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Could this be The Boy Who Could Fly?  It was about a boy who had a younger brother that was very different, special, and could do weird things.  At the very end the boy levitates in front of many other witnesses, looking to the older boy like Buddha.  Very dream-like ending, and it was in the Sci-Fi area of our gradeschool library, (for lack of a better classification - today it would be called new age).  Some scenes you might remember - going on a train with younger brother to spend a month with their grandparents.  The older boy disliked his little brother for being so special, getting all the attention, etc, but comes to realize at the end that he IS special, and he loves him.
I haven't read this, so it's vague, but what about The Keeper of the Isis Light by Monica Hughes, published 1980? It's part of a trilogy (Guardian of Isis, The Isis Pedlar) set on another planet, or an a beacon in space. Olwen, 16 Earth years or 10 Isis years old, keeps the beacon by herself. She's the main character but there is a boy involved. She's also been genetically altered in some way to fit her for the work and environment, and there's some question whether the boy and his colleagues can adjust to dealing with her. No idea about floating, though.
K12 - this is defintely NOT Keeper of the Isis Light - no flying in that, I've just read it again for a children's literature conference.
Definitely not Keeper of the Isis Light where the girl who is the Keeper (whose name eacpes me for the moment) has been 'genetically modified' (!) by her robot companion to be able to survive the conditions on Isis without breathing apparatus, extra UV protection etc. But there is no flying except in 'floater'-type vehicles. Has the poster checked Penelope Farmer's The Summer Birds- though my memory of this is more 'magic' than sci-fi.
Isaac Asimov.  Story of a boy visiting a planet with his mother to decice whether the human colonists can take over the whole planet. He realises that the rock like creatures are intelligent by telepathy with one of the young ones. Coming of age involves flying. In order to convice everyone of their intelligence he suggests that the young rock creature make the shape of something to do with Christmas (angel?) in the sky, thereby proving that they must be intelligent to have understood his suggestion. It's the only children's book by Asimov that I know of
Robert Heinlein, Podkayne of Mars,  late 60's.  This is one of my least favorite Heinlein book for kids. In it there is a male main character, a female who is extremely bossy (I think) and a fairylike creature from another planet that the female character adopts. It may be far fetched, but when I read this discription and the other solutions...I thought of this book.
Robert Heinlein, Red Planet.  Maybe this book set on Mars. Definite coming of age story. As a part of it, a teenage boy has a pet "martian" named Willis who is small, cute, etc. Later in the book, Willis transforms into something else much different. The colonists never knew this would happen because they had not been on Mars long enough to see the creatures go through adolescence. Thought there were several species of Martians. Turns out it is one species but different ages take different forms.

King Nunn the Wiser, 1970?  Picture book - King travels through all sorts of adventures in the dark that are not at all what he thinks they are
Thank you.  I would like to find information of the title that you mentioned.  Do you know who the author might be?
I think the author of King Nonn (?Nunn) the Wiser is Colin McNaughton, but no longer have a copy in stock to check - thought I had and have been looking for it - hence the delay in getting back to you about it!
I haven't been able to find reference to this...
More on the suggested - King Nonn the Wiser, written and illustrated by Colin McNaughton, published Heinemann 1981, 32 pages. "King Nonn was very happy in his library, reading all day and getting always more short-sighted. But his subjects wanted him to fight dragons and right wrongs, so sadly he and his short-sighted horse went off in search of adventure. It was all around him - giants, haunted forests, distressed maidens, dragons - but he saw none of them. After unhorsing, by accident, his warlike neighbour King Blagard of Rong, he returns  home to find himself a hero. Thankfully he returns to his library." (Junior Bookshelf Dec/81 p.242)
Fred Gwynne, The King Who Rained.  This may not be your book title but Fred Gwynne wrote and illustrated a few children's books, word play, etc.

Kim Yaroshevskaya, Little Kim's Doll.  Might not be this one as it seems to be more recent, could be a reprint though?

K32 know nothings: could this be The Secret World of Og, by Pierre Berton, published McClelland & Stewart 1961, 146 pages? The first edition was illustrated by William Winter, with a green cover, but the 1974 edition with illustrations by Patsy Berton, does have some purple on the cover. The story is about Penny, Pamela, Patsy, Peter, and the baby Paul (Pollywog) who find a tunnel under their playhouse that leads to the world of Og. The Ogs are short and greenskinned with floppy ears who have learned about the upper world by stealing and reading comic books. There is no actual reference to 'Know-Nothings' but the Ogs are pretty ignorant.

Juliana Horatia Ewing, Amelia and the Dwarfs, 19th century.  The description sounds as though it *might* be this story, which was part of a collection of short stories by Mrs. Ewing, "The Brownies and Other Stories". Amelia, a naughty spoilt child, is spirited away to a fantasy land, where she has to complete several tasks, which, as far as I remember, include not learning to *like* certain foods, but finishing the foods that she has wasted. She also has to mend the clothes that she has torn  repair the conversations that she has interrupted (!) and possibly something else as well.

I may be way off base, but if the book you read was heavily illustrated, it was possibly the Adventures of the Black Hand Gang.
No, it wasn’t Adventures of the Black Hand Gang. I checked into that one and it isn’t the same book. Someone told me about a series called The Secret Seven by Enid Blyton, but I’m not familiar with it and don’t know whether any story is similar to my recollection. I looked up some information about her and the description of the kids and types of adventures in the series sounds somewhat similar. I’m not sure how much my memory melds different recollections into one, but the detail I recall as being in the story most is the incident with the man wearing the mackintosh in the warm sun as what the kids notice to solve the mystery.
I am not sure, but am wondering if this could be one of Roy Brown's books. He wrote quite a few mystery/ adventure stories about working class London children. Titles include A Saturday in Pudney, The Day of the Pigeons, The Viaduct and several others.
Robert Martin, Joey and the Mail Robbers.  The "Joey" series by Robert Martin was about a group of working class kids in London who solve mysteries and prevent crimes. There are many titles in the series and the author wrote similar books under other names as well as "Robert Martin". "Joey and the Mail Robbers" is a likely title but there are other possibilities including non-Joey books by this author.
Astrid Lindgren, Bill Bergson Lives Dangerously.  I have the vaguest feeling that the raincoat scene is in this book or one of the other two Bill Bergson books.
Kind of a longshot, but some elements are the same. Here's teh plot synopsis: "A bunch of French children with a headless wooden horse get involved with a gang of thieves who plan to rob the Dijon-Paris Express. The theft completed, the money is hidden overnight in a nearby novelty factory and the key to the money inside the wooden horse. Helped by a horde of dogs the children manage to catch the crooks before they can get away with the money."  Working class children, adventure, crooks- but in Paris. And its probably not right because I would tink you'd remember the horse
C. Day Lewis, Otterbury Incident. This could be it.  Try it anyway it's very well written. Two English working-class kids groups play war games with each other (this was pretty soon after WWII) but then work together to catch the bank robbers.  Very well done.  I believe Ardizzone was the illustrator.

K58 is NOT Longman The wonderful tree house
Gertrude Chandler Warner, Tree House Mystery (Boxcar Children #14).  All of the Boxcar Children mysteries take place during the summer, so that part fits.  In this one, they get new neighbors and the 2 sons on the family want to build a treehouse, so the Aldens help them.  The new boys have a spyglass, and the group discovers a hidden room in the house when they see a window in the end of the house that is not visible from inside the house.  They discover a child's room that was boarded over because the child moved away for some reason.  The room contains toys the child played with.  I think they used a flashlight to signal the Alden children from the treehouse, which would have probably been the morse code in the description.
I am the person who wrote the stumper.  I had not checked on this in a while and I now see that my book is in the solved pile.  Sorry!  It hasn't been solved!  The book is not a Boxcar Children book.  At the time I loved that series and if a teacher read me one that would have registered and this would not be a mystery to me. The book was entirely new to me, not part of a series I had read before and loved. Most definately not the Box Car children.  A lead from Chinaberry has me wondering if the book isn't Either Then There Were Five or The 4 Story Mistake by Eizabeth Enright.
Peggy Parrish, Clues in the Woods.

Rosemary Sutcliffe, Knight's Fee.
Knight's Fee may be it, but the reviews I found of it on the internet say the boy's benefactor was killed in battle...still a possibility depending on how many benefactors he had.  In the book I read he was definitely captured and beheaded by a band of renegades or marauders or something.
K63 Isn't it just Sutcliff?
Rosemary Sutcliff's Knight's Fee is definitely not the solution to my stumper.  The book I'm looking for is not about knights, courts, and squires, it's about common people alone together in a real scary world.

