her own garden, and the
people she meets are insects. Ants, bees, dragonflies and beetles go
about
their daily tasks and show the little girl how they live. Belinda's
visits
only occur now and again, as she has her ordinary life at home as well
- in fact, when she has been talking to the old Professor who lives
nearby,
we wonder whether the magic has happened at all, or whether all the
adventures
have taken place in her imagination only. It is a pity that the
woodcuts
are for the most part unpleasing and even frightening for a small
child."
(JB Oct/53 p.176)
I DO remember seeing on another booksite a
book
entitled : Jenny Lind's Cat, or Jenny Lind and the
cat. I will try to remember which site it was.......
Now I remember!! The book is called Jenny
Lind and her Listening Cat by Frances Cavanah.
Thanks
to you and everyone who reads your site for continued assistance in
recapturing
a bit of childhood long gone !
Lois Lenski, One of the regional
series,
1944-1968, reprint. This sounds awfully like one of Lois Lenski's
regional series - the one still in print being Strawberry Girl.
Look at the synopses of all the books in the series (online
here) for possibles.
Jenny, Sam, and Hildegard.
I remember this book, Sam is Jenny's dog and gets hurt and the vet
fixes
him. I don't remember what Jenny's job was for the rich lady, maybe
reading
to her? Seems like her son was the vet. For some reason I keep thinking
the title is actually "Jenny, Sam, and the Invisible Hildegard, but I
may
be wrong. The cover was red, with Jenny on the front and a tree.
Mary Kennedy, Jenny, Sam, and The
Invisible
Hildegarde. I had this book,
it was one of my favorites. I was making sure I had the title right,
and
found a copy online. Happy Reading!
Mary Kennedy, Jenny, Sam, and The Invisible Hildegarde.
Thank you! This is most definitely the book I remember - as soon as
someone
came up with the title it rang a bell. Fantastic!
Eugenie, Jenny's Surprise Summer,
1981. This book is definitely the one being looked for in
K11.
This book has been reprinted and retitled Kittens for Keeps.
It is considered a Beginning Reader. It is the same book as Jenny's
Surprise Summer, but larger and in hard cover with no
Goldenbook
binding. Inside it says adapted from the Little Golden books.
I asked my famous friend Scott, who sees all,
knows all, in the world of animation, and here is his answer: Not
only do I know the information, but I worked as a designer on the
special
at Hanna-Barbera in 1993, when it was produced. The special was
called
"The Town That Santa Forgot". It was based on the story "Jeremy Creek"
by Charmaine Severson, and written for television by Glenn Leopold. The
entire special was spoken in verse, and
narrated by Dick Van Dyke. Hope that info
helps! Scott. Fascinating, the people you can meet online!
That at least answers my question! I'm
sure that is the right book (Though I would still love to be able to
find
it.) Thank you so much for your help, you run a great web site!
I'll put World Travels of Jeremy Mouse on my wants
list
and see what happens!
Hi! I saw the question about Jeremy, the
traveling
mouse and came up with the following title and author: The
Travels
of Jeremy Jukes by Bernard Odell. I don't know if it's
the
right book as I never read it but just thought I'd throw the
information
your way. Maybe you could find a copy of the Odell book and see what
it's
about or something like that.
Actually, I did some homework and found out that it's this: Scarry,
Patricia M. The Jeremy Mouse Book. Illustrated by
Hilary
Knight. American Heritage Press, 1969. Large format, 11" x 10".
Ex-library
copy, edges worn and well-read, but ready for another run down memory
lane
(in small red convertible, of course). G. <SOLD>
---
My sister read this book in the 1970s, maybe early 80s. It
is about a mouse in a car who gets a flat tire. He sleeps in a
train
station ticket booth. He meets a goat and a cat. The goat
owns
or works in a general store. This is not a Ralph the Mouse
story by Beverly Cleary. It had nice illustrations. The
book
was large, but thin.
Could this be Stuart Little?
I haven't read it in years, but it's the first thing that popped into
my
head.
HRL: actually, I'll bet this is Patricia M. Scarry,
The Jeremy Mouse Book. Illustrated by Hilary Knight. American
Heritage
Press, 1969
M297 Strong hunch that this is Richard
Scarry's
IS
THIS THE HOUSE OF MISTRESS MOUSE? Mouse drives a little
red convertible, but I can't remember about the tire~from a librarian
M297 Doublechecked IS THIS THE HOUSE OF
MISTRESSS MOUSE? and mouse's car does not get a flat tire.
Sorry
for a false lead~from a librarian
M297 I just checked Stuart Little.
A chapter abt a car is definitely the wrong one.
HRL: I'm still convinced this is The
Jeremy Mouse Book, so unless the original requester writes in
to
say otherwise, I'm marking it solved...
---
Children's book. 1970s or earlier. Mouse arrives by sports car in
a small town by a lake. Crashes car (or it breaks down?) and he has to
stay for a while. Covered in flour in local shop. Goes fishing through
the floor of a house out on the lake. Gets lost while rowing on the
lake
at night (not sure about that bit). Winds up loving town and staying. I
loved that book - hope you can help
HRL: Is this Patricia M. Scarry's The Jeremy Mouse Book
again? Illustrated by Hilary Knight. American Heritage Press, 1969
Brilliant! Looking at the description from the last person to ask
for this I'm close to certain this is the right book. Went looking
online
but couldn't find any more description or a picture of the cover which
would have clinched it. Regardless, do you have a copy of this book
available?
I'd love to buy one... Many thanks.
White, E.B., Stuart Little,
1945. A long shot--Stuart, the mouse, has a car that crashes
without
him in it.
Cleary, Beverly. Runaway Mouse, 1970
[or]Ralph
S. Mouse, 1982. There seem to be lots of books about mice who
drive
cars. Here are two more possibilites.
Philip Ressner, Jerome,
1967. Illustrated by Jerome Snyder. A frog must do three princely
deeds in order to prove to the townspeople that he really is a prince.
I really don't think this is it. Jerome is a sweet
frog who just wants to play in his own puddle. It was published
by
Parents Magazine Press, I believe, and has funny, happy cartoonish
drawings.
I don't think there are any dragons or scary art.
F76 frog prince: Jerome might
match
after all. The plot descriptions I've found say that Jerome is a frog
told
by a witch that she has turned him into a prince (she has actually done
nothing, he is still a frog), he goes to the townspeople and they give
him 3 tasks to do, which he succeeds in - the crows stop eating the
crops,
the dragon burns garbage, and the wizard becomes young again. So there
is a dragon, and the illos are pretty colourful & rich.
Jessamy
A friend showed me you site and I would love
to get re-aquainted with an old favorite. I read this book when I
was about 12 years old (1977). It's about a young girl (Jamie?) who
goes
to stay with relatives. While exploring the house, she enters the
old nursery with faded wallpaper. Opening the cupboard, she sees
markings
on the wall where children measured their heights. She is then
transported
back in time to when the nursery was filled with children of which one
of them is named Kit. I would love to know the name of the book and
author
as I would like to add it to my collection.
