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McKenzie, Ellen Kindt, Taash and the Jesters, 1968.  "An orphan boy who lives with a witch becomes involved in a dangerous adventure from which he eventually emerges as the brother of a king."
Taash and the Jesters, McKenzie, Ellen, 1970.  Oh, I loved this book too!  It's Taash and the Jesters, and was originally pulished in the late 60s/early 70s.  Taash was a royal prince, who was stolen to protect him from an evil witch, only there was some mix-up and he was lost--nobody actually knows he's a prince.  The baby is actually his nephew, although he doesn't find that out until later.  The jesters are sons of two sets of identical twins--Kashka and Pip, and they're almost identical as well, only one has blue eyes and the other brown.  There's a sequel called Kashka, which is even harder to find.
McKenzie, Ellen, Taash and the Jesters.  Thank you!!!  That is it!  I almost put in the description that one of the main characters had two A's in his name. Odd the things that stick in one's mind.  Now if I can only find a copy...

Tailypo by Galdone.
The book is TAILYPO by Joanna Galdone, illustrated by her father, Paul Galdone.
Hi.  "Tailypo" (T12) is a story called The Peculiar Such Thing, in a collection of stories called The People Could Fly, by Virginia Hamilton. It's a marvelous collection of African-American folk tales that is sold with a tape of the stories read by Hamilton and by James Earl Jones. Hearing Virginia Hamilton groan, "Tailypo, tailypo.  Give me back my tailypo" is absolutely blood-curdling!
T12  There was a wonderful book that came out in the late 1960s called Gwot: Horribly Funny Hairticklers by George Mendoza.  It consisted of several stories, one of which featured the words "Give... me... my... hairy... TOE!!"  It had some strange illustrations that fascinated my siblings and me because they were grotesque and scary.  The stories were scary and funny, but mostly funny.  This might be the book you're thinking of. 

You didn't mention a dragon, but possibly Taka-chan and I: A Dog's Journey to Japan by Betty Jean Lifton (Norton, 1967).  "A dog digs a hole in the sand, all the way to Japan, where he meets a little girl held captive by a dragon and helps her to find the most loyal person in Japan."
D114 Lifton, Betty Jean. Taka-Chan and I.  I used to half-heartedly look for a copy of my daughter.

Jordan, Hope Dahle, Three Desperate Days, 1967.  I think this is the book you are looking for.  There is an alternate title, Take Me to my Friend which is in reference to the sign the hitchhiker had.  Julie is the name of the girl and she has to drive her grandmother from Florida to someplace up north.  I remember that she doesn't like to drive and is afraid of crossing a bridge.  She hides her grandmother's rings in a ball of yarn so the hitchhikers can't get them.  Her boyfriend was supposed to meet them on the way home by putting a red ribbon on the car's antennae.  So that's how they get rescued.
Hope Dahle Jordan, Take Me To My Friend
Yes, It is Take Me to My Friend.  Thank you so much.

P243 This is most likely a book illustrated and maybe even written by James Marshall. It could be one of the FOX books (like FOX AND FRIENDS). Fox does have a pig and alligator/crocodile among his friends. Take a look online at some of his illustrations. His style is simple, but distinctive, and you'll probably know right away whether he's the right illustrator.~from a librarian
James Marshall, What's the Matter With Carruthers?  Hi, I solved my own book stumper when I recognised the style of drawing from the cover on the of the books on the 'back in print' pages! The illustrator turned out to also be the author, James Marshall. Then I found the book and it was called What's The Matter With Carruthers. I'm so pleased. Much thanks to you and your website!
James Marshall, Taking Care of Carruthers.  Oops, I got it wrong, it isn't What's The Matter With Carruthers?, it's Taking Care of Carruthers instead. And it's not an alligator, it's a turtle instead. Thanks for the help!

Cooper, Paul Fenimore, Tal, his Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom, Purple House 2001, reprint.  The story teller is Noom-Zor-Noom, and he travels with a donkey and a boy named Tal. Tal is the King's son, who has been lost, and can't be identified/found until the right story is told. I think.

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Cooper, Paul Fenimore.  Tal, His Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom. Illustrated by Ruth Reeves.  Purple House Press, 1929, 1957, 2001.  New hardback edition.  $20

Gay, Romney.  The Tale of Corally Crothers. Grosset & Dunlap, 1932. and a sequel:  Come Play with Corally Crothers.  Grosset & Dunlap, 1943.
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I am looking for a book my parents read to me in the mid to late 1940s.  It was about "Cora Lee Cruthers, She had no brothers." The book about Cora Lee Cruthers or maybe Carrothers was all in verse.

M115: Well, the details are not consistent, but it DOES sound like Ogden Nash's Tale of Custard the Dragon.  I first read it in Louis Untermeyer's 1970s Golden Treasury of Poetry.
Ogden Nash, The Tale of Custard the Dragon. "classic Nash story of Belinda and her pet dragon is illustrated by Lynn Munsinger."
Ogden Nash, Custard the Dragon or the tale of.  I'm pretty sure the rest of the line is something about a little yellow dog, and a little red wagon and a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
Ogden Nash, The Tale of Custard the Dragon.  Most anthologies of classic children's poetry include this poem. Also posted on a lot of personal web sites.
M115 "Belinda lived in a little white house, With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse, And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon, And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon" from CUSTARD THE DRAGON by Ogden Nash. There is a newly illustrated copy out, but the copy you probably remember was published in 1959 with illustrations by Linell (Ogden Nash's daughter)  ~from a librarian
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This was a book but it read like a very long poem/prose.  It had a hard cover, tall (11") but not wide, maybe six inches.  I think the cover was white.  It started with: "Melinda lives in a little white house, with a little brown dog and a little grey mouse."  It goes on to talk about the house being on a island, a robber at the window and the dog, mouse and Melinda out smart him, perhaps a crocodile in there somewhere.  My First Grade teacher, Mrs. Lucas read it to us every day after lunch.  At age 6, I could recite the entire prose but now can only remember the first line.  Please help. I have been looking for this for over twenty years.  Thanks!

Why does everyone forget the dragon? This is Ogden's Nash's Tale of Custard the Dragon.

No solution unfortunately, but it looks like this might be the same as O79.
Evgeny Schwartz, A Tale of Stolen Time, 1966, copyright. I almost fainted when I got this book in the mail (thank you Amazon!).  I have been looking for this for twenty years, and as soon as I saw the illustrations, I knew I'd found it.  Thank you so SO much for having this service -- you have solved a mystery that has haunted me for most of my life.

A.J. Wood, The Tale of the Napkin Rabbit, 1993.  I'm almost positive this is what you are looking for - it comes with a napkin to fold into the bunny.  It might also just be called "The Napking Rabbit". We have a copy at my store, but it doesn't have the napkin with it anymore. I'm not sure if it's still in print or not.

A73 spelling shld be Ernest. I found this 1920 bk  in a list of pig bks  when I used "Ernest Aris"  on search engine Google.   Ernest Aris: The Tale of Tiggy Pig (1920)  Seeker might want to look  - I didn't go thru all 20 or so articles.