Richard Paul Evans, The Spyglass, 2000.  Could this be it?  "K-Gr 5-This original fable offers a lesson about faith through the fall and rise of a kingdom. A once-great realm has declined into poverty, both of wealth and of spirit, until a passing stranger loans a magical spyglass to the king. Through it, the ruler and his subjects can see "what might be." A barren pasture appears as a fertile field and a crumbling cathedral looks magnificent when viewed through the spyglass. These images restore faith to the people, who then work together to restore the land to its past prosperity."

Newberry, Clare Turlay, April's Kittens.  NY Harper 1940.  Perhaps this one. April's family lives in a one-cat apartment. When her black cat Sheba has three kittens, April must decide which cat to keep and find homes for the others. The kittens are Brenda, Butch, and Charcoal. I don't know their markings, but the kitten on the cover is all black (Charcoal?).
I don't think April's Kittens sounds right she doesn't give them away to matching people.  At the end of that book her parents agree to let her keep one of the kittens along with the mother cat since they have decided it's time to move to a two-cat-sized apartment.
Kate's Kittens. Not sure if this is it, but I had a book about a very small girl named Kate living on a city block (it listed all the neighbors - she was much smaller than the grocer, etc).  She finds an orange cat with kittens and puts them in her wagon and gives them to all the neighbors, and at the end she feels big.  The colors were mostly black, white, brown and orange in the pictures.  I can't remember the title or author, unfortunately!
Phyllis LaFarge, Kate and the Wild Kittens, 1965, copyright.  I found this book!  Randomly, at the library, displayed on a shelf... All the cats in the neighborhood are disappearing, and only little Kate can find them.  They are with a mother cat and her kittens, and she must return them all to their owners, keeping the mother cat and kittens for herself.  Very New York/Eloise style.  Hope this is your book!

Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Tom Kitten.  Any possibility it could be a Beatrix Potter book?  In The Tale of Tom Kitten, Tom and his sisters Moppet and Mittens are sent upstairs as punishment, and they end up making a wreck of the bedroom there's an illustration with them all over the bed and one of them is wearing a bonnet.

Louis Ross and Margot Apple, In the Peanut Butter Colony,1979.This could be a long shot, but this may be this book which was about a boy who traveled to a land of peanut butter creatures who battled jelly creatures.  He traveled there by means of a saltine cracker on a tomato soup river, using a spoon as an oar.  Was mainly about a young boy's lunch time fantasy.  It happened to be a child hood favorite of mine that I also can not find.

Cook, Bernadine.  Looking for Susie. illus by Judith Shahn. Young Scott, 1959.   farm life - juvenile fiction; cat & kittens in loft     This is not a Little Golden but the story definitely matches. It has been put out in several editions.

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Cook, Bernadine.  Looking for Susie.  Young Scott, 1959. library binding, slightly soiled, initials on endpaper  [SQ14486]  $12

A couple of details I forgot to mention (sorry!):  the book was a paperback, regular size, and I read it around 1980 or so.  It was a new (i.e. modern day) book then, so it couldn't have been written before 1978.  Thanks!
This is definitely Starring Peter & Leigh by Susan Beth Pfeffer.  "When her mother remarries, 16-year-old Leigh abandons her acting career and tries to lead the life of a normal teenager. She is coached by her 17-year-old stepbrother, homebound with hemophilia."
Pfeffer, Susan Beth, Starring Peter and Leigh: A Novel, 1979.  When her mother remarries, 16-year-old Leigh abandons her acting career and tries to lead the life of a normal teenager. She is coached by her 17-year-old stepbrother, homebound with hemophilia.
Wow, that was fast!  Yes, that's the book.  Thank you SO much!!

Jan Biggers, Big Little Kitty, 1953.  Are you sure the kitten was white?  Because this sure sounds like Big Little Kitty, a Whitman Tell-a-Tale book. These books are smaller than the Little Golden Books (approx. 6 1/2" x 5 1/2"). The cover is pink, showing a little girl in a pink and white dress, with golden blonde curls held back in a little ponytail with a blue ribbon. In her arms is a yellow and white kitten with a blue ribbon around its neck and big blue eyes. The girl's name is Karen Kay.
Jan D. Biggers, Big Little Kitty, 1953.  Sounds like Big Little Kitty except the kitty being held by the little girl on the cover is orange, not white.  I believe one of the other kitties that appear at the end of the book is white.  It begins something like "Karen Kay is four years old, how about you?"  It goes on to tell about how she got the kitty, how it disappeared one day, and then how it reappeared on Christmas day with three other kitties.  Here is a picture of the cover.

Betty Molgard Ryan Florence Sarah Winship (illus), Socks. (1949)  I'm sure this is it.  Socks was published by the Whitman Publishing Company, and is a small book - about the size of a Jr. Elf book (5.5" x 6.5").  Cover shows black kitten w/ white paws & tail tip and big green eyes sitting on grass w/ daisies & violets, in front of a brownish board fence.  Only instead of 1 white sock, the kitten has 4 white socks and a white tip on his tail.  Some children and the other animals in the barn where he lives tease him about his white socks & tail. He wishes he were all black like his 4 siblings, so he goes to the cow, horse, and pig for advice on getting rid of his white feet.  Finally, he sees the farmer's wife using some black polish on a pair of shoes. She leaves to answer the telephone, and he dips his paws & tail into the shoe polish bottle to make them black.  He then writes a note saying "Thank you" to Mrs. Morgan (the farmer's wife) on the sidewalk in black footprints, before making his way home to the barn.
Betty Molgard Ryan (author), Florence Sarah Winship (illustrator), Socks. (1949)  Whitman Tell A Tale book,  #886-15.  Charming story of a kitten, Socks, with four white paws and a white tipped tail who was teased by the children and barnyard animals about his "socks", until he finally did something about it.  You can see what he did here.  It's shoe black, not ink, but this seems to be the right book!

A couple of possibilities that might be worth looking into: In the King's Shoes by Enid Blyton, orig. published in the 1940's or 1950's, reprinted in 1999. Shoes Fit for a King by Helen Bill, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin, c. 1956
Just an idea -- could this be some kind of gender-reversed version of the 12 dancing princesses story?

Check in "Solved Mysteries" for Big Little Kitty by Jan D. Biggers.
Several googles [incl an old one of yrs] were of people looking  for Karen Kay and her kittens, but an expired e-Bay item had this:  >>(1953-Whitman Book-Tell-a-Tale series) Big Little Kitty by Jan D.  Biggers. Story of Karen Kay and Christmas Day when she received the  present of a new kitty named Muffin, who runs away (of course), but  comes back home to have her own kittens. Cute story for kitten and  cat fans.>>  Another entry implies that you had a K18 solved as the Biggers book.  And here is your solved mysteries B - referred to by Google so IO  think I'll stop: Big Little Kitty 

Zilpha Keatley Snyder, The Famous Stanley Kidnapping Case, 1985, reprint.  This probably isn't the book you are looking for, but maybe it will help trigger someone else's memories.  In The Famous Stanley Kidnapping Case, the Stanley family is living in Italy for a year, and a local gang sets out to kidnap Amanda, thinking her biological father will pay their ransom,  but unfortunately ends up with her two stepbrothers,  David and Blair,  and stepsisters, Janey and Tesser(Esther), as well. I don't think anyone was ill, but the younger boy has visions of the Virgin Mary which spooks the (apparently Roman Catholic) kidnappers.  Good luck finding your book.
Richard Parker, Three By Mistake, 1974, copyright.  This is definitely Three By Mistake.  My family ended up with it from a library booksale, and I read it many, many times growing up.