J10--Jessamy by Barbara
Sleigh
#J10, #J11, and #K15 are all descriptions of
the same book, which someone identified as Jessamy, by Barbara
Sleigh.
This is the book. I would love to own a copy.
I assume if you find one, I can decide whether to purchase based on its
price. Thanks--I'm very excited to be able to read again this
book.
---
I remember a book I use to take out of the
library round 1977. This book is about a young girl (Jamie?)who
goes
to stay with relatives (couple of old Aunts?). While exploring
the
house, she enters the old nursery with faded wallpaper. Opening
the
cupboard, she sees markings on the wall where children were measured
their
heights. She is then transported back in time to when the nursery
was filled with children of which one of them is named Kit. Could
you help me with the name/author/finding a copy? Thanks
J11 sounds like the same search as J10. But
the
book is Jessamy
---
I'm looking for a children's book in which
a girl goes into a closet in an old house and is transported back in
time
(~100 years). She makes friends with a boy, Kit, and later in her
own time, meets him as an old man.
Check out Tomorrow's Children
on
the Solved Mysteries page.
Thanks for the prompt response. None
of these sound right. My book wasn't science fiction. Still
looking?
K15 looks like J10 and J11
Thank you so much. Yes, I would love
to have a copy of the book. Could you tell me what it would cost
to find it?
Jessamy by Barbara Sleigh,
illustrated by Philip Gough, published London, Collins 1967 "Evocative
story of lonely child stepping into family (which, unknowingly, she is
linked with) two generations back. Jessamy, a little orphaned
schoolgirl,
is sent in an emergency to stay with the elderly caretaker of a
long-empty
country mansion, Posset Place. ("I daresay you won't mind being treated
like a grown-up person. I don't know any other way.") A cupboard in the
old nursery - the magic link between present and past - takes her back
half a century to 1914, and to a family of lively children. From her
double
time-position she not only learns of her relationship to them, but is
able
to solve a mystery at last - what became of the Book of Hours when
scapegrace
Harry went off to the wars." (Best Children's Books of 1967)
Could this be My First Book of Saints,
by Louis Savary? I had a hardback but my friend had the
nice
leather one like you described. It included the saints and
apostles,
their story was on the page to the left, and a color picture on the
right.
About 100 pages in all.
Thanks SO much for responding!! There
probably was more than one cover style. I couldn't find an
official
copyright date for the Savary book, my book would have been originally
published before 1965. I don't think there were any later saints
in my book, just the 12 apostles (perhaps Matthias, Judas Iscariot's
replacement
was there). I think 100 pages or less would be about right.
Jesus and the Twelve, 1967,
copyright. Solved it! Illustrations are photos, taken by
Alberta (Sune') Richards. Published by The Geographical
Publishing Company, Inc., Chicago.
T85 train through fictional places: the
closest
I've found so far is The Train to Yesterday, by Paul
Jennings,
illustrated by Patricia Casey, published Harrap 1975, 72 pages. "One
hot summer's day four children, or is it three, for one is a rather odd
boy who does not belong, are transported back into the Victorian age by
means of an old steam train. There they meet a sick boy whom, on a
subsequent
trip, they are able to help." (Children's Book Review, Spring/75
p.16).
A similar plot is in The Old Powder Line, by Richard
Clark,
published Weekly Reader, Nelson 1971, 143 pages, "Fifteen-year-old
Brian
discovers a railway line that was never there before, that can carry
its
passengers over the frontiers of time. Ages 12 to 16." "Brian goes for
a ride on a mysterious steam train that takes him back into his
childhood."
"Story of a train that takes 3 people into the regions of their own
past,
but danger surrounds such adventures and a change in the return trip
threatens
disaster." There's an old book by Cornelia Meigs, The
Wonderful Locomotive, illustrated by Bertha and Elmer Hader,
published Macmillan 1928 (reprinted 1955), 104 pages, but it may be too
old, and the plot is not so much magical as about magically fast
travel,
across the continent in four days and nights.
I browsed through your book stumpers "just for
fun", and I think, T85 "Train thru fictional places" might be Jim
Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivfuehrer by Michael Ende
(first
published in Germany 1960) or the continuation "Jim Knopf und die wilde
13" (first published 1962). The books were published in English as "Jim
Button and Luke the Engine Driver" and "Jim Button and the Wild 13"
The story is about the boy Jim Knopf and his friend Luke, who live in a
very small country called "Lummerland" - an island with two mountains.
Together with the engine "Emma" they have the most phantastic
adventures
with half dragons, emperors, pirates and other phantastic creatures in
just as phantastic countries. These books are very popular here
in
Germany; "Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivfuehrer" won the German
prize
for children's literature in 1961, and there is a very popular adaption
by the "Augsburger Puppenkiste" (a puppet theatre), which was shown on
TV. I first hesitated to write to you, because in Germany every
librarian
for children's books would know Jim Knopf, so I thought that can't be a
"mystery". But of course, he may be not as well-known in the USA.
#V19--Vanishing Lessons: "Jimmy
Takes
Vanishing Lessons," by Walter R. Brooks, Knopf, 1950, has
been
published as a book by itself, as well as in anthologies, various times.
Jimmy Takes Vanishing Lessons by
Walter
R. Brooks is in Alfred Hitchcock's Haunted Houseful,
Random House, 1961.
Walter R. Brooks, Jimmy Takes Vanishing
Lessons
I think this is actually "Jimmy takes
vanishing
lessons," which is a short story by Walter R. Brooks.
It has been included in many ghost story anthologies, including Alfred
Hitchcock's Haunted Houseful in 1961. It was also
published
separately under its title.
Jingle
Bell Jack
I am looking for a title and possibly a
copy of this book. It was a favorite book of mine some 35 years
ago.
The book that I have no longer has a cover and is missing the first few
pages. It is about a little girl and her mother who together make
a clown like doll out a fabric and
bells.
The fabric is cut into circles and sewn in disk like shapes. All the
fabric
is different. Each leg and arm contains several of these
pieces.
The mother and the little girl assemble these pieces and create a
doll.
This is all that I can remember except that the little girl has long
reddish
hair.
I have the answer to the C7 stumper: Jingle
Bell Jack by Miss Frances (Dr. Frances R. Norwich) who
was
host of the 1950s TV show "Ding Dong School". It is a Ding Dong
School
Book (similar to a Little Golden Book). Illustrated by Katherine
Evans.
Copyright 1955. Golden Press. The little red-haired girl's name is Jean.
I believe there's a typo in the response to
C7:
the last name of "Miss Frances" is Horwich.
I
hope this helps locate the book.
Yes, this is the book! I loved this book so much when I was
growing up. I hope that I can find it somewhere. Thank you
for all your help.
---
I remember an old book from when I was a little girl during the
70's. The book was about a little girl who sewed a doll that I
believe
was a clown. She took scraps of fabric and cut out circles.
She sewed a simple stitch all around the edges of circle and pulled the
thread together to make smaller circles. Then, she pulled a
thread
through the center of all of the circles to make the arms and
legs.
This was a fantastic book that inspired me to start sewing
myself.