Sounds like a combination of Magic By the Lake and Half Magic by Edward Eager--the children visit King Arthur's time in the latter and time travel via a lake in the former.  His characters do interrelate  I can't recall if the same set of characters are used in these two titles or not.
Edward Eager has two books that, combined, could fit this stumper. In Knight's Castle the children travel into the Ivanho story. In Magic By The Lake they do a lot of time-travelling via lake-water. Both books have an irreverent humor that might remind the reader of Connecticut Yankee.
Edward Eager's time-travel adventures are grouped together under the group title Tales of Magic.  The series includes Half Magic, Knight's Castle, The Time Garden and Magic by the Lake. 

what a great idea, I think we all need a story-telling hamster...
Caroline Rush, Tales of Mr. Pengachoosa,1973.  '"While recovering from a long illness, a little girl is entertained by her pet hamster who tells her stories about his adventurous grandfather."
caroline rush, tales of mr. pengachoosa, 1973.  Wow! Thank you, thank you thank you! This was so fast. It posted on Monday and was solved on Tuesday! Now to find that book!
And let's not forget Further Tales of Mr Pengachoosa (Crown, 1973).  "Hammy the hamster continues to entertain the little girl who owns him with stories of his grandfather's adventurous exploits."

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Rush, Caroline.  Tales of Mr. Pengachoosa. Illustrated by Dominique M. Strandquest.  Crown, 1965.  Weekly Reader Children's Book Club edition.  Fine.  $8

Mains, David R. and Karen, Tales of the Resistance (Kingdom Tales).  I'm pretty sure this is what you're looking for. The boy is called 'Hero', but he does have a scar, and he does pass through fire. He does have a female friend, though I can't remember her name. My copy of the book was hard cover, purple/blue and had the elaborate illustrations you mention. The stories in the book are Christian allegories.
Mains, David R. and Karen, Tales of the Resistance.  Stay away from the edition that was put out in 2000 -- it only has B&W pictures apparently.  I JUST bought these after a long search myself!  I bought these online -- each one was $22, but they were brand-new and had never even been opened.  I've soaked them in, re-reading them!!! Not only are they just as beautiful, the stories are rich and I have cried several times -- the correlation between faith and the King / Kingdom of the Restoration is absolutely encouraging and uplifting.  I don't think I'll ever be too old for these.

Ida Chittum, Franz Altschuler, Tales of Terror, 1975.  I remember this book-- there was a story of a "snipe hunt" (involving a bunch of snakes), a woman turning to paper, children picking rocks on a farm... The cover art was of people in rural garb, with swirls of green fog instead of faces.  (I checked it out in elementary school back in the 70s, and forgot to return it, so my parents had to pay for it!)
I would like to thank the wonderful person who replied to G301 stumper. My husband was ready to sign papers to have me commited to an institution because I was so obsessed with this book. God bless you all. 

Miller -- Book House for Children, Tales Told in Holland, 1926.  This story appears in a children's book of mine.  The title of the story is "The Lady of Stavoren."  I am sure the story has been anthologized or retold in many other books.  The lady is a rich widow whose ships sail everywhere.  She commands her best captain to sail all over the world and bring her back the most precious cargo that can be bought for gold.  He brings back a shipload of wheat.  She is outraged and commands him to dump the cargo in the harbor.  So he dumps it at the mouth of the harbor, which causes the mouth to silt up to the point that no ships can enter or leave.  The rich lady is reduced to poverty and finally understands that her ship's captain was right all along.  And the sand bar that formed is called Vrouwenzand, or Lady's Sand.
Some of the stories in Tales Told in Holland have authorial credits, most have regional credits, others have title translations. "The Lady of Stavoren" is credited as "A Tale from the Province of Friesland."  I suspect you did indeed have this collection.  Perhaps you remember a trio of tall books: Tales Told in Holland, Nursery Friends from France and Little Pictures of Japan?  Look under the Anthology Finder for My Bookhouse.  These three books were issued as companions to the set of My Bookhouse.
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/017_legend.html  does this help?
I sent in the first solution.  My grandmother gave my sisters and me all three of these books.  My oldest sister got the French book, my second sister, who was born in Japan, got the Japanese book, and I got the Dutch book.  I always loved the careful illustrations, often adapted from masterpieces by Dutch artists.  I was sorry to learn that these were the only three books in this series.

Edward Eager, Half Magic, 1954.  This sounds like Edward Eager's amazing children's classic Half Magic, which is wonderfully and whimsically illustrated by N.M. Bodecker. Here's a synopsis: Edward Eager has been delighting young readers for more than 40 years with stories that mix magic and reality. Half Magic, the most popular of his tales about four children who encounter magical coins, time-travel herb gardens, and other unlikely devices, is a warm, funny, original adventure. The "Half Magic" of the title refers to a coin that the children find. Through a comical series of coincidences, they discover that the coin is magic. Well, it's not totally magic--it's only (you guessed it) half magic. That means there's a certain logic to the wishes one must make to generate a desired outcome. Imagine the results emerging from inaccurate efforts: "half" invisible, "half" rescued, "half" everything!
E. Nesbit, The Story of the Amulet, 1906.  This is just a suggestion  it doesn't match exactly. A group of children have half an amulet which allows them to travel in time.  If they find the other half, they will receive their heart's desire.  A classic, in print for nearly a century.
There could be a different book called The Talisman, but this does remind me of Nesbit's book The Amulet.
T98 Could be HALF MAGIC by Edward Eager, 1954 ~from a librarian
Stephen King And Peter Straub, The Talisman

George, Jean Craighead, The Talking Earth.  Billie Wind, a Seminole teenager, goes out into the Everglades alone to try to understand her people's beliefs in earth spirits and talking animals. She befriends an otter, a turtle, and a panther cub. She crawls into a sand cave towards the end of the book when her animal friends alert her to a coming storm.
Jean Craighead George, The Talking Earth.  This sounds a lot like what you describe -- Native American girl in Florida goes on a journey into the Everglades to learn to listen to the land and understand her people.  She does meet an otter and a panther in the course of her journey. I loved this book when I was younger! Hope it's what you're looking for!

Vian Smith, Tall and Proud, 1966.  This is definitly the book!  Its about a girl named Gail who contracts polio, her desperate father gets her a horse to motivate her to learn to walk again. In the process she and the horse, Sam, catch an escaped convict.
Smith, Vian, Tall and Proud, 1968, Pocket Books (reissue Doubleday 2000).  Sounds like "Tall and Proud," in which a girl contracts polio and gradually rehabilitates both herself and a lame racehorse.  I'm pretty sure the book was British.  I recall the heroine at the beginning playing in a stream with her dolls she'd named for the Beatles, and rescuing Ringo first "because he was the most important"!!!  When she's dxed with polio, all of her treasures and toys are burned.  Her parents get her the sick horse to help her connect with the world again.
Vian Smith, Tall and Proud.  I loved this one and I was just thinking about it the other day! The heroine's parents buy her an injured racehorse as she's recovering from polio -- she learns to walk again because of her desire to take care of the horse.
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A girl ends up in the hospital with, perhaps, polio.  She has a painful recovery and must learn to walk again.  When she is sent home there is a horse who is also lame and recovering.  At some point the girl must get on the horse at night to ride for help or to safety because something has happened at her home.  She is hoping they will both make it.  I read this book in the 60s so it is at least that old.  Older if the girl had polio I suppose.  Thanks for any help.