Is there any chance the poster is conflating parts of a movie with a book?  This sounds a great deal like "Journey to the Beginning of Time," which is described in detail here (Brief excerpt from that site: "Four young boys visit the American Museum of Natural History . . .After viewing the dinosaur skeletons, they rent a rowboat at the lake in Central Park. They enter a cave, and come out  . . . into a strange new world. They see a Wooly Mammoth, and realize they have traveled back to prehistoric times!")  I can't find any indication it was ever novelized, though.
Just wanted to respond to the previous comment....  Nope, not confused with a movie  :)   This book was about two (maybe three?) families on vacation together, and while the parents were busy with something (can't remember what) one day, they sent all of their kids on a cave tour.  I can't remember how many kids there were, but at least five (and definitely some brother/sister pairs).
This probably isn't it, because I don't think the dinosaurs are alive...but the first thing that came to mind upon reading your stumper was Question of the Painted Cave, by Winifred Mantle. But there are five kids from three families, and they do find a cave. It could also be The Narrow Passage by Oliver Butterworth, which is a sequel The Enormous Egg about a boy who hatches  a dinosaur.Whatever it is, I know this book exists, because I read it too!
This description rings a vague bell with me. I have a feeling that the book may have been translated from French, as when I read it I was young enough to be confused by the fact the male main character was called "Jean." Hope this may help.
Glyn Frewer, Adventure in Forgotten Valley, 1964. I am pretty sure this is it..."A group of children who have accompanied their fathers to South America find an archaeopteryx, a creature supposedly extinct for millions of years, wedged in a wall inside a cave. A rockfall pens them inside the cave and before they escape, they are involved with two separate eras of long ago-human cave dwellers and prehistoric animals"  I found it on this website after many years of searching, http://www.trussel.com/prehist/prehist3.htm#F, and for me the cover photo was enough to confirm it was the book I was looking for.  Good luck@

Miriam Clark Potter, Bedtime Stories, 1951, copyright.  This is a Junior Elf book.  It has a blue cover showing Mama Cat, wearing a pink-and-white gingham dress, seated in a green chair on a yellow rug. Mama Cat is reading from a book titled "Cat Tales" to her three kittens, who are gathered around her, wearing their nightclothes. The stories are "Three Jumpy Kittens," about kittens who jump around on the furniture when they should be napping, until they wear themselves out and fall asleep, "Mrs. Groundhog's Grapevine," about two greedy young squirrels who devour all the grapes, then buy fruit and vegetables to tie to the grapevine as replacements, and "Mrs. Rabbit's Birthday Cake" about three little bunnies who bake a surprise birthday cake for their mother. Cute illustrations by Tony Brice.
The book suggested is not the one, unfortunately.  The book I am looking for had three stories about the same small kitten.  In one his mom was baking, in another he was being babysat, and I cannot remember what he did in the third story.  I’m wondering if the book was always small and blue.  I know the books offered by the school book clubs are sometimes in a smaller format.
Mary Chalmers, Harry and the Babysitter. I'm pretty sure you are thinking of a series of books by Mary Chalmers. The books were small and in different colors. Harry and the Babysitter (my favorite, where Harry piles all his toys on the babysitter's lap) was purple. Not sure which one was blue. Hope this helps.
Mary Chalmers, Take a nap, Harry. Me again. The story where the kitten bakes with his mother is Take a Nap, Harry. I vaguely remember reading an anthology of the Harry stories but can't remember what color it was.

Betty Crocker, Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls, 1957, 1975.  There are a few different editions of this with different covers. The one I remember from the mid-'70s had a kid holding a plate of food festooned with smiling faces. I don't believe there's a version with the flaming ghost cake on the cover, but that is the recipe/photo that stands out most clearly in my memory as well!  The description of the '50s version, which is currently available in reproduced form, doesn't mention the ghost cake, whereas other editions do, so be sure to check before buying.  While I was searching for this on the web, I came across a YouTube video of someone lighting the flaming-eyed ghost cake! Apparently they got it from a recipe in Amy Sedaris' book "I Like You."
I had this in the 80s!  I remember my mom wouldn't let me make the ghost cake for some reason.  I'm pretty sure it's a Betty Crocker book.
Thank you for posting this on your site. I just wanted to elaborate about the book a little.  I can't find what I originally submitted with my request, but the flaming-eyed ghost cake was on the front hardcover.  It was made using boxed vanilla cake, baked in a rectangular pan and with the top 2 corners cut off, frosted with vanilla frosting and decorated using egg shell halves which were set aflame.  Other recipes included in the book were Purple Cow Milkshakes, and a salad appetizer which was a canned peach half set on a bed of
lettuce.  You decorated the peach half to look like a little mouse by affixing raisins with toothpicks for the eyes and a maraschino cherry half for the nose, etc.  I loved this cookbook.  I received it from my Grandmother around 1982-1983.  I went to summer camp in 1988 and my mother gave it away or sold it at a garage sale.  I was crushed.  Now that I am a mother, I desperately want it for my own kids.  Could you please post the additional info to my request in hopes of helping jog somebody's memory?  Thanks so much!
Betty Crocker, Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls, 1975, copyright.  I own the 1987 reprint of the 1975 edition of Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls. The ghost cake isn't on the cover, but there is a full-page picture inside. There is a recipe for Purple Cow Milkshakes. And the peach with raisins and a maraschino cherry that looks like a mouse on a bed of lettuce mentioned by the stumper submitter is, in my book, a pear with a prune, a raisin and a maraschino cherry that looks like Snoopy on a bed of lettuce (though the book calls it Friendly Dog Salad to avoid copyright infringement). In short, I'm sure this is the cookbook you're looking for! Just be sure to get the right edition in case earlier versions are different.

Richard Peck, Lost in Cyberspace.  This one is probably it, but there's also a Xanth book by Piers Anthony in which someone gets sucked into a computer game, but I'm not sure which one.
Gillian Rubinstein, Space Demons [or the sequel, Skymaze].  'Late 1980s, reprinted in the 90s as well.  When I read the description this came to mind at once... very special computer game  given as present to 12 year old Andrew (i think that is the name), who gets his friend to play and the game comes to life and they go into it... it affects them, haunts them, changes them.  Second book: life empty without thrill of Space Demons, then package comes-- new game--... Skymaze.  And this time it is not they who go through the computer into the game, but the game which comes out through the computer and into the real world...
Kidd, Ronald, The Glitch: A Computer Fantasy, 1985, copyright.  Your mention of there being letters and numbers made me instantly think of this book.  The letter "M" is a main character, and other letters, numbers and symbols appear.  "Eleven-year-old Benjamin Bean dislikes modern machinery, particularly computers, and is dismayed to find a new microcomputer in his favorite second-hand bookstore. There's a "bug" in the store's computer program, however, and when Benjamin casually picks up a loose electrical cable, he is sucked into the machine. Inside is a chaotic world full of regimented people and living data-animated numbers, letters and punctuation marks, etc. With the aid of the letter "M" and Professor Babbage (inventor of the mechanical digital computer), Benjamin travels through the kingdom, surviving encounters with a dragon and the police, until he finds the true bug in the system and returns home."
Vivian Vande Velde, User Unfriendly, 1990, approximate.  "Arvin and his friends risk using a computer-controlled role-playing game to simulate a magical world in which they actually become fantasy characters, even though the computer program is a pirated one containing unpredictable errors."  I think the mother ended up in the game with them, and they had to get out because she started having headaches and fainting.

Interpreting Condition  Grades

McMurtry, Stan.  The Bunjee Venture.  Illustrations by the author.  Scholastic, Inc. 1977.  "An Apple Paperback".  Lightly used; inside is clean, cover shows usual wear and tear.  G.  $3.

James L. Summers, The Shelter Trap. This one was in my school library in the 60s.  A group of kids (and their teacher, I think) are either at school or on a class trip when they are accidentally locked in a bomb shelter.  The awkward but levelheaded teenage main character eventually emerges as the hero of the situation.
James L Summers, The Shelter Trap. I answered this last week but it wasnt posted in the last update, so Ill try again.

K130: kids book tv-shaped aliens fix spaceship inside moutain
 A kids book i remember having in 80s, i think was illustrated somewhat. Inside a mountain we're all these aliens, all shaped differently. Some shaped like tv sets etc. They were stranded and fixing their spaceship.

K131: Kids in Rowboat
1970-1980 (or b4) kids bk. appx: 12"x10" about kids taking row boat thru cove and then run into pirates. All illustrated & story is printed on the page as the people saying the story.  Each child has own adventure w/ a certain pirate. mermaid tied to front of the ship talks. then kids head home.

I think the book was about a lost boat at sea an old style sailboat maybe 32-38 feet to be specific.  The boat was tossed around in a storm, and aboard the boat are small kittens. I think the storm ends, and the boat makes landfall on a small island with a house. The kittens are saved in the end.
Natalie Norton, A Little Old Man, 1959. A Little Old Man by Natalie Norton.  This was one of the first stumpers I sent in, so I'm happy to have a chance to answer for someone else.  A really lovely children's book about a little old man who live on island.  A storms washes away his home, but brings an abandoned lifeboat to the island.  Inside all is cosy and shipshape with a family of kittens who were hiding under the stove... seems like it might be out of print. It was a Weekly Reader Club selection.
Arthur Ransome, We didn't mean to go to sea, 1940. The four Walker children make an accidental crossing of the English channel.  En route, they rescue a kitten.

K140: Key In Trunk Under Frog
SOLVED: Wylly Folk St. John, Mystery of the Gingerbread House.