I would love to buy this same book to share with my daughter. Any
help would be appreciated.
Horwich, Dr. Frances (Miss Frances), Jingle
Bell Jack, Golden 1955. I
think
this is probably it - it's a Ding Dong School book, and the cover shows
one of those clown dolls made by sewing puffy circles of material and
stringing
them for the arms & legs. He has bells for his feet and hands and a
red tassel cap with a bell. "Cute story about a little girl and her
mother
who visit a circus and see a funny jester-type clown. The little girl
wants
to see the clown again and mother suggests that they make their own
clown
instead."
Jinx,
the Alaskan Husky
The book I am looking for was a juvenile book read to me by my
fourth
grade teacher, Mrs. Busch in Spanaway, Washington in 1967. I
believe
the book was relatively old even then, it was in hardcover. I
believe
the title of the book was Jinx. It is the story of a dog named
Jinx.
Thank you for your efforts.
A possibility: there is a short story entitled
Jinx,
the Alaskan Husky, in the book "The Hairy brown angel and other
animal tails" by Grace Fox Anderson. It was published in
1977.
Description: Twenty-two short stories featuring animals in a religious
setting.
Joan
Wanted a Kitty
I read a book as a child: no known title or
author about a little girl who desperately wants a kitten. And I think
the story goes something like this -- she finds one in the rain and the
African- American "Aunt Jemima"
type cook (her name may even have been A. Jemima) let's her bring it in
to get warm by the stove. The kitten gets into some mischief and Jemima
chases it outside with a broom. Not much of a plot huh? I would have
read
this book close to 30 years ago and I bought it from a used bookstore
then
so who knows how old it is. The copy I had was dark green with lots of
color photos and large print. I know this is not much to go on
but
I had to try. You have a WONDERFUL service and I had a fabulous
time
browsing around your site.
I think this could be a book called, SCAT,
SCAT by Sally R. Francis. I have this book and it
is filled with colored pictures and large colored print and features a
little girl named "Rosy Runabout." The cat gets chased away with
a broom, but the woman is sweeping the sidewalk. There is another
woman that chases the cat away later in the book that has her hair up
in
a bun because the cat was causing trouble. The line throughout the book
is, "Scat, scat" go away little cat!" Good Luck!
Is there any way to ask the "answer person"
more details. Is there a Negro woman in the book? Scat Scat Little Cat
does not sound familiar. I don't think this is the answer.
We'll keep looking!
Relating to J-4, but not an answer, since they
already stated that this was not the right story, I remember the story
that goes "scat, scat, you old street cat, go away and never come
back"
or something like that. It was in a collection of short stories and
poetry
that included a story about a tiny old lady and a fly that stole her
omlette
off the windowsill, a man who adopted stray dogs, A little polar
bear who swam to an iceberg but I don't remember why, and the poem "the
spider and the fly". It was a hardcover book, probably about a foot to
16 inches tall, not
very thick......I would love to find it. I had
it when I was 4-5 years old, about.....early 80s but I think the book
was
published much earlier, judging by condition and style.
I saw the cover of Scat Scat and
it's illustrated by coloured drawings, not by photographs. The kitten
is
white and sheltering under some leaves. possibles: Janet Konkle Once
There Was a Kitten Chicago: Children's Press, 1951, illustrated
by photographs Blyton, Enid The Laughing Kitten London,
Harvill
Press, 1954, Black &
white photographs by Paul Kaye
would suggest Joan Wanted a Kitty,
by Jane Brown Gemmill, illustrated by Marguerite De Angeli,
published Hale 1937, 150 pages. It's illustrated by line drawings and
colour
plates rather than photographs, but the kitten is found in the rain,
and
there is an "Aunt Jemima" type black woman who is the housekeeper or
cook
and 'boss of the house'.
Gemmill, Jane Brown, Joan Wanted a Kitty,
illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli, Hale 1937. Okay, now
that
I have a copy to hand, I think this may be the book. It is NOT
illustrated
by photos, though. There is a black cook, named Maggie, who looks quite
Jemima-ish, and a little girl named Joan who desperately wants a kitty.
Mother says "And Maggie would not want a kitty under foot in the
kitchen.
She says 'Scat' to every cat she sees." Below this is a picture of a
woman's
feet, long skirt, and a broom shooing a cat away. Joan tries to talk
Maggie
around, but she says she will have to leave if a cat comes to the
house.
Joan eventually finds a kitten in the rain, with a hurt paw, and Maggie
cleans it up, bandages its paw, and agrees to let it stay. Joan names
it
Fluff. Any of
this ring a bell?
Nothing on this end. Can you get a bit more info on this
Bonner
guy? I found an evolutionary biologists's autobiography, but it's
something like "Reflections on the Life Cycle." Let me know.
That's all I could find-plus some fellow from San Francisco who
is the wrong one. If you find something, let me know.
Bunnell, Paul, Thunder over New England,
1988. The story of a New England tory family during the
Revolution
and their settlement in Canada after the war. I know this isn't right
on,
but the similarity in the author's name made me wonder if this could be
Pulse, Charles K., John Bonwell : a novel
of the Ohio River Valley, 1818-1862,
1952. Could this possibly be the book?
Pulse, Charles K., John Bonwell: a novel
of the Ohio River Valley, 1818-1862.
NY, Farrar, 1952. After some fruitless yahoo and LC searches for
a possible author named John Bonner (or something similar), followed by
a search through listings for books on the early history of Chillicothe
and Ross County, Ohio, I tossed in a partial title search and this came
up. It is 436 pages, and the LC subject listings are: Frontier and
pioneer
life, Fiction and Ohio River Valley, Fiction. It seems worth checking
out,
since memories can be faulty, and the search for the author John Bonner
is going nowhere. Would be nice to know whether the book was fiction or
nonfiction to start with ...
Catling, Patrick Skene, John
Midas
in the Dreamtime,1986. John Midas (from The Choclate
Touch)
gets bored on a family trip, goes back in time, invents the boomerang
and
fire, and fights a serpent.
Patrick Skene Catling, John Midas
in the Dreamtime,1986.This is a children's book, probably 5th
grade
range. All the details match.
Patrick Skene Catling, John Midas in
Dreamtime,
1986. Yes! That's it! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!
Elisabeth Townsend, Johnny and His
Wonderful
Bed, 1945. "....if you
wished
for something at one minute after midnight on your birthday, without
remembering
that it was your birthday, then your wish would be granted."
johnny,
who is quite poor and living with his grandfather, wishes for a bed and
suddenly it appears from under some newspapers he is using to keep
warm.
he christens the bed, fred. he then sells it to buy food and clothing
but
fred has other ideas and proceeds to follow him home. many fine (and
often
flying) adventures ensue. anyway, i am sure this is the book you are
thinking
of.
Johnny
Fedora
Hello there! About a year and a half ago I had e-mailed you
regarding a childrens book that I have been looking for.
And
I was just wondering if you were ever able to locate it. It was
from
the early 70's, and it was called Johnny
fedora
and Alice blue bonnet. It was a story about two
hats.