Vian Smith, Tall and Proud, 1966, copyright.  This is Tall and Proud by Vian Smith (UK title King Sam)...one of my favorites growing up (I still have my copy!). Gail is recovering from polio, but is falling behind in learning to walk again, due to the fear of the pain involved in her physical therapy. Her parents buy her Sam, a steeplechaser injured and retired from the track, hoping that the desire to ride will inspire her to push herself to walk again. All the characters, Gail, her friend Roddy, her parents, are very well drawn, as is the location, Dartmoor. Smith wrote a number of horse books, all well worth checking out, all had both US and UK printings. Tall and Proud was printed by Doubleday in hardcover and Archway in paperback, as King Sam it was printed by Constable Young.
C. W.  Anderson, Afraid to Ride, 1957.  Maybe this one?  The details aren't exactly the same--the girl is injured in a riding accident, and is too scared to ride; the horse is badly treated and skittish, too.  Otherwise, the plot is almost the same as you describe.
Dorothy Lyons, Dark Sunshine, 1951, copyright.  "Two years before, horse-loving Blythe Hyland would have been thrilled with the news that the family was moving back to an Arizona ranch, but now - what difference did it make to her?   What could a thin, listless girl, crippled by polio, do on a ranch? Then Blythe found Dark Sunshine, a magnificent wild mare that had been trapped by a landslide.  From the moment she learned it was possible to rescue the buckskin, Blythe determined that, crutches or not, she would train and ride her. It was slow, often painful work for the crippled girl but when an endurance ride offered Blythe her only chance to win athletic honors toward a scholarship, both horse and rider were ready for the grueling test."
Vian Smith, Tall and Proud.  This must be it. The plot is just what the poster remembers. Its listed on the solved mystery pages.
Vian Smith, Tall and Proud, 1966, approximate.  I think this is the book you're looking for.  The girl has polio, the horse was lame, she doesn't think she'll ever get better.  I think either robbers or someone with a grudge against her father breaks into her home, and she escapes, manages to get on the horse, and rides for help.  Tall and Proud might have been the an alternate title--I think it was one of those books that when it ended up in the Scholastic book order, it was given a different title.
Mystery ALREADY solved from further research on your site.  Tall and Proud by Vian Smith. : )

Dorothy Hall Smith, The Tall Book of Christmas, 1954.  Granny Glittens and her Amazing Mittens is in this book, as is Christmas Through a Knothole and many more. Not sure about the other stories mentioned.
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Mrs. Smittens and Her Christmas Mittens, Nov. 1954?   This was part of a treasury of Christmas stories.  Mrs. Smittens used colored licorice to dye wool for Christmas mittens.  Mrs. Smittens might be a cat.  This is all I can remember.

Smith, Dorothy Hall, The Tall Book of Christmas, 1954. This is almost certainly right.  The book is an anthology that  includes, among other stories, "Granny Glittens and Her Amazing Mittens."  The name's a little off (Granny Glittens vs. Mrs. Smittens), and I don't think she was a cat, but everything else checks out. 

Dorothy Hall Smith, The Tall Book of Christmas, 1954, 2006 reprint. My family just received this as a Christmas gift.  This is a brand new reprint from Gramercy Books and it contains the story "Giant Grummer's Christmas" by William Dana Street.  This story is about a giant who lives in a castle made from limburger cheese. Now when are they going to reprint the rest of the "Tall Books"?
Giant Grummer's Christmas.  The giant is Giant Grummer, and he does live in a castle made of limburger cheese.  The story is in the Tall Book of Christmas.

Be sure you look at the Most Requested Anthologies page to see if anything there looks familiar.
The Tall Book of Make-Believe.  Sounds like it, anyway. Hard to find and pricey, too. :-)
Of course.  See also Most Requested Books.
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I am looking for a childhood book, I am 44 years old. This book was a reader or fairy tale book of some type I believe, it contained several stories in it. The stories I most remember  and want to find  is a story about The  Everlasting Lollipop and also a story about  the Magic Kettle, I think  they had to speak to the kettle to stop it from boiling over and say "stop, stop" or something like that.  I am not sure what the  exact title of these stories are. I believe these  stories were both in the same book. We were thinking it was in that Tall Book of Fairytales, but I found a 1947 edition of that book on ebay and won the bid to find out that neither story was in there. I don't know if they have several editions of that book or if I have it confused with the book these stories are really in. I have been on a search for this book for years. Can anyone help me??

Porter, the Magic Kettle, 1979 Franklin Watts, NY, reprint.  Found this description online of a book by "Porter" called "The Magic Kettle":  "A rusty, dusty, magical kettle brings good fortune to two men" But that was all it said. Another site called it a Japanese folk tale. Another search produced: Rainy Day Stories: Sixty-four Pages of Selected Stories  Racine WI: Western Printing & Lithographing Co. 1922. Stunning color illustration on front board of genie figure rising out of flames and reaching toward frightened old man in a feathered turban. Full color and black and white illustrations. Includes Sinbad the Sailor and stories of his seven voyages, The Magic Tea Kettle, The Fisherman and the Genie and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Endpapers have black and white fairy tale figure illustrations. One more: The Magic Kettle and other folk-stories of the North American Indians.  London: George G Harrap and Co Ltd, 1931. Illustrations by Joyce Lankester Brisley, 55p, 4 coloured plates.
Jane Werner, Editor, The Tall Book of Make-Believe, 1950.  The version of this anthology that appeared in 1950 contains The Everlasting Lollipop, but not the other story.
Magic Porridge Pot or Wonderful Porridge Pot.  Perhaps you mean the Magic Porridge Pot (aka Wonderful Porridge Pot)?  In this story, a kind man repays a good deed by giving up a magic pot that if you say "Cook, little pot, cook", it will cook a nice potful of porridge, but you must stop it by saying "Stop, little pot, stop".  The old woman forgets the right words to make it stop, and the pot keeps pumping out porridge until it floods the old woman's house.
Well, based on the memory that it might be a Tall Book... and the inclusion of The Everlasting Lollipop, I'm going to mark this one solved as The Tall Book of Make-Believe.  My copy also does not have Magic (or Wonderful) Porridge Pot.  Perhaps that was part of a separate book memory?
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This picture book is about a naughty mouse who lives with a girl and her mother. The mouse never helps with chores (ie. never brings in the morning newspaper) and is very messy (never wipes feet at front door and doesn't clean up the milk (or o.j.?) that he frequently spills. Finally, the girl's mother is tired of cleaning up after the mouse and she ties him to an umbrella during a rainstorm. The mouse that eventually finds his way home is a very reformed mouse who always brings in the newspaper, wipes his feet, and cleans up the spilled liquid. I loved this book as a child and my parents still call me "Bad Mousie" although I don't remember that being a part of the title/book? I remember reading it in the early/mid 80's. It was a library book (that I checked out a lot and always had to pay overdue fines!) that wasn't in the best of condition, so maybe published in the 60's or 70's??