K142: Kids in treehouse dress as superheroes & solve mystery
Neighborhood kids have a treehouse they use as a headquarters (like the hall of justice in DC Comics).  The kids dress as superheroes (maybe similar to DC heroes like Batman, the Flash, etc.).  The kids had bikes decorated like vehicles and the treehouse has exits for each bike. Book pre-1990s.

K143: Kittens: Twinkle and Boo
Looking for a very old children's book (don't know the title) that starts: "There were two little kittens with eyes of blue, One named Twinkle and the other Boo. They tried to be good and do what was right but they got into mischief from morning to night."

Helen Wing, The Kitten Twins, 1960. I found this book by doing a google search of the first line of your poem. It looks like it's a match, but you can probably tell for sure by looking at some of the illustations (by Elizabeth Webbe). Someone has posted a few photos of the illustrations here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/trywhistlingthis/3309833171/
Helen Wing, The Kitten Twins. "In no time at all / those kittens were up / licking the milk / from Grandfather's cup.  / Then onto a shelf / they climbed very high / And Boo put her paw / in a blackberry pie."
Helen Wing, The Kitten Twins, 1960. Illustrated by Elizabeth Webbe, Elf Book.

Animal Bedtime Stories. I know exactly which book you're talking about, in fact my grtandmother used to read it to me. Unfortunely the only book I kow that it is in is Animal Bedtime Stories, and the only person I know who has it is my grandmother and she's not selling, sorry.

#L24--Legend of the white buffalo:  Very long shot, but this legend is well-known among a number of Native American plains tribes.  A few years ago, a calf fitting the legend was born on a bison ranch.  The story was featured on "Unsolved Mysteries."  According to the legend, the calf was to be female (which this was) and was to be born white, but turn three other colors (I believe red, yellow, and brown or black, but don't remember the sequence) to show that it was really a magical beast and not just an albino or freak of nature.  The calf turned the proper colors in the proper sequence.  It's possible that the people now keeping this bison on their ranch may have collected literature on it and be familiar with this particular version, or know who might have it.
Title not quite matching, but there's The Great White Buffalo by Harold McCracken, illustrated by Remington Schuyler, published NY Lippincott 1947, 268 pages "It was in the days when the Indians had this country to themselves that a young Dakotan saw the almost unheard-of sight of a pure white buffalo calf with its mother on the grassy plain. His report of the powerful good luck symbol was not accepted by the Wise Elder members of the tribe and Wakan was sent away. He was to find the White One again and form with him a strong bond of friendship." (Horn Book Mar/47 p.120)
-------and the white buffalo. I received this book for my 7th birthday in 1944. It was the story of an Indian boy who found a white buffalo. The first word in the title was the Indian boy's name  I believe it was something like Tah-Neek-Ah.  I think this may have been a Platt and Munk book.
White Buffalo and Tah-Tank-Ka by John D.  Nicholson,  Platt & Munk, 1941?

Ann Lawrence, The Good Little Devil, 1970? sounds as if it might be this?? Know I've read this, and also know I've read something like the poster is asking for - but are they one and the same ...?
More on the suggested title - Good Little Devil, published Macmillan 1978, illustrated in b/w by Ionicus. "Humorous juvenile novel about an Abbey choirboy in the Middle Ages." Which would seem to rule it out.
could be The Devil Did It, written and illustrated by Susan Jeschke, published Holt 1975, 32 pages. "After Mama tells Nana that the devil made the tangles in her hair, only Grandma believes Nana when she says that the devil is hiding under her bed. The devil - small and furry, with curved horns, pointed ears, and long, sharp nails - gets Nana into a heap of trouble. He puts Papa's socks in the refrigerator and Cousin Joey's clothes on the dog. But gradually Nana learns to tolerate, outwit, and even like her devil - and then he leaves in a huff. As Grandma says comfortably, 'These demons, that's how they are. They come and go, come and go ...'" (HB Apr/76 p.149)
L25 Is the girl African American? Seems so familiar to me... but I haven't got the book right here. The one I'm thinking of includes an episode where the girl spills a pail of milk she is carrying home, possibly devil's fault, or possibly she just blamed him.

Check out the solutions posted on the solved mysteries pages to see if your book stumper might be Little Witch or Little Leftover Witch.  Possibilities?
Does sound like Little Witch by Anna Elizabeth Bennett, illustrated by Helen Stone, published Lippincott 1953. Minikin (Minx) lives with Madame Snickasnee the witch. At night she has to make Black Spell Brew while the witch goes out, and is supposed to sleep during the day. However, she sneaks out and goes to school for the first time. Her teacher tells her to wear a clean dress next time, but she only has one, until her friend gives her some clothes. However, she seems to cry without any difficulty, and I couldn't find anything in the book about witches not crying (though this is a point in several other books).
I'm not sure if it is Little Witch.  I've asked my mother, and she seems to think that it is.  I am trying to find a copy at the library to look at so I can confirm it.
Try  The Resident Witch.  about a little girl witch who sneaks out and goes to a carnival, makes a friend and gets into all kinds of trouble!  I have it at home, but can't remember the author.

The lamb story is probably Barbara Lamb, written and illustrated by Cam, published Roy 1950, 32 pages "A gay picture-book about Barbara the lamb whose ambition was to sing so that tears came into people's eyes. There are colored pictures on every page filled with the kind of detail that children love. Ages 4-6." (HB Nov/50 p.466) No guess on the other one, though. "Cam" is kind of a pain to search online.
a possible for the other story, assuming that Cam is the right author/illustrator, is The Story of Buttercup Fairy, written and illustrated by Cam, published by John Lane Bodley Head, 1946. The second in this series of picture books (Barbara Lamb being the first). Pale blue pictorial boards. Bright colourful pictures every page.
L30 lamb learns to sing: there's another story on this subject! The Song of Lambert, by Mazo de la Roche, illustrated by Eileen Soper, published Macmillan 1955, Little Brown 1956, 51 pages. "The amazing adventures of a singing lamb, including a hazardous trip to the South Pole and a return to the farm of his youth." "Lambert is a little lamb with a lovely song, which very few can hear." Now to find whether Eileen Soper illustrated a book about a fat fairy ... Later - couldn't find a fat fairy book, but she did illustrate a lot of Enid Blyton.
L30 lamb sings: now that I've looked at The Song of Lambert, I don't think it's the right book. Lambert is a boy lamb, not female, and he doesn't have to learn to sing, it is a natural gift. Also he never loses his voice, though he doesn't sing for a long time after he leaves the farm. So Barbara Lamb sounds like the better bet, being about a female lamb who has to learn to sing. Also, Cam's illustrations are much more distinctive and memorable than Soper's.

Thornton Burgess, The Adventures of Poor Mrs. Quack.  Mr. Quack is missing, feared dead, during hunting season and Mrs Quack flees from the"Big River" to the "Smiling Pool." They are, of course, reunited in the end and all is well. This is a possibility for your stumper.
I'd suggest The Story About Ping, by Marjorie Flack, illustrated by Kurt Wiese, published Viking 1933, about the duckling who runs away and is found again. But perhaps that's too obvious?
L34 lost duck: Another suggestion, but a goose rather than a duck, is Rebel by John Schoenherr, published Penguin/Putnam 1995, 32 pages. "Soft, realistic watercolors evoke the bleakness of early spring and its dangers for newborn geese. The illustrations portray an individualistic gosling going his own way, while the narrative tells the parents' story of protecting their young from predators. Although almost abandoned, Rebel is reunited with his family as they prepare to join other geese at the brooding ground." (1996 Horn Book review)
L34 lost duck: another is Little Duck Lost, by Anna Standon, illustrated by Edward Standon, published Constable 1965, 48 pages. The story is set in Paris, and French words and phrases are introduced.
L34 lost duck: here's another, probably too recent - Have You Seen my Duckling? written and illustrated by Nancy Tafuri, published New York, Greenwillow 1984, 25 pages, "Cheerful, bright pictures depict a mother duck's search for an errant duckling."
The Little Wild Ducklings.  This book is illustrated in photographs. It's about a family of ducks going to swim in a big pond. One in particular is curious and wanders off to explore. He is frightened by a larger bird but his mother comes to the rescue. At the end of the book they take a nap. Ends saying "Sleep tight little wild ducklings!

Mrs. Richard Crowley, Echoes from Niagara: Historical, Political, Personal, 1890.  I wonder if this could be it... Mrs. Richard Crowley is how it appears on the title page, but her name was Julia Corbitt Crowley.  The book was published by Moulton in Buffalo, NY.  I cannot find any details on content, but there are several on the net.