The female one lived in a high class department store, and the male hat
lived on the streets. They fell in love, and in the end they
we're
able to get together. This book was a soft cover, and it
had
a small record on the inside sleeve. Please let me know if you
have
found anything.
I've only been able to find one reference to this book, and it isn't
a book; it's a record (and expensive at that). Here's the info: Walt
Disney's Story of Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet Western
Publishing Inc. 1970, softcover book with 33-1/3 Long Playing Record,
24
Page book.
Do you think that's it, or do you remember a book? There might
have been a book....
Johnny Go Round is a Whitman Tell-a-Tale book from 1960 (#2525) by Richard Walz and illustrated by Betty Ren Wright featuring a smiling cat on the cover.
Edith Thacher Hurd and
Clement Hurd
,
Johnny
Lion's Book (and others in series)
Edith Thacher Hurd, Johnny Lion Series,
1970's and 1980's. I know of three books in this series by Edith
Thacher Hurd. Johnny Lion's Book, Johnny Lion's Rubber Boots, and
Johnny
Lion's Bad Day. Mother, Father and Johnny Lion. They are
all "An I Can Read Book".
Thanks for the answer to my request! My brother has been trying
to remember this for years but could not give me many details to send
in
to you. The funny thing is that his name is Johnny and yet he could not
remember the names of any of the characters as a clue!
Forbes, Esther, Johnny Tremain.
Johnny works for a silversmith in Revolutionary War era-Boston. I
think there is discussion of a pewter tankard in the book. Also,
widely read in the 1960s.
Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain.
Maybe - it's set in the American Revolution, there is pewter.
Forbes, Esther, Johnny Tremain,
1943. This takes place during the American Revolution, and was
made
into a Disney film.
Forbes, Johnny Tremain.
Could this be it? The war mentioned is the Revolutionary War, and
Johnny is involved with Paul Revere and his shop. Pewter is
mentioned
extensively, as well as covert activities leading up to the "Midnight
Ride."
Forbes, Esther, Johnny Tremaine. I am not sure if this
is the book - will have to wait until I have read it again. Thank you
everyone
for your assistance.
Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain. I have now read the
book and while there were no "light bulb" moments of recognition that
this
was definitely the book I read as a child, the silver cup was there and
also the pewter being melted down for bullets and the war. I
thought
I would have remembered such a character and his damaged hand and the
character
of Rab. Such are the quirks of childhood memories! Thank you once again
Harriett for publishing my stumper and the people who contributed to
the
solution. I am so glad I have found this website - fascinating!
Meadowcroft, Enid LaMonte, Silver for
General
Washington. If "Johnny
Tremain"
isn't right, this could be another possibility.
Sounds like it might be Jolly Old Santa
Claus, published by Ideals. There are a number of
editions
of this, including a new one that is quite a bit different than the
older
ones. The poster may wish to peruse different covers to see if
one
matches his/her memories.
Yes, this is it! Thank you very much.
I wrote to you a few weeks back searching for information about a
"Dragon from Kell" story. I received a call today from the Santa Monica
Library Research Service. Someone on their listserv had solved
the
mystery! Since it has taken me two years to find this
answer,
I thought you might like to know it as well. Apparently the story
is Jonathan and the Dragon by Irwin
Shapiro. It was first published in 1962 by Western Press
and
then in 1969 by Golden Press. It is no longer in print. Do
you have this book or a way of obtaining it? If it is
possible
to obtain it, can you give me an idea of how long it might take and how
much it might cost?
Jonica's
Island
I think this is Gladys Malvern, Jonica's
Island (NY: J Messner, 1945)
Thank you so much. Jonica's Island
is the right book and I just received it from used book dealer.
What
a great site this is!
The only place I had ever come across the name
Jonica was in one of Gladys Malvern's historical novels for
young
people, Jonica's Island. But I thought of it again
when I was expecting our first daughter. We liked the sound of
names
like Jennifer and Jessica, but with the family name Smith, we thought
we
should choose a first name less frequently used. (It was several
years later that we found out that in the Netherlands, where the name
is
quite common, it is pronounced with the initial sound as "y" rather
than
"j.")
In Anne Pence Davis' book, Mimi
at
Camp the children found a crow and I believe attempted to teach
it to talk. But "Mimi" is from the 20s, not the 50s so I don't know if
it's the one you want.
Is the book you want called Jo-Jo the
Talking
Crow. Houghton Mifflin, 1958
t65 - Talking Crow - This may not be correct,
but Wylly Folk St. John's The Secret of The Seven Crows
has a young girl (Gale) who has a crow that talks (Dracula).
Another
character tries throughout the book to tame a crow of his own ...
Bannon, Laura. Jo-Jo the Talking
Crow. Houghton Mifflin, 1958. "...an
amusing and attractively illustrated story of a tame crow whose
personality
and endearing traits made him the children's favorite pet."
Grimm Brothers, Jorinda and
Joringel.
This sounds very much like the Grimm fairy tale of Jorinda and
Joringel.
"The favorite fairy tale about a witch who turns maidens into birds."
Paula Danziger, This Place Has No
Atmosphere.
I know this is about a self-centered teen who is unhappy at having to
move
to the moon for a year, although I don't remember the ending.
Thanks for trying but no, it's not the Paula Danziger book - the
main character goes only with her father. And while it's about
maturing,
it doesn't have a "teenage trials and tribulations" feel to it (which
the
Danziger book sounds like). Any other ideas? This has been
nagging me for ages!
I recall a book that seems somewhat like
that.....I
recall a teenage girl moving to the moon and having to try and fit in
the
teenagers that live there. There was one social clique that was
called
"Turnips" because they 'turned up' their noses at everyone
else...
Close, but no cigar??
no, I think that's the Paula Danziger book again. The book
my sister and I remember wasn't about teenage interactions at
all.
Thanks for trying though! Can anyone else help?
Engdahl, Sylvia Louise, Journey Between
Worlds, ca1970. Just read it
this summer. Girl goes off for about a year to accompany her
father,
a businessman, figuring she'll return to her boyfriend
afterward.
En route, on the spaceship, she meets a young man, is friendly
with
him and his family while she's on Mars, and even helps his
sister-in-law
as a
teacher's aide. As described in the stumper,
she initially has problems due to her prejudices about the planet,
loses
her father in the shuttle explosion (forcing her to stay on the
planet),
and, after a near-fatal accident on an excursion to one of the
nearby
Moons (with schoolchildren and the young man), realizes he's right for
her and stays on with the colony.
Solved! Oh, thank you!
Journey of
Bangwell
Putt
I am looking for a book about a doll.
My edition was a pink hardcover, no jacket, with a black and white
illustration
of a doll, a rag doll type on the cover. My sister and I think
the
doll's name was something like "Bagnold", although all of our searches
for that name on the internet only yield the Bagnold of National Velvet
fame. The title may begin with "the tales of..." but I'm not
sure.
Any ideas? We recently lost all of our childhood books when our
parents'
house burned down and this one meant a lot to us.