Martha Dudley, Bad Mousie, 1947.  "Donica's story, written by her mother, illus. by Trientje Engelbrecht."  If you can find a copy of Books Before Five, by Dorothy White (check a library), the book is mentioned in it (it was a favourite of Dorothy White's small daughter).
Dudley, Martha, Bad Mousie.  I've never read it, but I think this is it.  Bad Mousie "is the story of a little girl who has a pet mouse that is constantly making messes and getting in touble." (quoted from the Jane Werner Waton page under "Most Requested Books.")
Bad Mousie.  This story was also in the book Tall Book of Make Believe, 1950.
Dudley, Martha, Bad Mousie, 1947.  This is anthologized in The Tall Book of Make-Believe, copywright 1950.
Thank so, so, so much for providing your Stump the Bookseller service!  I am astonished that a solution was found so quickly, especially since I've been trying to find out the title of this book for years!  On a side note, I now realize that I was thinking of the version of Bad Mousie that is in The Tall Book of Make-Believe.  I'm beginning to remember some of the poems and other stories in that collection.  Now I'm searching for economic copies of that book...why are these books so expensive??? I want my children to be able to use them and not worry that they are harming a "collector's" item!
supply and demand is the answer to all pricing questions...  in this case, it's very scarce, and in hot demand....

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Dudley, Martha.  Bad Mousie:  Donica's Story.  Illustrated by Trientja Engelbrecht.  Chicago: Children's Press, A Star-Bright Book, 1947.  Similar to a Little Golden Book in format, this book has a red taped spine, and is worn along all its edges.  Very scarce.  VG-.  $50

Mary Elwyn Patchett, Tam the Untamed, 1954.  The particular book mentioned is Tam the Untamed, which centers mainly on the horse....its part of the "Ajax" series, which also includes Ajax, Golden Dog of the Australian Bush, Ajax and the Haunted Mountain, Ajax the Warrior (Algy, the bulldog, and Ben, the Australian Terrier, are two more dog characters in the book).
Patchett, Mary Elwyn, Tam the untamed, 1954.  This is it.  By the same author of the brumby books.  About a girl, her dog and the taming of the horse Tam
Mary Elwyn Patchett, Tam the Untamed.  This is one of a series of autobiographical novels by Mary Elwyn Patchett about her childhood on an Australian outback station.  Lacking other children to play with, she concentrates on her pets, Algy the bulldog, Ajax the dingo/cattledog cross, Tam the horse, etc.  Other books in the series are Ajax: Golden Dog of the Australian Bush, Ajax and the Drovers, Ajax and the Haunted Mountain, Ajax the Warrior and The Call of the Bush

The tamarack tree : a novel of the siege of Vicksburg / Patricia Clapp.  1986 1st ed. English  Book : Fiction : Juvenile audience 214 p.  22 cm. New York : Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, ISBN: 0688028527 An eighteen-year-old English girl finds her loyalties divided and all her resources tested as she and her friends experience the terrible physical and emotional hardships of the forty-seven day siege of Vicksburg in the spring of 1863.

Mrs. Molesworth, The Tapestry Room: A Child's Romance, 1879.  Without much more to go on it's hard to say if this is the book, but there's a link to the full text at this site.
Mrs. Molesworth, The Tapestry Room.

Is this similar to F21: Fairy, tiny?
This IS definitely Tatsinda by Elizabeth Enright. A childless couple find a child being carried off by an eagle and they adopt her, but she is a brown-eyed, golden-haired child in a land of blue-eyed, silver-haired people.  She is, however, very good at weaving the traditional rugs and so is tolerated.  She weaves the very best for the prince's birthday in hopes he will notice she has grown up and marry her, but in the midst of the birthday celebration, an evil giant appears to steal the crystals which are so prevalent that everyone uses them to build roads and houses, but are precious in the giant's land. Tatsinda and the prince defeat the giant and do marry.  The wise woman does have chickens and answers one question per person, and aids in the defeat of the giant.  The "dog" is not part of the illustrations in my edition but there is a picture of a "tim-tik," drawn as a tallish, long-haired goat  type creature which Tatsinda rode upon.  The ISBN is 0-15-284280-2
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My third grade class read this book together. The title was the protagonist's name, which may have begun with a "t". It was about a blonde haired brown eyed baby raised amid a race of white haired blue eyed people who regarded her as ugly. Eventually she married their prince. I've questioned lots of people about this book over the years and apparently myself and fellow classmates are the only people who've ever read it!

Elizabeth Enright, Tatsinda, 1961.  This sounds similar to a summary I read for Elizabeth Enright's Tatsinda today!
Tatsinda--Elizabeth Enright
Enright, Elizabeth, Tatsinda, illustrated by Irene Haas, NY Harcourt 1963.  I'm sure I won't be the only one with this answer - Tatsinda is a young girl in the wonderful kingdom of Tatrajan. She is not native, but arrived in the kingdom as a baby, rescued from an eagle by an old huntsman.  "The trouble was that her hair was golden and her eyes were brown. All the other Tatrajanni ... had glittering white hair like snow crystals and eyes ... a cool greenish-blue. That was the way people were meant to look, they thought, and they considered Tatsinda handicapped and were sorry for her." There's more plot of course. Tatsinda loves the prince Tackatan, who defended her from teasing when they were children. The wise woman Tanda-nan gives her enough magic for one wish. Tatrajan is attacked by one of the Gadblangs, troll-like giants with leather clothes and stone shoes, who mine the precious mineral gleb.
Stumper C150 certainly sounds like Tatsinda from the solved list, although I haven't read it!
I just wanted to send in the answer to stumper B150. The answer is TATSINDA by Elizabeth Enright, 1963. It looks like it might still be in print.
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I'm trying to find a book that my Sixth Grade teacher read to our class in the mid-1960s that involved a journey to a distant land where streets were paved with something of no value in one land but that was as valuable as gold in the other--some kind of ore or rock used as paving material.  That's about all I can remember of the story.  Ring any bells?

Elizabeth Enright??, Tatsinda??  1963.  This is a really long shot, but the way you phrased it, that something of no value in
one land was like gold in the other, reminded me of the giant in Tatsinda who starts grabbing up the paving stones and cobblestones of the Tatrajanni, crying that now he'll be rich, because in the giants' land the "greb" that the paving is made of is very valuable. ??
Enright, Elizabeth, Tatsinda. NY Harcourt 1963.  Kind of a longshot, but the story is about a strange country, and the giants who invade it are after "greb ore" which they value but which is used in Tatsinda's country as gravel or to pave streets. Of course, the "streets paved with gold" trope is so common as to be a cliche, so there are many other possible answers, I'm sure!
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This was a library book I read in grade school in the early 1960's.  An eagle (?) steals a baby and drops it on a mountain in the distance.  The girl is adopted by a family who weaves carpets.  There is an old wise woman who lives at the top of the mountain, and she grants each person in their lifetime 3 questions or something similar. When the girl becomes a young woman, she however is also granted a gift of magic from the old woman because she has been kind to her.  The young woman has fallen in love with the prince of the mountain and asks for a gift to make him fall in love with her, which she will give him at his upcoming birthday party.  However, as the party is taking place, trolls or ogres storm in and I believe they take the young woman with them.  After the men of the mountain rescue her and she is riding back with the prince, he of course tells her he is in love with her.  And then she asks him how he liked the present she gave him, whereupon he states that in the chaos he has not had time to open any of the presents yet.  Therefore, he loved her without the need of magic.