I wonder if this could be the Teenie-Weenies series of books (don't know the author). In the 50's I know it was a book series and a comic strip too. The description of the homes in the vegetable garden sounds pretty typical, and they did have encounters with small animals/birds/insects. Don't know if it dates as far back as the 30's.
I've checked out the Teenie-Weenie series, and that's not them. My garden-town people were more nursery-tale fantasy types, not so realistic (if you can call 4-inch people that!).
L44 little people vegetable houses: maybe Twinkie Town Tales, by Carlyle Emery, llustrated by Arthur Henderson, published St. Louis, Hamilton-Brown Shoe Company, 1926 "This delightful book is Book I of the Twinkie Town Tales, The illustrations of the Twinkies are wonderful. The Twinkies resemble pudgie little elves or pixies." About 33 pages, 12 full page illustrations, the other pages are also illustrated.
Riesner, Charles Francis., Little Inch-high people. (1937) LC Control Number: 38004096 From the Library of Congress: Type of Material: Text (Book, Microform, Electronic, etc.) Brief Description: Riesner, Charles Francis. Little Inch-high people, by Charles Francis Riesner, illustrated by George Wolfe. New York, N.Y., Junior progress, inc. [c1937] 9 p. l., 7-97 p. illus., col. plates. 26 cm.  I have an original copy of this incredible children'\''s story, which included the rich illustrations your write describes: Read it myself as a child, and my children loved it as well!

The Little Lost Duck, Little Golden Book
I pursued that Little Lost Duck as a Golden Book, but this is not the right story.  I had talked to Strawberry Hill Books and they said that Golden Books started a little later, perhaps in the 1940's, so my book request is too early for this.  I'm sorry.  Perhaps somebody else will come up with an idea.  Thank you.
Adda Mai Sharp & Epsie Young, Downy Duck Grows Up, 1947.  I don't find where Downy Duck winds up at the ocean, but he does run away and has many adventures, then goes back home.  This is part of the Woodland Frolics Series.

Dr. Almute Grohmann, Dragon Teeth and Parrot Beaks. 1998.  A little chick brushing his beak also sounds like it could be Richard Scarry or something by Margaret Wise Brown.  Can the customer give any more information?
L52 little chick brushing: maybe Little Yellow Chick, by Ian Munn, illustrated by Helen Adler, Rand-McNally Junior Elf 1961. or Little Chick's Story by Mary Deball Kwitz, illustrated by Cindy Szekeres, Scholastic 1978, 32 p.

Charles Perrault's Puss in Boots is almost too obvious.  The original Little Golden Books format was published in 1959 in an adaptation by Kathryn Jackson and with illustrations by J.P. Miller.  There was also a 1991 version with illustrations by Lucinda McQueen.
L53  Could this be about a bunny instead of a cat?  There is a Little Golden book called Bunny's New Shoes.
Edith Thacher Hurd , Johnny Lion's Rubber Boots, 1980s-currently in print.  Not a kitten, but a feline.  And the boots are red.

Kathryn Jackson.  Author of a number of picture books with somewhat similar themes, though I can't identify the particular book
Johnny Gruelle, Eddie Elephant. (1921)  There is a picture of Eddie Elephant, who lives in Jungleville, looking at the field of 'flowers' (lollypops) shown him by Grandpa Monkey.  Eddie wears a red/white striped outfit, inlcuding a hat.  Other characters in the book are Christopher Crocodile, Alonzo Alligator, Cousin Katy Kangaroo, Uncle Hippopotamus, the Cocoa Boy, Mabel Monkey, and Bertram Buffalo (to whom Eddie gives his shiny new blue bicycle (tricycle) with the bell that goes "Tinkle, Tinkle.''  It was a "Volland Sunny Book Series" book.  The illustrations are wonderful.  I spent many years thinking it had been a "Babar" book.

Well, there is a Little Witch book.  See W86 above, and more on the Solved Mysteries page.
Although Bennett's Little Witch sounds sweet, I'm really not sure it's the answer.  I don't think the little girl's name was Minx; is there any character in that book named Lavinia?
Palmer Brown, Beyond the Paw-Paw Trees or The Silver Nutmeg, 1954, 1956.  Both of these are extremely long shots and only because the reader seems insistant that the girl's name is Lavinia, and these are the only books I can think of where the protagonist is both a young girl and has the name of Lavinia (or actually "Anna Lavinia"). Beyond the Paw-Paw Trees: "On the way to visit her Aunt, little Anna Lavinia has some remarkable adventures." The Silver Nutmeg: see the Solved Stumper page.
ooooh! I remember this book being mostly concerned with the fact that mother has to go off to work- just so happens she's a witch.
Is it a Junior School age girl, who all she wants to do is go to an ordinary junior school (which I think was called Fern Tree), like the neighbour’s twins do?  Only she had to go to a junior school for young witches, where there were a lot of broomsticks with L plates on in the schoolyard.

If it is that one, there was a “cauldron cookery class” in which she made tomato soup while the others made potions.

At the end of term she got asked to leave to school, and she was pleased (though her mother wasn’t), because then it meant she could go to school with her neighbours children.I don’t know if that is the same one (and I can’t recall the title either), but I thought it might help shed some light on this if you think it might be the same one.

P.L. Travers, Mary Poppins books.  Sounds like a Mary Poppins story, though, if so, I can't identify which one. I think
that "Mary Poppins and the House Next Door" does involve a visit to the Man in the Moon - I can't remember if a ladder was involved.
I checked -- Mary Poppins climbs up cloud stairs, no ladder involved.
Since no one has offered any other possibilities than Mary Poppins, I wondered if this could be The Peculiar Miss Pickett again.  I don't remember the book well enough to know if there's an incident like this, but Miss Pickett is a magic babysitter...  (see more in M187)

Maybe? Upham, Elizabeth, Illustrated by Marjorie Hartwell. Little Brown Bear. Platt and Munk Co, 1942
I checked my copies of  Little Brown Bear and Little Brown Bear and His Friends.  In the latter, he does go on a picnic but there is no monkey or fish involved. Should probably rule out this series.
L63 My Upham Little brown bear is c1942; in many ways it sounds like the stumper but doesn't fit exactly; others listed in the series have even later dates.
Leslie Brooke, Johnny Crow's Garden, etc.. Could be one of this series (Johnny Crow's Garden; Johnny Crow's Party;  Johnny Crow's New Garden)

Are you positive about the 'Lancelot' suit?  The story I kept coming up with is Have Space Suit--Will Travel by Robert Heinlein.  It was published in an anthology as well as a book.  "A high school senior wins a space suit in a soap jingle contest, takes a last walk wearing 'Oscar' before cashing him in for college tuition, and suddenly finds himself on a space
odyssey."
Fred Saberhagen, Berserker stories.  Maybe one of his short stories? Here is a description of the suit. 'In a sense it was a suit of armour that provided a life support system, a means of propulsion and weaponry. When Michel first donned it, Lancelot had the appearance of gauzy veils surrounding him. As his skills at using it developed, Lancelot moulded itself closely to his body, rather like a suit of armour.'

Olde English Fairy Tales. Your book sounds very like one we read as kids called "Olde English Fairy Tales."  I remember a story with a witch in a haystack and one about creatures called "Yob Yahs" (not sure of the spelling but that's how we pronounced it.)  Yob yahs were small bipedal creatures with lizard-like tales - their story involved kidnapping a girl, putting her in a sack. She is rescued by a kindly hunter who puts his dog into the sack instead.  There was another story about the New Moon, pictured as a young lovely girl who is tangled in a swamp and slowly taken down by clinging vines.  Very dark stories, not what I would have put in the Children's Section of the library, which is where we found it.  Read it in the 60's and it was a very old book then.

Could this be Michelle Magorian's Good Night, Mr. Tom??
Sorry, this is not Goodnight, Mr. Tom.
Barbara Ker Wilson, Last Years Broken Toys, c. 1964.  As the poster of this stumper says, little to go on, but I wonder if this might be Last Year's Broken Toys by Barbara Ker Wilson.  I read it as a Peacock Book, which was the teen imprint for the British Puffin paperback collection.  As I recall - the book is now in my parents' house - this was the story of a group of girls at high school together in England during WWII.  I'm sure one was Jewish, and I have a recollection that another was called Florence.  I'm pretty sure one of the girls, or her family members, were killed in an air raid. As far as I can see, the book in now out of print, but some UK second-hand booksellers are listing it.
I finally got hold of an old copy of Last Year's Broken Toys, and that is not the book.