#B110--Bagnold the doll: My condolences
on the fire. Most likely this book is The Journey of
Bangwell
Putt, based on the history of a famous early American doll, but
for your sake I hope not, as this is exceedingly rare and hideously
expensive!
So I hope your parents were insured if you wish to replace it.
The Journey of Bangwell Putt was
written by Mariana, published by Lothrop, Lee &
Shepard,
1965. Same author as the Miss Flora McFlimsey
books.
Description from the jacket flap: "Hand-lettered and
hand-colored,
this rare little book was first published in a limited, signed edition
of a few hundred copies. Still hand-lettered, and still evoking its
inimitable
atmosphere of long ago, it tells the tale of an old and authentic
museum
doll. She is followed on her journey by some other tiny
characters
who also live in museums and who appear and reappear on the pages like
a toy orchestra accompaniment to the beguiling tale."
Journey
Outside
This is a story of a group of families living together on rafts
floating around on underground rivers. They do not know
there
is a world above. One girl escapes and climbs above ground and
discovers
the world above. I remember the description of her first sunburn,
because she had never seen sunlight. I don't remember how it
ends.
My fourth grade teacher read it to our class in approx. 1972-73.
Journey Outside, Mary Q. Steele,
1969. The Raft People live in darkness and travel a circular
journey
on a
underground river. One boy finds his way outside
and tries to learn as much as possible so he can ultimately lead his
people
there to the Better Place. This was a Newbery Honor book for 1970.
Mary Q. Steele, Journey Outside,
1969. Might be this one -- it's a Newberry Award book, hence
likely
to have been read in a classroom, and it fits the time frame. The
only different detail is that it's a boy and not a girl.
Publisher
Comments: "Grandfather said they were headed for the Better
Place,
but Dilar suspected they were headed nowhere, simply following the dark
underground river blindly. And so one night he leaped onto a shelf of
rock
and watched the flotilla of the Raft People disappear. And from there
he
found his way Outside, into a world so beautiful and strange he could
only
suppose he had died-a world of day, and sun, of trees and sky."
Synopsis:
"The Raft People live in darkness and travel a circular journey on an
underground
river. One boy finds his way outside and tries to learn as much as
possible
so he can ultimately lead his people to the Better Place."
---
In 1974, my teacher read us a book about a
boy who lived on river in a cave. His village was made up of a string
of
rafts and the rafts endlessly traveled through the cave. The people on
the raft believed they were traveling to somewhere special. The boy
began
to think that the rafts were just going in a big circle. So to prove it
he jumped off the raft and decided to wait for it to come around. When
he realizes it he might starve before it comes back, he begins to
search
for food and then he finds his way to the surface. never Having seen
the
sun or the sky he is overwhelmed, (he also gets a real bad sunburn - he
is found by some farmers. -- The teacher never finished reading
the
book to us because it got lost, and I have always wondered what
happened
to the poor kid, unfortunately I have no idea of the title or author.
Steele, Mary Q., Journey Outside. A
library-provided summary: The Raft People live in darkness and travel a
circular
journey on an underground river. One boy finds
his way outside and tries to learn as much as possible so he can
ultimately
lead his people to the Better Place.
Mary Steele, Journey Outside
C275 Gage, Wilson [pseudonym of Mary
Christine
Govan, Mary Q Steele] Journey outside. woodcuts by
Rocco Negri Viking, 1969.
Journey to Terezor
This is a young adult book. For some reason,
people have been moved to a new world. The main character and his
family
are given a house when they're saved. On this world, some people have
never
been to Earth ever. One girl scrapes dirt off the MC's shoes and puts
it
into a pouch around her neck. She and another boy become the MC's best
friends. The entire city/land is protected by a dome. The MC is turned
into an ape of sorts via a sort of evolution that has to do with dirt
and/or
fruit(?). He goes outside the dome, I think, or to a remote place in
it,
and finds evolution happening. Fish becoming amphibious, etc up to
apes.
There is a small village and gardening. He realizes that the
ape-creatures
continue to evolve until they have wings. I don't remember the plot of
the book, though, or how it ended. It wasn't extremely thick though. I
read it during middle school, so it was published before 99 at the
latest,
though likely before 97.
Frank Asch, Journey to Terezor.
This book was a paperback with a dark cover depicting a mountain scene and some figures in a sort of scratchy, abstract style. Two teenagers, (I believe one male, one female, possibly siblings?) are on a walking holiday in England or Wales ( I think). They are primarily camping. They somehow run across a teen Hungarian refugee who is being persued, possibly by English authorities, possibly by some sort of Hungarian secret police. The Hungarian teen, (Female, I think) is trying to get to the safety of, possibly a relatives home or cross some border or something, and is aided by the other teens, with I believe, a happy ending for all and possible young love between her and the brother.
H40 hungarian refugee: Could be Journey
With a Secret, by Showell Styles, published Gollancz
1968,
142 pages. "Two young teenagers spending a half-term hiking across
Wales
are caught up in a hardly credible adventure of blackmail and spies
when
a mysterious Hungarian girl stumbles into their camp. ... Though they
know
the girl is hiding from the police as a suspected murderess, they feel
no qualms at being alone with her in the remotest placest; and nobody
shows
the least surprise when all the baddies turn out to be goodies, and the
goodies baddies in the end. Nevertheless, the pace and excitement one
expects
of this author is maintained." (Junior Bookshelf Dec/68 p.387)
Kevin O'Donnell, Jr, The journeys of
McGill
Feighan Trilogy (Caverns, Reefs,
Lava),
1981. Pubished in paperback in 1981-2 by Berkley, this trilogy
Caverns,
Reefs and Lava, is about Feighan who is a 'Flinger', one able to
teleport
goods and people intersteller distances for Fun and Profit.
Feighan
is kidnapped at age 4 days for a short period at the behest of the
mysterious
'Far Being Retzglaran' and much of the three books involves Feighan
trying
to find out why, whilst being pursued by the crime syndicate known as
The
Organisation. The reptile child, his ward, is called Sam and
obtained
as an egg in Book 1. We meet the monk, a plant called K'rach'a, in Book
2.
Hooray! Those are the books exactly. I would never have guessed
the titles nor the author. I was way off. I just finished reading the
whole
series. Thanks for ending nearly 20 years of searching.
S-13 might be Joyride by Betty
Cavanna though some of the details mentioned by the writer don't
seem
to match. In Joyride the main character is a girl named
Susan
who has polio, but I don't know about the rest of what the writer said.
I forgot to say that Joyride does
take place in the 1920's, so it seems to be more than a coincidence:
girl
named Susan; polio, 1920's.
I think I know the answer to C80: Joy
Sparton of Parsonage Hill It mentions on the back:
"and the Vacation Mix-up, and the Money Mix-up, And her
problem
twin." By Ruth I Johnson, 1958, Moody
Bible
Institute of Chicago. Christian, twins, pastor's kids... I think
this is it.
Judas
Child
All I can remember about the book is that it is about 2 girls who
have been kidnapped and are being held and tortured in the man's
basement.
The man also grew mushrooms in his basement and it seems like maybe
that
was how they ended up finding him, but I'm not sure. Also, the twist at
the end of the book was that one of the girls was actually already dead
and the other girl was talking to her ghost. It was a great book and I
would love to read it again if I could figure out the title or author.