Elizabeth Enright, Tatsinda.  I'm pretty sure this is Tatsinda, especially if the poster remembers wonderful illustrations in feathery pastels.
The book is in fact Tatsinda!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can't tell you how many years I have wondered about this book!  This was the best 2.00 I ever spent!!!!  And after posting, I realized I had forgotten to mention the part about the people on the mountain all having white hair and blue eyes!  Thank you to the solver of this mystery!!!!!!!!!! Thank you, thank you!!!
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An eagle steals a blonde, blue-eyed little girl from a farm in the valley and takes her to a mountain kingdom where everyone has the same color hair and eyes (gray eyes/silver hair I think) and she's the only blonde one.  Kids tease her but the young prince pities her and tells them not to tease her for being different.  That's the first chapter, it continues on as the girl grows, she's a peasant, he's a prince, I read it in the 70's.

Elizabeth Enright, Tatsinda. Again! See Solved Mysteries.
Tatsinda. Sounds exactly like the one that was just solved called Tatsinda. The poster should check out the solved pages under T and see if it's the same book.
Elizabeth Enright, Tatsinda. This is on the Solved pages under TATSINDA by Elizabeth Enright.
Elizabeth Enright, Tatsinda. It's Tatsinda again  :) !  See the Solved Mysteries.

No real proof this is it, but since there's no other guesses, maybe: Anon. Make-Believe Stories McLoughlin Brothers 1942 24mo, illustrations by Sari, some in colour
I was browsing EBay and I think I may have found the Cakeville story.  I got a little excited, since I never expected to find this stumper. Our Story Book.  Akron: Saalfield, 1942  Partial Contents:  Tea Cake from Cakeville, Lavendar Alligator, What Did the Bee Say?
Dear Harriett: Thank you so much for continuing to look for the story for me. I checked the eBay title and sent the seller an email. Unfortunately the story is not in Our Story Book. The other title, Make Believe Stories is a possibility so I'm requesting it through Interlibrary Loan. Once again, thank you. How long has it been since I requested that title? I'm guessing 2-3 years.
Various authors, Our Story Book, illustrated.  Akron, Saalfield 1942.  I have a copy of this book now, and I'm going to make the pitch for it again. The book matches in date and description. The first story is The Tea Cake from Cakeville, by Elaine Baldridge. It takes place in a town called Cakeville, where the people like to eat nothing but cake. "The funny little women all wore large white caps and they grew so fat they began to look like little sailboats." They compete with each other to make the largest and richest cake, until the king happens to ride through town in his golden carriage on the way to the castle. Smelling something delicious, he sends his Prime Minister to Dame Peters tiny green cottage. She has just made "a huge marshmallow cake with pink candies all over it" for her little son Peterkin, to be his first cake, but thrilled to have the king interested, she brings the cake to him, and the other dames bring out their cakes. The king and his servants eat all the cake, "getting frosting over their gold and purple robes" and he orders his men to gather up all the cakes in Cakeville and take them to the castle. "From now on no one must eat any cake or he will be put in prison. You must make the biggest, richest cakes you ever made or you will go to prison." says the king, and so it is. Every day the soldiers fill 15 large carts with cakes from the village, not letting any of people come near the pile of cakes "as high as a house." The people make do with bread and begin to forget what cake tastes like. Dame Peters regrets that Peterkin has never tasted cake (the king having eaten his birthday cake) and at night she sneaks past the soldiers and steals back a chocolate cake she has just baked. "She very carefully cut the middle out and hurried back to the cottage." The next day the castle servants eat all the cakes before the king has a chance, except the holed cake. When the king demands his cake, that's the only one left. The cook, to appease the king, says "Please, your Majesty, it is supposed to be that way. It is a tea cake." Because the king is so hungry, the "tea cake" tastes better than ever, and he decides that all his cakes shall be tea cakes from now on. The people of Cakeville "cut all the centers out of the cakes and became very fat and happy once more. ... That is the reason why so many tea cakes are made round with a hole in the center."  Other stories are: Squeak, by B.H. Hand  The Gift of Spring, by Myrtle Barbre  The Lavender Alligator of the Purple River, by Jeanne Opie  The Legend of the Ginseng, by Ruth Irwin The Windmill and the Tulips, by Margot Jackson  Tommy's Teeny Tiny Pig, by Ida Danziger  What Did the Bee Say, by I.L. Reisler Crocks of Gold, by Carol Ryrie Brink Sylvia's Autumn Gift, by Myrtle Barbre  and several poems.
Stories We Like, 1942.  I found this book on E-Bay and purchased it.  It contains "The Tea Cake from Cakeville" and "The Lavender Alligator" Published by Saalfield in I believe 1942.  I searched so long to find this book.  Having this book read to me was one of the delights of my childhood.  It has a picture on the front and back of a Lady Goose Wearing a hat & scarf and carrying an umbrella, looking into the window of a hat shop

Maybe too recent ... Ming Ming and the Lantern Dragon, by J.E. Edwards, illustrated by P. Aitken, published Methuen 1981, 110 pages. "Ming Ming is a Chinese boy living in a village. When all the people are starving because of a drought, Ming Ming determines to get the river to run again. He becomes involved with a river spirit, a giant Panda and the Sun Dragon. The Sun Dragon seems to reign supreme until Ming Ming gets the idea of turning all the people in a riverside village into the Dragon of the Thousand Eyes. They, together with the unknowing help of another river spirit, defeat the Sun Dragon. The rain clouds come in, the rivers fill again and all ends happily ever after. This is a Read Aloud book that should be welcomed by children everywhere." (Junior Bookshelf Feb/81 p.17)
D55 dragon cries river: well, after finally having the wit to do a search with dragon and parents mag as keywords, would suggest - Tears of the Dragon, by Hirosuke Hamada, illustrated by Chihiro Iwasaki, published Parents Magazine Press, 1967  unpaginated. Translated from Ryuno Me No Namida, originally published by Kaisei Sha, Tokyo. "A little boy wants the dragon who lives in the mountains nearby, to come to his birthday party despite warnings that the creature is very wicked. The little boy and dragon become friends and the hatred drains out of the dragon and turns to love; he cries tears and makes a river."
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This book is about an Asian (country?) boy who lives in a small village. Everyone is afraid of a dragon who lives on a mountain (or far away place) above the village.  One day the boy decides to go visit the dragon and he learns that the dragon is quite lonely.  They become friends.  The version of the "book" that I remember is actually on large (place mat sized) picture cards with words on the back for the reader.

Kenneth Grahame, The Reluctant Dragon.  This plot sounds exactly like The Reluctant Dragon (excerpted from, I think, The Golden Age)--except that the boy there is not Asian. Maybe a retelling?
B184 Hamada Hirosuke, translated by Alvin Tresselt, Tears of the Dragon, illustrated by Iwasaki Chihiro. NY: Parents Magazine Press 1967.  Well, this one involves an Asian country boy and befriending a dragon. It's on the solved list. "Akito was the only boy in the village who did not believe that the great monster dragon that lived in the mountains would carry off bad children. He decided to find the dragon and invite him to his birthday party. His kindness made the dragon cry a river of tears that carried the boy on the dragons back down to the village and the dragon miraculously turned into a dragon boat for all the children to enjoy forever."