Doris Gates, Blue Willow.  Just a possibility; the heroine's name is Janey Larkin.
Doris Gates, Blue Willow, 1941.  The main character in Blue Willow is Janey Larkin.  She's the daughter of a cattle rancher who lost everything in the Dust Bowl and now travels the country as a migrant worker.
Gates, Doris, Blue Willow.  In "Blue Willow" the main character is a young girl named Janey Larkin(or Larken.)  The book takes place in the '30s and Janey is the daughter of migrant workers whose prized possession is a plate with the blue willow pattern.  She longs for a permanent home.
Is it possible her name was "Lark"?  There is a young-adult book by that title, by Sally Watson, about a girl in 17th-c. England who must make her way across country to her family during a period of war and upheaval.  She meets a young man (?named James?) and travels with him. Just a thought.
Patricia MacLachlan, Baby.  Could this possibly be it?  It's about a 12 year old girl named Larkin who finds a baby on their doorstep.  A Yearling book.
I posted this one. I am certain the girl's first name was Larkin! I also think it was a more contemporary setting, but I could be wrong. thanks for the suggestions!  Might be the book titled Baby. I'll see if my library has it.
Springer, Nancy, LARQUE ON THE WING, 1994.  A long shot, as this is much newer than has been suggested and a novel rather than a chapter book.  OTOH, it does feature a protagonist first-named Larque, and is a decidedly free-wheeling yarn gender issues are a large part of the subject matter.

Dare Wright, The Lonely Doll, 1957.  This one is still hanging on at our public library, and is the only one I've seen matching this description.
I have to disagree with the suggestion:  The Lonely Doll is very American, and does not involve a doll house.  It is, however, illustrated with black and white photographs.
Rumer Godden wrote six or seven books from the doll-house point of view, and this could be any of them: The Doll's House, The Fairy Doll, Four Dolls, Miss Happiness and Miss Flower, The Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle, The Story of Holly and Ivy, Little Plum, Mouse House, The Mousewife, The Rocking Horse Secret, Tottie The Story of a dolls' House.
Could this possibly be Miss Kambeitz' Doll at the Hot Dog Show, by Albert Szabo?

Eleanor Estes, The Witch Family, ca 1960.  This might be it.  There's a picture in it of a little girl sitting drawing by a
window.
L92 I think this might be it. This paperback cover has the old witch-like lady walking with her cane in front of an old Victorian house with a veranda. No one is in the window, but the story refers to glimpses people got of her at the window.
York, Carol Beach. The witch lady mystery.    illus by Ethel Gold  Scholastic, 1976.   When Oliver rakes the leaves in Mrs Prichard¹s yard, will he find out if she is really a witch?
L92 This sounds like THE LITTLE LEFTOVER WITCH by Florence Laughlin, 1960. It definitely has a yellow cover and is a fun read. ~from a librarian
Laughlin, The Little Leftover Witch,The book you mention is the Little Leftover Witch who is stuck in a tree and leftover from Halloween.  She lives with people, combs her hair, sleeps in a closet at first, then a bed, is mean to the cat, and I can'\''t remember much more.  I read is over 25 years ago at least 30 times.

Thank you - have been on your Web site several hours already today searching ALL pages for even the slightest connection to my vague recollection of this story/book.  Indeed, am out there at this very moment. Will be most eager to see if I get any hints.  What Happened to George seems to be built on much the same premise but I very much remember this being a story about a little boy not a pig.
Yes, I thought of that one too, but George is definately a pig.  There's Fat Cat by Jack Kent too, but again, that's a cat, not a boy.
Am doing a search on Web in general at the moment – a search on peppermint – for some reason this very, very cob-webby notion that the little boy ate peppermint has suddenly come to light.  Could it be I’ve set the rusty wheels of time in motion and they are slowly grinding away to help me uncover this childhood story?  I think your Web-site is truly a delight – I ran across several little story books that I had forgotten, stories read long ago but what warm memories they evoked!  Thank you for providing such a great service!!
Hugh Lofting, The Crazy Story of Dizzy Lizzie, 1953??, reprint.  This stumper reminded me strongly of Dizzy Lizzie, whose story I encountered in Volume 4 of a 1953 CHILDREN'S HOUR set (the indicia in that volume says that Lofting first published it in Child Life Magazine, but gives no date).  In some respects the match is very good -- a major episode does involve Lizzie flying about as a human balloon, and the illustrations (done by Lofting) show a person in a red and white striped shirt.  In others the match isn't close at all -- Lizzie is a girl, not a boy, and the balloon incident arises because she's previously been flattened by a steamroller, and is then accidentally mailed to Persia where the King has her inflated.  And I don't think there's any peppermint anywhere.  However, the parts that match are close enough to be intriguing, particularly Lofting's illustrations, in which Lizzie might well be mistaken for a boy.
Wonder if this could possibly be Charlie & the Chocolate Factory -the scene where the chubby boy overeats during Willie Wonka's tour of the candy factory?
The boy who overeats in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory doesn't float away in the air he falls into the chocolate river and goes up a pipe.
Tall book of make believe.  I know this book has appeared in the past on this website.  I suggest it as a possible solution to this question because of the way our mind plays tricks on us.  In this book, The Tall Book of Make Believe, there are two stories that might have coalesced in the reader's memory.  One is about a little boy who gets given a magic lollipop that gets bigger and bigger the more he sucks on it, and he, consequently, gets fatter and fatter, until he finally gives his now giant lolly to the candystore owner to use as a sign for the store.  In the same book is a story about a town that is called the village of creampuffs, or something like that, and it is only attached to the earth by some sort of tether ropes, or it would float away.

L101 Just a side note: in searching this on Google, I learned that in the year 1305, King Edward I, placed a duty on licorice sales, which went to help finance the repair of London Bridge.
There's a nice Peter Spier book version of the folk song, titled London Bridge is Falling Down,  but it wasn't published until 1967.  No lemon drops or licorice sticks.

Don't know the name yet.  I am still looking for the title, but it is a short story. I will keep looking.
Vivien Alcock, The Whisperer. (1987)  This short story is in Ms Alcock's collection "Ghostly Companions."

Key, Theodore, So'm I, illustrated by Frank Owen.  NY Dutton 1954.  I wonder if it might be this one (also on the Solved pages) about a knock-kneed and bow-legged horse who becomes a champion steeplechaser. The authors were cartoonists, and the book is illustrated in cartoon-style.

Solotareff, Gregoire, Theo and Balthazar Captured by Pirates, 1986.  The 1986 edition is an English-language translation of a French book, presumably written earlier.  Could you possibly have read it in an earlier translation (or even in the original French) in the early 1980's?  Here is a synopsis from the Library of Congress catalog: "While exploring a lighthouse, Theo and Balthazar fall into the clutches of evil pirates but escape with the help of friendly dolphins".  Another possibility might be The Lighthouse Kids and the Oyster Pirates by Lionel A. Hunt (1953), but I do not know the plot of that one.  Of course, there is always Jules Vernes' book The Lighthouse at the End of the World, but that one is about a grown man trying to evade pirates who have taken over the remote lighthouse he is stationed at on an island near South America, not about a boy.
Here are some more details:  I've been looking for a book from my childhood about  a kid that lives in  a lighthouse who is captured by pirates? It was  lavishly illustrated, in a million details sort of way. I recall lots of  fishing poles out  the windows of the lighthouse, and an illustration of  big fish eating  medium fish eating smaller fish under the sea. The kid lived in a lighthouse, gets captured by pirates, and makes it back home in the end.  it is illustrated in (I think it's called) the clear line style, that is solid color areas bordered by thin black outlines. the lighthouse had all kinds of windows out of which were many fishing rods going into the sea. I see the pirates in the hold of the ship with big barrels stacked sideways. We see underwater at some point, the kid may be diving (not sure) but the classic fish food chain image is illustrated there - the big fish eating a smaller fish to about six or seven levels. it's an oversize book.  It was in color color with lots of intriguing details, over the top illustration and I would have read it pre-1983
 I don't feel it is any of the titles you suggested. I can confirm that it is full of lavish illustrations, oversized, and pre-1983 (but no earlier than mid 70's), with the plot involving a boy captured by pirates. I can also add that there were many images of hanging fish, from shops and rooftops. (This "weirdness" is similar to the many fishing poles leaning out of the lighthouse windows)
E. E Libenzi, Robin and the Pirates, May 1975. I have been looking for this book as well. I have a copy that is so worn it no longer has the cover. I am almost 99% positive this is the book you are looking for.

Farley, Walter, Little Black a Pony, 1961.  Beginner Books: When a small boy graduates from his little pony to a big horse, the pony is sad until the time comes when he is able to do something the big horse cannot do. Walter Farley of of Black Stallion Fame
Walter Farley, Little Black, A Pony.  I'm pretty sure this is the one.  Little Black gets his foot caught in a tree, Big Red is too heavy for the ice and falls through, so Little Black must help. . .I had the book as a child, and your stumper actually jogged MY memory.  I am now searching for a copy of Little Black, A Pony.  I hope this is the one you're thinking of!