O'Connell, Carol, Judas Child.
Definitly the one. Gwen is kidnapped after being lured out by
previously
kidnapped friend Sadie (a lover of horror and practical jokes).
Judy,
Junior Nurse
1955 ????? A little girl visits a doctor's office with her
mom. I remember one special illustration in which the mom and
daughter
are sitting together in a waiting room and the mom is knitting or
crocheting
and has a yarn bag beside her on the floor. I loved this picture!
Looks like your title is right-on. Cross, Genevieve, Illustrated by Ruhman, Ruth. Judy, Junior Nurse. Garden City, New York: Cross Publications, 1951.
This sounds as though it may be one of Eleanor
Cameron's Julia Redfern series -- I'm hazy on the
details,
but the plot sounds very similar and Berkeley (especially the north
side
where the Redferns lived) suffered a major fire in 1923, which figured
in one of the books. And there are sequels I know the mother gets
a job downtown (possibly the reason for moving), and later remarries.
Eleanor Cameron (author), Gail Owens
(illustrator), Julia and the Hand of God, 1977.
There
are five books about Julia Redfern: A Room Made of Windows
(1971), Julia and the Hand of God (1977), That
Julia
Redfern (1982), Julia's Magic (1984), and The
Private Worlds of Julia Redfern (1988). Here's the tricky
part! They werent written in chronological order, so the proper
sequence
is Julia's Magic, That Julia Redfern, Julia and the Hand of God,
A Room Made of Windows, and The Private Worlds of Julia
Redfern.
Julia is six years old in the first two books, twelve in the fourth,
and
fifteen in the fifth. The book that features the fire in the
hills
of Berkeley is the third, Julia and the Hand of God,
which
takes place when Julia is eleven years old. Greg Redfern, Julia's
brother (two years her senior) is the studious Egyptologist.
Julia,
Greg and their mother rent an apartment from Mrs. de Rizzio at the end
of this book, and are living in this apartment in A Room Made of
Windows. Julia's father is alive in the first book and
dies
in the second. Her mother is a widow in the third, gets engaged
in
the fourth, and is remarried by the time the fifth is written.
Catherine Marshall, Julie
Catherine Marshall, Julie's Heritage, 1957.
Julie Brownell is a Black high school student in 1950's Westchester,
N.Y.,
struggling to be accepted by her white peers. Her musical talent
is both a help with this and a solace.
Thank you so very much!!!! Julie's Heritage IS the
name of the book. I ordered it form e-Bay amd just finished the
book.
I remember how much I loved the story but hadn't read it in about 46
years.
It was as wonderful as I remembered. You provide a wonderful
service
and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
J. Jackson, Julie's Secret Sloth.
---
All I remember is that the book is about a
girl who has a pet sloth. I think she tries to hide it from her
parents.
I read it sometime in the late 50's, I think.
Hermann Tirler, A Sloth in the Family,
1963, 1966. A Sloth in the Family was written
originally
in German, published in Munich in 1963 and reprinted in 1966. It was
translated
into English and published in London with an introduction by Gerald
Durrell
in 1966. However, it isn't fiction but an account of a Swiss family
living
in Brazil who have adopted a few three-toed sloths. The family had two
daughters at the time when the book was written, and there are many
colored
photos of the sloths and the family, especially the girls, with them.
The
emphasis isn't on the girls but on prividing information on the habits
of sloths--who are very charming, of course.
Jacqueline Jackson, Julie's Secret Sloth
Jackson, Jacqueline, Julie's Secret Sloth.
Little, Brown - 1953. Sorry, I don't have a description, but it's
from the 50's so the time frame is right. You don't mention
whether
yours was a picture book or a chapter book, but this one is 186 pgs.
long.
jackson, jacqueline, Julie's Secret Sloth,
1953. Little, Brown and Co. Julie, not allowed pets, comes
(rather
plausibly) into possession of a zoo-rejected sloth, and finds it's hard
to keep any living creature secret, even one that does essentially
nothing.
Thank you so much to the people who solved
my mystery! Julie's Secret Sloth is most definitely the
book
I was thinking of.
I emailed you two days ago about a book of
which I didn't know the author or illustrator. The more I thought about
it, the more I wonder if Paul Brown
was the illustrator? So I looked him up in the Library of
Congress
search, and saw that he illustrated a book called Jump-shy
by
Joan
Houston. Could
that be it? If so, can you locate it
for me? She apparently also did two ther books-- Horseshow
Hurdles and Crofton
Meadows-- if they are part of a
sequel,
I'd also like you to find them for me.
I've never read the book, but the description
seems to match. JUMPING BEANS by Judith Martin,
illustrated
by Remy Charlip. It was
originally
published in 1963, but Scholastic did publish a version in the
1970's.
~from a librarian
J21: Just wanted to say that I think I saw this
as a play in a children's theatre in NYC in the very early 1970s! I
remember
the adult actors playing the beans wore huge round costumes and not
only
jumped around but whooped and yelled. Very funny. BTW, is this by any
remote
chance the same Judith Martin known as Miss Manners? (Though I'd doubt
it.)
I've seen the cover of Jumping Beans,
by Judith Martin, illustrated by Remy Charlip, and it
shows
a very simply drawn old woman astonished as big red beans (with faces)
jump out of the pot into the air. It was first published by Knopf in
1963,
and reprinted several times by Scholastic. I'm not sure whether it's
written
in play format or whether another version for acting exists - several
descriptions
call it a play.
Judith Martin, Jumping Beans,
1963.
I had forgotten that I had submitted this question here until I renewed
my periodic search for this childhood favorite of mine. This time
around I found a picture of the book at an auction site and was able to
get it. This is the book! The pictures are slightly
different
than I remember, but the story is the same. Thanks for helping me
to find this. Now I can read this favorite to my boys!
Jungle
of Tonza Mara
My children had this book, many years ago. The
title is probably Victoria and the Magic Feather or Victoria
and the Golden Feather or Victoria and the Golden Bird.
It is a picture geography book in which a little girl rides on the back
of a magical, golden bird and sees the world's countries beneath her.
the
drawings are beautifully colored and rather fantastic.--on a black
background,
I seem to remember.
G15 Pauline Baynes (as in Narnia books)
did a book called Victoria and the Golden Bird. Her
drawings
have a Persian look to them. It was published in London, but I don't
have
a date for it.
G15 Golden Feather -- Probably not right, but
"The
Bird of the Golden Feather" is a collection of 8 Arabic
folktales,
retold and illustrated by Gertrude Mittelmann, published by Roy
in 1969, 125 pages. The illustrations are b/w line drawings and the
book
is 21 cm, regular octavo size, so that doesn't fit. Stories include
"The
Rogue from Cairo and the Rogue from Damascus" and "The Talking
Nightingale".
The review in School Library Journal Book Review says 'there are
several
quest tales, including the title story ... the exchanging of royal
babies
with animals ... humor ...'
I don't believe it was Victoria-anything.