Whitcomb, Mary B., Tee-Bo on the Trail of the Persnickety Prowler. (1975)  This is the book. There is also a sequel, Tee-bo and the Great Hort Hunt.
Whitcomb, Mary Burg, Tee-bo and the Great Hort Hunt. (1978) This is it!  "With the stone they are also able to discover the magical land behind the waterfall where the Horts - a small elf-like people - live."  Thanks so much!

#A126--Abstract painter dad:  In the Georgie Stable books, The Teddy Bear Habit and Rich and Famous, by James Lincoln Collier, Georgie and his father live in Greenwich Village.  Georgie's father draws comic books for a living but longs to be an artist like Jackson Pollack or Andy Warhol.  I believe Rich and Famous appears on the "Solved Mysteries" page.
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The book I'm looking for is a mystery/adventure with a definate comical tone concerning a teddy bear that has jewels stashed inside it. The hero is a boy, and the bad guy wears a fez. I think it was illustrated with black and white line drawings, was probably published in the 1970's, and was geared toward middle school ages.

#J39--Jewels in a teddy bear:  The Teddy Bear Habit, by James Lincoln  Collier.  Its sequel Rich and Famous is on the solved page and, since I seem to remember solving this one before, I'm pretty sure it is, too.
Collier, James Lincoln, The Teddy Bear Habit.  NY Grosset 1967.  This is on the solved list, and seems like a reasonable match.
James Lincoln Collier, The Teddy Bear Habit.  "Twelve-year-old George Stable wants to be a rock star someday,
but he gets horrible stage fright - unless he has his old teddy bear with him. Hiding the teddy in his guitar seems like a brilliant idea until George discovers that someone has hidden jewels in the stuffing of his beloved bear. Quirky yet believable characters and a funky setting make this one a winner all around."
I submitted the stumper J39 Jewels in teddy bear, and I  believe it has been solved with "the Teddy Bear Habit". I had forgotten about the guitar but knew that was the one as soon as I read it. I looked at the solved mysteries entry and was struck by what different people remember - I had no recollection of the artist father, and they didn't mention the teddy bear! (I tried searching the solved section before submitting, but didn't realize I needed to search each section individually.....) I'm looking forward to sharing this book with my kids - especially my daughter who wants to be a rock star!
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Book about an old teddy bear dated before 1970. The cover had just as drawing of a teddy bear missing and eye, hardcover not jacket. The story was about the teddy and a little boy in an apartment, I think the Teddy Bear might have gotten lost. It's not "Charles"or "Courdory"

James Lincoln Collier, The Teddy Bear Habit, 1967. There's a missing teddy bear and an apartment in this one.  Check it out in Solved Mysteries to see if its the one you're looking for.

I found T31 in the LC online catalog.  Teddy Bear of Bumpkin Hollow, by Sharon Boucher, Rand McNally, 1948
Teddy Bear of Bumpkin Hollow is always late coming back from errands, because he stop and plays.  So his mother sends him on an errand, tells him to be sure to come back right away, and then plans a trip to his grandma's house to start promptly at the time Teddy Bear is supposed to come home.  Well, he comes back late again, and finds a babysitter there.  He cries big tears. The next morning, Mama gives him cookies from grandma (these are what impressed *me* the most, they looked like giant iced plates!), and he learns his lesson and is on time henceforth.
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A young bear misbehaves and goes to his Grandmother's house through the woods.  He was told not to.  If he did, he would miss out on some kind of treat.  The last page was the young bear and his Grandmother with a plate full of pink cookies.

I sometimes confuse stumpers for this book for Little Bear's Visit by Else Homelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak(An I Can Read Book).  But I think this one is Teddy Bear of Bumpkin Hollow by Sharon Boucher, illustrated by Dean Bryant, published Rand McNally Elf Books 1948. The little bear misses out on a visit to grandma because he is always late, then is consoled by having her visit him and make giant cookies for him.
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A little bear lived with his Mama and Papa Bear and was always misbehaving. His parents kept warning him that he should mind them.  One day they told him to be in from playing at a certain time or he would be sorry.  He returned late and found that Mama and Papa had gone over on another mountain to visit Grandma and Grandpa Bear.  He was heartbroken because he loved going to their house.  Cousin Amanda Bear was at his house to babysit while Mama and Papa were gone.  He cried himself to sleep he was so sorry and disappointed.  When Mama and Papa came home they brought cookies from Grandma.  This is a precious book with beautiful word pictures.  It was about the size of a Golden Book. It also had pretty pictures, too.  I used it in my kndergarten class over 30 years ago.  I have a feeling it was printed much earlier.  Help me, please.

I think this one is Teddy Bear of Bumpkin Hollow by Sharon Boucher, illustrated by Dean Bryant, published Rand McNally Elf Books 1948 (similar to Little Golden Books). The little bear misses out on a visit to grandma because he is always late, then is consoled by having her visit him and make giant cookies for him. I sometimes confuse stumpers for this book for Little Bear's Visit by Else Homelund Minarik, 1961, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (An I Can Read Book).
Richard Scarry, Richard Scarry's Best Story Book Ever.  The Richard Scarry book with the Pierre the Bear story that I inherited from my grandfather and still have has 4 stories inside this book.  It has a drawing of Pierre on the cover reading a book in front of the fire same as the first picture in the beginning of his story. The first story in this book is the City Mouse and the Country Mouse, then a story about a female crow with a piece Swiss cheese and a fox finally sweat talks her out of the piece of cheese, then the Pierre the Bear story, "In a wind swept cabin way up North lived brave Pierre the Bear.  He lived all alone."  And the last story is about a Duck that didn't like water until he had to rescue his friends.  My favorite book as a kid and probably the reason I think bears are to human to hunt.

For T56 the name of the book is The Teddy * Bear Twins and it was published by Rand McNally Elf book. The copy I have was published in 1965.  The bears' names were Floppy and Flip.  They go to town on a train and get a haircut, ride in a taxi that has a flat, ride in a canoe that tips over then go back to the hotel to have a shower.  I love this book and so do my children!
Wing, Helen.  The Teddy Bear Twins.  Illustrated by Marjorie Cooper.  Elf Book #8453, #8637, & #8722.  1965.

the story is about Floppy and Flip   two bears   a rhyming story   they go on adventures That is all I have??
The Solved Mysteries page has Teddy Bear Twins featuring Flippy & Flop, a Rand McNally Elf book.  Close enough?