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Farley, Walter.  Little Black, A Pony.   Illustrated by James Schucker.  Random House Beginner Books, 1961.  Book Club edition.  Edges bumped and crayon name on front endpapers, otherwise VG.  $8

Levoy, Myron, The Witch of Fourth Street and Other Stories, 1972.  This book contains stories about children from different ethnic backgrounds in a New York neighborhood during the early 20th century  the story that stands out in my memory is the one about Vincent the Good, a little Italian boy who never gets into trouble.
Angelo Valenti, Big Little Island, 1955.  Probably not it, but just to rule it out...  Lorenzo is a war orphan who comes to live with family in New York. The uncle is a baker, and allows the boys to help make eclairs. There is another episode where Lorenzo and his cousin buy a cartwheel-sized pizza with 'the works'.

HRL:  Same as L12 in the archives, for which a answer was proposed as Animal Bedtime Stories, but still no author or publisher information.

M. M. Kaye, The Ordinary Princess, 1980?  I don't have The Ordinary Princess here with me to check, but I know the princess's room was lavender and I'm pretty sure it had fabric pinned up too.  However, apparently the book wasn't published until 1980, so it may not be what you're thinking of.

Janette Sebring Lowrey, The Poky Little Puppy, 1942. This was a Little Golden Book. The Poky Little Puppy was very mischievous, but I can't remember if he ever ate an Indian headdress. It might be the LGB My Puppy by Patricia Scarry, too - that puppy definitely ate things.
The book you describe is definitely NOT The Poky Little Puppy!  There are no Indian headdresses in that book.  The poky puppy escapes under the fence (repeatedly) with the other puppies.  In the end, the poky puppy misses dessert and so decides not to escape under the fence ever again.

Scally, Kevin, The Story of Red Riding Hood ~ The Magic Road, 1984, approximately.  Hi there! I'm glad I actually found one of the books that your readers have posted. This is definately one of the "Magic Road" books written by Kevin Scally...I just finished reading "The Three Bears" version to my son. It is like a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure and the tabs are Yellow, Red, Blue, Purple, Green and Black.
Thank you so much for the help. This will make a great Christmas present as my sister recieved it from our late uncle a long time ago. Unfortunately a fire claimed this book, but thanks to your site and the help from the Internet Friends, the book has been identified properly.

Barbara Brenner, Amy's Doll. Maybe?  I've never seen this book but I know it has black and white photographs of a girl who has to take her beloved doll Sarah Jane to a doll hospital in New York after she gets left outside and damaged.
My father claims he remembers this book as being called "caroline's doll" or something along those lines. He also remembers a fox being in it. Apparently it teases the little girl as she tries to get her doll to the hospital. I haven't been able to find any images to confirm this as yet, or indeed anyone who's heard of the book.

Pam Conrad, Stonewords: A Ghost Story, 1990.  It's been a while since I read the book, but based on my memories and the School Library Journal review, I think L162 is Stonewords.  Another book where a girl befriends a ghost with a similar name is Mary Downing Hahn's Wait Till Helen Comes, but it's probably not your book because the girl doesn't try to save the ghost in fact the ghost tries to kill the girl!
Conrad, Pam, Stonewords, 1990.  I'm sure this poster is looking for Stonewords.  Zoe is the contemporary girl, and Zoe Louise is the ghost from the past.  The passage way of time is the staircase in the house both girls lived in.  The two girls are ghosts in each other's lives, and Zoe helps prevent a tragedy in Zoe Louise's life, bringing the haunting to an end.
Pam Conrad, Stonewords: A Ghost Story.  Think this is the book...my daughter who is now 20 read and re-read it perhaps 8 to 10 years ago.
Conrad, Pam, Stonewords: a ghost story, 1990.  "Zoe discovers that her house is occupied by the ghost of an eleven-year-old girl, who carries her back to the day of her death in 1870 to try to alter that tragic event."  I seem to remember the ghost decaying towards the end and trying to trade places with Zoe - but maybe I'm combining to books in my memory.
Pam Conrad, Stonewords.  This might be the one--a little girl, Zoe, becomes friends with another Zoe who died in her house, at her age, and she tries to save her. Ghost-Zoe doesn't exactly get weaker, but towards the end she slowly starts decaying.
Pam Conrad, Stone Words.  This book sounds very like your description.  Zoe comes to live with her grandparents and meets Zoe Louise, a ghost from the past.  Zoe Louise visits with her over the course of years and Zoe eventually is able to go back in time to be a "ghost" at Zoe Louise's house.  She returns to the present, finds out how Zoe Louise died and is able to prevent her death (in a fire at a birthday party).  There is a sequel-  "Zoe Rising".
L162 Sounds like it could be STONEWORDS by Pam Conrad. The girl and the ghost are both named Zoe.~from a librarian
Mary Downing Hahn, The Doll in the Garden. (1990, reprint)  This is another possibility.  Ashley follows a white cat back in time and meets Louisa, a girl who is dying and who longs for her beloved doll--a doll that Ashley and her friend Kristi have found buried in their landlord's garden. In the end Ashley, Kristi, and their landlord visit Louisa the woman is able to make amends with her childhood friend.  The time frame is right, and Louisa was dying from consumption, which matches the poster's info that the ghost kept looking sicker/weaker every time they met.

Lammie.  There are several Lammie books. In one Lammie does get mistaken as a ghost, he also eats some horseradish from the garden and does a hilarious dance of a pumpkin.

Hughes, Shirley, Alfie's Feet, 1983.  I think this is the book. The boots are yellow.
Alfie's Feet from the collection All About Alfie by Shirley Hughes?
Unada (or Unada, Gliewe), Ricky's Boots, 1970.  It could be Alfie's Feet, although I don't think it ever actually rains in that story--Alfie and Annie Rose just go stomping through puddles and so on (and he ends up wearing his new boots on the wrong feet).  But if the book could be a bit older, you might try Ricky's Boots   it's set in the U.S., not England, but it is a big-city wet-day boots story as well.  "..one drippy day Ricky isn't allowed out to play. His old boots are too small..". I don't remember if there was a sister in it.  Or if the child could possibly have been a girl, there's Umbrella, by Taro Yashima.

Margery Bianco, A Street of Little Shops.  This sounds a lot like a book my mother had as a child--A Street of Little Shops. Each story was about one shop. In one, the snooty baker's daughter is invited to a birthday party, and she brings the splendid cake from the bakery window, not knowing that it's a fake for display only. There was a story about a woman who made horses for hats, and one about a man permanently stuck in a hardware store because he couldn't remember what he wanted, and I think one about a cigar store indian.
L171 Before I checked on A street of Little Shops, I got out Bianco's  Other people's houses because "houses" sounded closer to the  scenario, but it was not close at all. Then I got out Little Shops  and I feel it doesn't match, either, but GUESS WHAT -  the ice cream  shop is run by MR MURDLE!

Richardson, Cynthia, Susie Cucumber, she writes letters. (1944)  Susie Cucumber is a fox terrier that learns to write letters. Illustrated by Roberta Paflin. Attached to the back endpaper is a bag which once contained writing paper and an addressed, stamped envelope for the child to start a correspondence with Susie Cucumber.
Cynthia Richardson, Susie Cucumber she writes letters. (1944)  You don' say how old the book is, but if it's old this is a possibility.  (Roberta Paflin, illus.  /  Juvenile audience [60] p. illus. / New York, S. Gabriel sons & company / subject:dogs)

Konigsberg, E.L.,  From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  See solved mysteries
Locked in museum  - Could be From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg.
Just a note, the children in From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler evaded security guards to live in an art museum for a length of time (a week, I believe) and encounter a mystery relating to a statue that is possibly a Michelangelo.  If the kids your stumper is about were accidentally locked in, this wouldn't be the book.
Baum, Thomas, It Looks Alive to Me! (1976, approx)  Could it be "It Looks Alive to Me!"  In this one, a teenage boy is accidentally locked in the Museum of Natural History overnight. There's a weird moon rock that brings the exhibits to life, and they have to survive until they can get out in the morning.  There's a girl too, but I can't remember if she's a classmate or if she's one of the exhibits come to life and he doesn't realize it.  Anyway, it might be worth checking out.

Leaf, Munro, Gordon the Goat. (1944)  This is the book. Gordon went everywhere with the herd, even following them into a twister!