I believe it had a young *boy* in the book -- who rode the flying water
buffalo or ox. The golden feather or necklace was around the
animal's
neck?
Evans, Ruth, The Jungle of Tonza Mara,
1963. A possibility? Dust jacket of a small boy riding a
water
buffalo through the sky. Eight tales about Dekdek, a little Southeast
Asian
boy, and his water buffalo. Illustrated by Lawrence Beall Smith.
G15 golden feather: it does sound like a good
bet - The Jungle of Tonza Mara, by Ruth Evans,
illustrated
by Lawrence Beall Smith, published Macmillan 1963 "Real and
impossible,
fun and frightening - this is jungle
fantasy at its best. Not only are the magical
adventures exciting and humorous, but the Asiatic setting makes them
even
more appealing." "Eight amusing and amazing tales about Dekdek a little
Southeast Asian boy, and his water buffalo Loy." The cover does
show
Dekdek on Loy's back flying through the sky, and there seems to be
something
long and golden around his neck, which could be the golden feather.
I'd say these were Andrew Lang's
different
colored fairy books, except the story you've described is very likely The
Light Princess by George MacDonald (see P147), and
that's
not in any of his collection. Also, as a help, the other one
you've
mentioned is the Greek legend of Atalanta, not Atlanta.
Andrew Lang
Nelson Doubleday (Publishers), Best in
Children's Books, '50s, 60s. ? Idea? These books are a
series,
each containing several stories, poems, nature and geography sections.
About 200 pages each. Hardcover, different colors, illustrated.
Junior Classics. From Grolier
(?). Color and contents description, as well as number AND the
inclusion
of the Light Princess makes the Junior Classics a good bet.
---
late 1940s-early 1950s, a children's
book--probably
boy oriented--on Heros in history. Format was short biographical
descriptions along with a description of his major contributions.
As I recall another sketch was on Dr. Walter Reed and the medical
problem
of malaria in building the Panamal Canal. I had the bood as a boy
but it was lost somewhere. The bio I remembered was Leonidas
(Spartan
king at Thermopylae).
Junior Classics v. 8 - Stories from
History,
1938. Contents: Leonidas The Greek slave and the little Roman
boy / Jennie Hall, etc.
Benson, Sally, Junior Miss, 1941.
L49 is most definitely Junior Miss by Sally Benson. The
girl's
name is Judy and she is too chunky to wear the fur-trimmed coat she
fell
in love with in an ad. Her sister makes snippy remarks, but she
is
the one who comes up with the solution--alterations!!
That's it! Thanks for the quick solution to a mystery that's
been bothering me for almost 20 years!
|
Condition Grades |
Benson, Sally. Junior Miss. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, 1937, 1941. Ex-library copy in library binding with usual marks and pocket on front free endpaper. G. $9 |
|
Carolyn Haywood, Little Eddie,
1947, 1962. Possibly one of Haywood's Eddie
books?
Eddie collects all sorts of "valuable property" (a.k.a. junk) to the
dismay
of his parents. I don't have these books, but in an exerpt from Little
Eddie, titled "Any Old Junk Today?", Eddie purchases an old
lantern
and coffee grinder for 75 cents. His parents are about to discard
the box containing the items, because they don't want Eddie bringing
home
more junk, when they see the items and want them for themselves, to fix
up & use. They purchase the items from Eddie for $3, making
Eddie
a tidy profit on his junk. While this is not the same story you are
looking
for, the junk collecting theme crops up in several of the Eddie
books.
Possibly the story with the wagon is in one of them? Is it possible you
are combining details from 2 stories? Little Eddie also
contains
a story where Eddie must find homes for a bunch of stray cats.
You
might also try Eddie and His Big Deals (1955, 1962)
lilian moore, junk day on juniper
street, 1969. this may or
may
not be the book you are looking for. it is actually a collection
of several short stories. but the title of the entire
book/collection
is junk day on juniper street and it is the first of the 5 or 6
stories.
it seems to fit the description that you gave pretty closely.
hopefully
this is it!
Lilian Moore, Junk Day on Juniper Street.
This is a Parents Magazine Press book. It is actually a
collection
of easy-to-read stories. All the junk people have put out ends up
going home with someone else on the street. When the junk man
comes
to cart it away, all that is left is a big rocking chair, which the
junk
man takes home for himself!
Junket
Is Nice
A red hard cover book. An old man is eating out of a big bowl
of junket and he asks all the people of the world to guess what he is
thinking
while he eats his junket. If they guess right, he will give them
a reward. They guess all kinds of things, like a cow with its
head
in a bag, and a walrus tiptoing past the medicine cabinet so he won't
wake
the baby... "WRONG! Said the old man, and he went on eating his
junket."
Finally a little boy on a tricycle comes up and guesses that the old
man
is thinking about junket. "RIGHT! Said the old man." So he
gives the boy the chance to lick the bowl as his reward. The last
page shows the old man riding away on the back of the little boy's
tricycle,
and they are saying, "Oh my, oh my, oh my, but JUNKET IS NICE!"
Yes, that's the title all right. Junket Is Nice is by Dorothy Kunhardt, 1933, and it's a landmark in American children's publishing for its use of script and child-like humor. It's highly sought after by collectors; I've had one copy in 8 years. See more on the Most Requested page.
Palmer Meek, Just Alike Princes.
1966 Whitman Small World Library Book. Prince Albert Edgar
John and Prince Abner Elmer always fight over their toys until their
father
declares one must have everything blue and one must have everything
red.
It's a tall hardcover book, with a green cover and distinctive
drawings.
My brother has this book and it was one of our favourites as
children.
It's very hard to find now, and somewhat pricey.
Thank you so much! My Stumper
(S295) was solved in less than a week, and I already purchased a copy
of
the book! Your site is just great! All my best!
There was a photographer named Ylla
who
illustrated several children's books about cats from that time frame. I
couldn't find any pictures of them, so I'm not sure which one it might
be. Titles include LISTEN, LISTEN CATS and I'LL
SHOW
YOU CATS.
This sounds like a memory of one or more of the
Harry
Frees books. There were several with black & white photos
of kitten, puppies, and (I think) rabbits, all dressed in doll clothes.
It's been none of these so far.... My guess is that the book
is from the late 1960s...they are very colorful photographs... i
vaguely remember the following: kitties tucked into a bed kitties
hanging
on a clothes line in a sock the animals in front of a house on the
cover,
and the sky behind the house was very very blue...so most of the cover
was blue... this is so vague i know! maybe my memory is serving
me
wrong and it wasn't even cats! I thought it was rabbits at first,
by my mom insists it was cats!
3 Little Kittens. I
had a 3 Little Kittens book that sounds just like the
one
you have decsribed.
Maryjane
Hooper Tonn, Just Before Bed Time,
1964, copyright. I finally found this book online after looking
for literally hundreds of hours! The second I saw the cover I
knew I had the right book. Phew, now both "mysteries" I have
submitted to you have been solved!
S54 is almost definitely Just Like
Always
by Elizabeth-Ann Sachs - red headed Janie and blond Courtney
are
sharing a hospital room while they wait for surgery and casts for
scoliosis.