A188 Lewellen, John [Llewellyn]  Tee Vee Humphrey    illus by Kurt Werth Knopf    c1957    Weekly Reader edition 1958    television broadcasting - juvenile fiction

Mary Norton, Borrowers Series, 1950s-1960s.  This sounds like the Borrowers series.  The borrower family lived in a shoe in The Borrowers Afield, and something similar to the sink incident happened in The Borrowers Afloat. The illustrations by Beth and Jo Krush in the US editions were verey detailed, though I wouldn't call them photographic.
Donahey, William, Adventures of the Teenie Weenies. Chicago, Reilly 1920.  The illustrations for these are closer to photographic, being very detailed, not scribbly (like the Krush illos) and coloured & shaded. "This is the first of the large Teenie Weenie books and we are introduced to these folks who live in a shoe-house under a rose bush, in a neat little village hidden away in the midst of a thicket."
John Peterson, The Littles.  Your description sounds a lot like a series of books I read to my daughter when she was little.  "The Littles" by John Peterson and illustrated by Roberta Clark. Published by Scholastic. I am not sure of the exact first printing date, but you could probably find that out on your own. Hope this helps!!
Although the Clock family lives in a boot during The Borrowers Afield, the Borrowers series by author Mary Norton is probably not the one being sought.  Beth and Joe Krush's black and white line illustrations are detailed, but not photographic, and there is no illustration matching the stumper requester's description in any of the five books in the series.  The "similar to the sink incident" in The Borrowers Afloat is an illustration of the family sliding down a cord suspended in the drain in the floor of the wash house, while a friend hoists the drain's metal grating aloft.  Also, the first book, The Borrowers, was written in 1952, so the series may not be "old" enough for the stumper requester.
The Littles series by author John Lawrence Peterson and illustrator Roberta Carter Clark is also probably not "old" enough, since the first book, The Littles, was published in 1967.  I have not read every book in the series (at least eleven titles by Peterson, followed by at least five "Littles first readers" adaptations by author Teddy Slater and illustrator Jacqueline Rogers), so I don't know if the illustration described is in any of the books, but I do remember one interesting fact about the Littles that may help the stumper requester decide if this is the sought series.  The Littles have TAILS covered with fluffy, luxuriant fur.  If your little people don't have tails, they're not the Littles.
William Donahey, author/illustrator, The Teenie Weenies (and nine sequels) 1916-1945.   I've never read William Donahey's Teenie Weenies series, but you can see examples of his work (and covers from his books) on this website.  The illustrations are certainly detailed, vividly colored, carefully shaded, and nearly photographic in quality.  If you scroll down the page, you can see an illustration of the shoe house on the cover of the book Teenie Weenie Town and in the map of the town just a little further down the page.  The first book, The Teenie Weenies, was published in 1916, and the last book, Teenie Weenie Neighbors, was published in 1945, so this series is definitely "old"!  I think this may be the series you're looking for! 

The folk tale is The Teeny Tiny Woman.  Our copy is illustrated by Margot Zemach and is printed in a teeny tiny format.  Many other authors and illustrators have attacked this creepy tale, including Harriet Ziefert and Paul Galdone.  This has also been published under slightly varied titles, such as The Little Tiny Woman.

There's a book by Ingri & Edgar Parin d'Aulairecalled THE TWO CARS that features an old car and a new car who share a garage.  It was published in 1955, so this is all relative.  The old car is boxy and tall and red; the old car is sleek and low and green.  They go along together with the old car lagging in every way until the new car meets the traffic cop, and after that their fortunes change.  When they get home at last, the old car says to the new car: "You won the race, but not the praise.  I still think I am the best car on the road.  But you will be a fine car, too, when you get older..."  This could be it!  But 1st editions are pricey, and I'm not sure how many reprints are available.   On second thought, I do not think The Two Cars is the book being sought here...
I'm wondering is C-21, out-of-date car, could be the Wonder Book All in a Day's Work.  It doesn't match exactly, but has elements in common, and maybe the story will ring a bell.  A "little old car" (looks like a red model-T with a yellow cloth roof) goes down the street.  He meets a "big, new green car" that can't start and gives him a push.  He meets a "great big trailer truck" and brings him gas.  Then he meets a "blue pick-up truck" and helps him fix a flat tire.  None of the others thank him, but he just says "It is all in a day's work."  In winter one day, he's driving along the road and flips off and turns over.  He's convinced he's done for, but along come the three vehicles he helped, and they get him out of the ditch, saying things like "Oh, and I forgot to pay you for the gas."  And the little old car goes off down the road. The story is by Caroline D. Emerson; pictures by Sergio Leone.  The copy I have is c1964 by Wonder, division of Grosset & Dunlap.
Probably too late, and English, but there's The Old Car by Elisabeth Borchers, illustrated by Werner Maurer, published London, Blackie 1967 "The old car is sad and shy because it (or he) is different from the others,
with his old-fashioned horn and high weels. So he goes off alone through seacoast and jungle, into the desert. There the animals speak to him kindly and give him confidence. And when he returns to the town, his owner, Mr. Flups, is waiting to greet him, with two tears in his eyes. With strong yet dreamlike pictures, in appropriate colours." (Best Children's Books of 1967)
Another possible is Little Old Automobile, written and illustrated by Marie Hall Ets, published Viking 1948. "What finally happened to a little old automobile which refused to give anyone or anything time to get out of its way. Marie Ets at her most amusing. Picture Book age." (HB Ju./48 p.231 pub.ad)
C21 car out of date: here's another, though perhaps too long - Mat and Mandy and the Little Old Car, by Ruth Simon, illustrated by Lisl Weil, published Crowell 1953, 110 pages. "Younger children will enjoy reading for themselves this gay account of a family's escape from the summer heat in a battered old car that manages to carry them up the little brown hills and the big blue mountaints of California. Says Mat, 'Our car is not new. Our car is not big. But our little old car can go anywhere it wants!'" (HB Feb/53 p.47)
I remember a book from childhood that I think had a similar theme. I thought it was a Little Golden Book called Hesperus yetI could never find it in any searches! Now it turns out it was a Bonnie Book called The Television Book of Hesperus. I wish I could find a copy to verify my memories of this story-it might match your inquire.
Bonnie Books had a series of "Television Books", so named for the moving wheel that changed pictures on the front cover. Hesperus is from this series, NY: John Martin's House, Bonnie Book, 1949.

Walsh, Morris.  There are several titles - don't know if they're all the same or different:  Hesperus (1947) / Hesperus Was An Automobile (1948) / Hesperus (1968) / Hesperus: The Story Of A Jalopy (1966) "A tired old jalopy gets a new lease on lfe with a new owner."
The Television Book of Hesperus, 1949, approximately.  A Bonnie Book, not a Golden Book, this one is about a junkyard car named Hesperus and the big family that drove around in him. I haven't read it since I was little, so the memories are fuzzy, but the cover had a wheel you could turn and change the pictures in a screen over top of the car. This is also in Solved Mysteries under T.

Possibly TELL ME, CAT (A Big Golden Book) by Ellen Fisher, Stitchery by Virginia Tiffany. I have Two Kittens with embroidery, stitched by Tiffany, and photographs very much like description so possibly she did several with other authors.
Esther Averill, Jenny Goes to Sea, 1957.  This doesn't sound exactly like the stumper, but it does have cats and there is a
trip to Zanzibar.
To the person who first guessed at this, I would like more info about the book you listed...Two Kittens who is the author and I'm wondering if you would possibly email me a photo or scan of your book. It is a book I'd be interested in purchasing if I can find a copy
Here's what I found on that: Marjory Schwalje, Two Kittens.  Whitman, Racine, 1966.  Tell-A-Tale Book #2525.  28 pages. Stitchery by Virginia Tiffany. Photographs by ZFA, Duesseldorf.  Tell-a-Tale books are even smaller than Little Golden Books.  I can find you a good copy for $20 if you'd like.
I agree with the first suggestion that this might be Tell Me, Cat.  It's an oversized book with poems, embroidery and photographs of cats.
Ellen Fisher, Tell Me Cat.  Solved!! It is Tell me Cat. I found the book on ebay!! Thanks to you who helped.

Doris Van Liew Foster, Tell Me, Mr. Owl, 1957.  Could this be it?  The HALLOWEEN ADVENTURE OF LITTLE BOY & MR. OWL.
My stumper has been solved.  Tell Me, Mr. Owl isn't exactly as I remembered it, but it's been over thirty years. Still, I'm really glad you found it for me and I've been telling all my friends about your site. Now that I've achieved my final goal, I realize I should've set the bar a tad higher goalwise.

The book is TELL NO ONE by Harlan Coben. It came out in hardback in 2001 from Delacorte Press, but is now available in paperback. TELL NO ONE was the first book by Coben that was NOT part of his Myron Bolitar mystery series.
The book stumper number is D168 and its been solved thanks! I lent my mother-in-law the book and she lent it to someone else because she forgot it was mine so now I know what it is called she can buy me another copy. Thank again.

I think this is Barbara Cohen, Tell Us Your Secret (Bantam,1989)
Hello.  I was the person who asked about W24, the book about the Writers' conference. I just wanted to let you know that the answer was absolutely right!! Thanks so much for your help; this is a wonderful site for book-lovers.

This sounds like The Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright.  Check out other comments and memories on the Solved Mysteries page to confirm.
Thanks very much for your response!  Unfortunately, the book I'm looking for is definitely not The Four Story Mistake. Those details don't ring a bell, although some parts do sound similar.  Additional details: I think the name of the girl who wrote the diary was Celia or Cecily. I think the main character (Calandra?) was a part of a large family, and that the bit about the secret room and the diary may have been just a small part of a much larger story. I also seem to remember something about Christmas, having a country Christmas, an orphaned deer, a Halloween party and possibly hiding a rabbit in the secret room. Love the site!
G51 Girl finds secret room in new house sounds like M107 Millowner's daughter's diary
Hi there, I'm the original searcher for G51. Curiosity got the better of me, and I went looking through my old bedroom for this book. I eventually found it packed away with the Baby-sitters Club series. It's called Ten Kids, No Pets and it's by Ann M. Martin. Interestingly, the secret room doesn't figure that prominently in the book! Thanks very much for posting my query and giving suggestions as to what it might be. :o)

G17 this one for sure - the story is Floral Tribute by Robert Bloch, first published in Wierd Tales in 1949, and probably anthologised umpteen times since. My copy is in The Devil's Generation, edited by Vic Ghidalia, Lancer, 1973. Eddie is raised by his grandmother Hannah Morse, who lives "right in the back of the cemetery" and sends him over the fence to get flowers for the table. His friends are Joe and Susie, and his grandmother's visitors include Sam Gates, a Civil War soldier. Eddie comes back after being invalided out of the army (WWII) and finds his grandmother the same, till she sends him to get flowers again, from her grave. Sweet sad story.
Can I suggest in the same vein a children's book The Gathering Room by Colby Rodowsky, about Mudge, a little boy whose father has a caretaking job at an old Victorian cemetery. Mudge plays with Dorro, a little girl who died at age 10. Other ghosts are the Captain, the Butterfly Lady who recites poetry, and the Judge.
Ross Olney (editor), SHUDDERS (a.k.a. TEN TALES CALCULATED TO GIVE YOU SHUDDERS)'
from 1972. The *story* sought in G17 has already been identified, but in case questioner also wants to refind the original book, the only anthology which contains *both* Bloch's "Floral Tribute" and Jacobs' "Monkey's Paw" is the Whitman hc juvenile anthology SHUDDERS ed. Ross Olney (1972), so presumably that'\''s the one where the questioner read the Bloch story.  (Match found via THE SUPERNATURAL INDEX by Mike Ashley and William Contento  Greenwood Press, 1995).
This may be the anthology wanted - Ten Tales Calculated to Give You SHUDDERS, edited by Ross R. Olney, published Whitman 1972. Cover picture in blue/green tones shows teenage girl and boy looking back apprehensively at old wooden house with lit window above porch, ominous shadow in window. Stories are Sweets to the Sweet; Waxwork; Used Car; Inexperienced Ghost; Whistling Room; Last Drive; Monkey's Paw; Second Night Out; Hills Beyond Furcy; Floral Tribute.
Floral Tribute
Forgive me if I may have sent part of this information before, but I have something to add, so am sending it all.  "Floral Tribute" never appeared in ANY Robert Bloch collection, including The Complete Stories of Robert
Bloch, which seems to me to be really false advertising.  How can anything be "The Complete Stories" if it doesn't contain ALL the author's published stories?  It appeared in only three anthologies which I could find, The
Devil's Generation, edited by Vic Ghidalia, Legends for the Dark, edited by Peter Haining, and Shudders, edited by Ross R. Olney, so is not as well-known as the solver assumed.  Without this forum, I'd NEVER have known about it!

"The Cactus Indian" is one of many little stories. Jackson, Kathryn; Byron Jackson Tenggren¹s cowboys and Indians  illus by Tenggren Simon and Schuster  1948
This is Tenggren's Cowboys and Indians, illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren, and written by Kathy and Byron Jackson.  I think it was originally published in1948, but has been reprinted many times.

Dan Tyler Moore, The Terrible Game. This was made into a terrible movie called "Gymkata", with former Olympic  gymnast Kurt Thomas.  I haven't read the book by Dan Tyler Moore, but it was called the Terrible Game and if the plot was like the movie, this is the book.

T156: The Thanksgiving Treasure by Gail Rock, 1974? She actually gets a horse at the end, though! Rock wrote at least three other books about Addie, including The House Without a Christmas Tree, which I love, especially for the author's sense of humor.
Gail Rock, The Thanksgiving Treasure, 1974.  An Addie Mills Story from the Television Special starring Jason Robards. Addie's Thanksgiving gesture toward a crochety old man enriches both their lives. Maybe?
Gail Rock, The Thanksgiving Treasure (A Dell Yearling Book), 1974.  This story sounds like The Thanksgiving Treasure by Gail Rock who also wrote The House Without A Christmas Tree. The latter was on TV and caught my interest so I read these other books by her including A Dream for Addie. The stories revolve around Addie from Nebraska in the 1940's. She lives with her widowed father (played by Jason Robards) and her grandmother.  They are relatively poor and full of pride and are very private. Addie is so opposite by being an outgoing,disarming and clever pre-teen who unbeknownst to her Dad, befriends this old man and his horse in The Thanksgiving Treasure. Addie learns that her father and the old man have had an on-going feud for years which she helps heal as the wise peace-maker. The old man dies and leaves his horse "Treasure" to her and this fulfills a lifelong dream of of hers to own a horse.  I hope this helps.

You've got it.  Anne Emery, That Archer Girl, Westminster Press, 1959.  Anne is beautiful, wealthy, and secure in the knowledge that she always gets what she wants. But ultimately her selfish games cost her not only her boyfriend, but her best friend. 

That Barbara by Wilma Thompson! Barbara's homemade dress falls apart when she wears it. This is a delightful, old fashioned,coming-of-age story with a funny heroine. Charming!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping me find