T54--Just Like Always by Elizabeth
Ann-Sachs. The second book is something like I Love You Cow
Patty.
Just
Only John
Sounds like the Treehorn books illustrated by Edward Gorey,
but
I don't remember any about a kid-turned-into-a-sheep. Hmm...
I had that book when I was little, & I'm
pretty sure it was illustrated & probably written by Robert
Kraus.I
believe he also did a book called Mr. Meebles (Also Whose
Mouse Are You? & Leo the Latebloomer). I
think
the title may even have been Just John. Hope this helps,
if you haven't already found it.
The book where "John eats from a jar of
jellybeans
and turns into a sheep" is one of my favorites! It's called Just
Only John by Jack Kent. We bought it in the 60's from
the
Parents Magazine Book Club.
Just
Plain Maggie
This was a lovely book about a little girl named Maggie who goes
to summer camp in Maine. She is from a farm, I think, and feels a
bit out of place with some of the other girls--in particular this girl
whose name is Beth, if I remember correctly. The girls all learn
to work as a team and they climb Mt. Katahdin to help rescue someone
who
is lost, and Maggie wins a swimming race. It was a really sweet book,
and
if anyone knows anything about it, I'd love to know what the title is,
and to purchase a copy. I remember quite a lot about it--it was
illustrated
too--but not the title! I'm a librarian and I checked some
databases but couldn't find anything that looked like it could be
the book I remember. And by the way, this site is
WONDERFUL!!
I say that from a professional and personal standpoint. :-)
Beim, Lorraine, Just Plain Maggie,
1950.
I solved my own stumper! I checked it out of a library just
recently
and loved it!
---
I was a Girl Scout in the 1960s/1970s and
remember reading a book about a girl who went to Girl Scout camp.
I remember her trying to pass the swimming "cap" levels (blue cap,
etc.,
with white cap being the highest level and the one she really wants to
win). There is also a white bathing suit that either she has or
another
girl has. Anyway, the main girl and the other girl don't get
along
but in the end, one of them gives the prized white bathing suit to the
other one and they become friends. I LOVED this book and read it
every summer when I'd visit my grandma in Minnesota. She died in
1974 so it was prior to that. Please help!!
Lorraine Beim, Just Plain Maggie.
I loved this book, too.
Lorraine Beim, Just Plain Maggie,
1950. This sounds a lot like Just Plain Maggie. Margaret
("Maggie")
is an only child who goes to a summer camp that emphasizes water
activities,
but its not a Girl Scout camp. The campers are tested for their water
skills
and wear caps that designate the level they're at: red=beginners,
green=intermediate, and white=advanced. There is a wealthy, snobby girl
(Beth) in Maggie's cabin that gives her a hard time, especially when
Maggie
makes friends easily and gets her white cap quickly. Eventually Beth
and
Maggie become friends and Beth gives her a beautiful white bathing suit
with blue trim.
Sal Fisher at Girl Scout Camp
THANK YOU!!! I immediately recognized the title of the book
once I saw the solution...I MUST find this book... ha ha! Thanks
so much for your wonderful service and thanks to whoever sent in the
information.
---
i am looking for a book, i think it's from the 1950's, maybe
earlier,
about a girl going to camp. it describes her packing a trunk and
convincing her parents to let her go. she also overcomes fear of
water and learns to swim. i have no idea who it's by. i
think
her name was Maggie???
Is it possible that her name is Sallie or
Sally,
instead of Maggie? Do you remember an illustration of her getting
ready to dive in the lake?
Charlotte Steiner, Kiki Goes to Camp,
1953. Your description sounds vaguely like this book, especially
where Kiki is afraid of things but learns to swim. I think she
also
learns to ride a horse, something else she was afraid to do.
M355 Although I don't have more detail, it sounds
like JUST PLAIN MAGGIE by Lorraine Beim,
1950.~from
a librarian
Lorraine Beim, Just Plain Maggie.
I loved this one when I was a kid. Made me want to go to camp.
Beim, Lorraine, Just Plain Maggie,
1950. One of my all-time favorites! I believe it is already
featured on the "Solved" pages.
---
I think this book was written in the
50s-70s - it is for a young
adult and was probably about 150-200 pages. A girl goes to summer
camp for the first time (I think her name was Maggie or Meggie) and
does
all of the traditional camping things - canoeing, putting on plays,
archery.
There is a girl in the book who is a super hyper competitor and I think
her name was Beth - there is a part that talks about how she is an
amazing
swimmer and diver and wants to win all of the awards for
everything.
In the end, Maggie/Meggie/someone is friends with the girl. Can
anyone
help?
This book is Just Plain Maggie,by
Lorraine
Beim.
Lorraine Beim, Just Plain Maggie.
I believe this is the book you are looking for. Maggie wins a
swimming
contest at the end of the book.
Lorraine Beim, Just Plain Maggie.
This is the one you're looking for- Maggie goes to camp, learns to swim
well, has a rivalry that turns into a friendship. A classic
going-to-camp
book. I read it over and over as a child.
Beim, Lorraine, Just Plain Maggie,
1950.
Conford, Ellen, Hail, Hail Camp Timberwood,
1978. Not sure if this is right but the main character's name is
Melanie, going away to camp for the first time. Constantly
intimidated
by her bunkmate who is good at everything. In the end, they don't
necessarily become friends but Melanie learns to stand up for
herself.
Worth checking out at least.
Just
Right
Perhaps called Grandpa's Farm? c. 1968? Grandpa cannot care
for his farm any more and his son lives in the city; Grandpa turns down
prospective buyers because each wants to make some drastic change (cut
down the woods, drain the well). The grandkids come to visit and
decide they want to have the farm.
This is definitely not Grandpa's Farm.
I just had a copy of this and sold it, but have no idea what it was
called.
This will bug me to no end, so I'll be working on it!
Just Right by Lilian Moore,
illustrated by Aldren A. Watson, Parent's Magazine Press, 1968. In the
end the grandson, Tommy shows up with the parents in tow. Robbie, the
son,
decides to buy the farm he wants his son to grow up just as he
had-"
to fish in the pond and play in the meadow"
Rosalie K. Fry, The Secret of the Ron
Mor
Skerry. The incredible
movie,
"The Secret of Roan Inish" was based on this 1940's book.
Rudyard Kipling, Just So Stories-
The Butterfly that Stamped. This scene is from the beginning
of "The Butterfly that Stamped", found in Rudyard Kipling's Just So
Stories.
(Make sure to get a copy with the original illustrations!)
Yes, the story is there, but it's just the
introduction!
There is, however, a memorable illustration of the sea monster at the
harbor
with stacks of box trailers and cranes unloading the ship cargoes.
|
Condition Grades |
Kipling, Rudyard. Just So Stories. Illustrated with the original Kipling black-and-whites, in addition to 11 nice color plates (signed "Gleeson"). Red cloth with pictorial paste-on, spine faded, small stain on lower right of cover, corners bumped. Oversize octavo, nice paper quality and color plates. G+. $35 |
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