Arthur Dorros, Isla.(1995)  This seems to fit your description, but the copywrite is later.  Rosalba and Abuela fly through sunny skies until they smell "aire tropical" and see the island that Abuela calls "mi esmeralda" sparkling in the ocean below. Rosalba visits with her relatives, travels to the rain forest and samples the local plantains, papayas and pineapples before it'\''s time to head back to New York City.

Rosalie Fry, Bumblebuzz. (1938)  Cover is yellow, shows a bumblebee with a red "hobo-pack" (bandana tied on the end of a stick) over his shoulder, walking through grass with a ladybug.  Looks like they might be holding hands?  Rosalie Fry also wrote a book called "Ladybug! Ladybug!" in 1940.  The cover of this book shows (at top) two ladybugs running toward one another, and the main picture is of a white house with a red cone-shaped tile roof.  Unfortunately, these books are long out-of-print, hard to find, and very expensive.

Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Below the Root, 1975, approximately.  Could this be the beginning of the Green Sky Trilogy?  Below the Root is about a race of people who live under the giant trees of a forest.  There's another race who live in the branches of the trees.  The trilogy is about how the two peoples come together.  (And, er, you do know that stealing from libraries is wrong?  If you took it, it couldn't become someone else's favorite book.)

Mary Whitcomb, Tee-Bo the Incredible Talking Dog in The Great Hort Hunt.  Tee-Bo the talking dog and the children who own him find a piece of lapis lazuli that, among other things, allows them to travel behind a waterfall to the homeland of the magical, elflike Horts, and assist them in saving their way of life.

Frances Hodgson Burnett, Sara Crewe
Burnett, Frances Hodgson, A Little Princess.  Could this possibly be the book you're looking for?  I have a copy from 1967 - the cover is yellow and has a painting of Sara standing sideways wearing a pink dress with a huge bow in her hair.  It is illustrated by Stewart Sherwood.  I see the edition that is illustrated by Tasha Tudor in bookstores all the time, and I never see my edition, which is perhaps why the original requestor didn't remember the book.
This story sounds like The Little Princess, or A Little Princess. The little girl gets sent to a boarding school while her dad, a British army captain, is away in India. She is forced to become a servant. In the end her dad comes back, or some friend of her dad's adopts her and takes her away from the bad school.
In case this is indeed A Little Princess, I want to make a correction to the above poster's comment: Sara Crewe's father dies in India, no matter what some movie versions would have you think.  The man who adopts her at the end is her father's best friend.

L194 Having sold this book, I can't check on the story, but my   subject headings are: Mammoth Cave; caves ; Kentucky - juvenile  fiction - for River in the dark by Jean Speiser, part of  Your Fair  Land series
Mary Cunningham, The Witch's Spoon.  There is a scene really similar to this in The Witch's Spoon, which was published in the 1970s.  Lauren and Tom are staying at their grandmother's house with their Italian cousin.  At one point during the story, they decide to do something they've always wanted to do but have never been allowed to.  Lauren's activity is catching a baby owl and Tom's is exploring the caves by the ocean/sea.  He nearly runs out of matches while he's lost in the cave and at one point has to slither back on his stomach.
I'm looking for the same book, I'm sure. I read it at about the same age, probably 4th grade, in about 1975. A couple things I remember: darkness, the main character was alone in the dark for a very long time. There was a huge cliff in the cave that he came close to falling off at one point. It seems that the kids--they were probably about 13-16 yrs old--knew something about caving.. they didn't just accidentally end up in there. They even knew the cave, I think. It seems that they knew the names of the formations. This book was *really* scary. Keep thinking the title was something like "To strike a match" or "A light in the dark".. I'm sure I would recognize the title and it's not either of the ones suggested here so far.
Bryce Walton, Cave of Danger. This sounds like the book "Cave of Danger" by Bryce Walton, about a boy named Matt (an amateur spelunker) who searches for and discovers a cave and decides to explore it by himself, only to get lost.  His friend, Spotty, and his enemy, Kurt, both end up in the cave searching for him-- one ends up falling into the underground river.

Eugenie, Wickedishrag1968, Cute story about naughty princess Gwendel, who likes to pretend to be a witch and frighten people, until one day she is mistaken for a real witch. She must learn to be good before she can become a princess again.  See solved mysteries for more info.
Eugenie, Wickedishrag.  Look on the solved pages for more info but I'm pretty sure this is the title you're looking for.

Interpreting Condition  Grades

Eugenie. Wickedishrag.  illus by Eugenie.  C R Gibson Stardust Books,  1968.   dust jacket has large  taped tear on rear, and a little edgewear; cloth and pages very good.  [SQ29267]  <SOLD>

That's not a lot of clues...  but Mei Li by Thomas Handforth won the Caldecott in 1939, so it's pretty famous.  Start with the famous, and work your way down..
Mei Li is about a girl, and it isn't a chapter book...
Elleanor Lattimore, Little Pear, 1955, reprint.  Could this be Little Pear: The Story of a Little Chinese Boy?  The 2005 reprint lists this as the summary: The adventures of Little Pear, a mischievous five-year-old boy living in China in the early 1900s. Little Pear is a young boy who lives in a small village in China. Although his story takes place long ago, he is much like any little boy today--always on the lookout for excitement and adventure! Little Pear is just looking for fun, but he has a knack for finding trouble without even trying! Join him as he stows away to the fair in a wheelbarrow full of vegetables, nearly flies away on a kite, has a mishap with a firecracker, and is rescued from the river by a houseboat family.
Meindert DeYoung, House of Sixty Fathers, 1957, approximately.  A long shot, but might it be Meindert DeJong's Newbery honor title, House of Sixty Fathers?  The story begins with Tien Pao in his family's sampan with his ducklings and pig  this occurs during the Japanese invasion of China in WWII.  An accident sets the boat afloat and sends Tien Pao back into Japanese territory, from which he must start a journey looking for his family and safety.
Not too likely, but one more river story.  Creekmore,  Raymond    Little Fu    illus by Raymond Creekmore    Macmillan  c1947.  Little Fu’s description of his voyage down  the river with his father to sell their tea gives us a picture that  part of Chinese life; large lithographs add to the picture

syd hoff, I should have stayed in bed
I checked the book posted, but it's not the one.  I am 48 now and I read the book in the late 60's or early 70's when I was in grade school.  There definitely was a passage in the book about the little boy shopping for a gift on his way to school.  I remember he had to settle for a little box of chocolates because he only had so much money.  If anyone else has more suggestions, please reply.

O'Dell, Scott, Island of the Blue Dolphins,1961.I hope this is what you're looking for. It's a wonderful book. Scott O'Dell won the Newbery Medal for this in 1961, and in 1976 the Children's Literature Association named this story one of the 10 best American children's books of the past 200 years.
Peter Benchley, The Girl of the Sea of Cortez. Worth a look, if just to rule it out. There is a giant manta ray...

Rosemary E. Livsey (editor), A, B, C: Go!,1962. A long shot, but might this be the one you're looking for?  It is the first volume of "Collier's Junior Classics - The Young Folks Shelf of Books" and contains many nursery rhymes, poems, and stories, including "There Was a Crooked Man," but not "Big Rock Candy Mountain."  I'm pretty sure these books have been re-printed a time or two, and there may have been a soft-cover edition.  (Mine is hardcover, and each book in the 10-book set is a different color.) The books contain works by many different authors and illustrators. A lot of the illustrations are black-and-white, but there are also some full-color, and quite a few black-and-white accented with some other color, including a brownish shade, also yellow, pink, blue, and/or green.  The reason this book springs to mind is the story about the little cakes or cookies.  This might be "The Funny Thing" by Wanda Gag, about a kindly old man named Bobo who provided good things to eat to all the little birds and animals.  One day a "Funny Thing" (drawn to look sort of dragon-ish) arrived at his cave, looking for something to eat.  The Funny Thing wasn't interested in any of the foods Bobo offered, and said that he preferred to eat children's dolls, which of course would make the children cry.  So Bobo whipped up a batch of little balls which he called "jum-jills" and convinced the Thing to eat them, to make his tail grow longer and his blue points more beautiful. The Thing liked the jum-jills so much that he never ate any more dolls, and as his tail grew longer, he settled atop a mountain where Bobo had the jum-jills delivered daily by birds.  Another story about little cakes in the same book is "The Poppy Seed Cakes" by Margery Clark, about a little boy who is supposed to keep an eye on some poppy-seed cakes that his aunt had baked, but instead bounces up and down on the feather bed. A goose comes to take back the feathers from the bed, claiming that they are his, and eats all the poppy seed cakes.  In the end, he explodes from eating so many cakes, and Andrewshek's auntie tells him that he will soon have some nice feather pillows to go with his bed.  Other stories in this book include The Velveteen Rabbit, Angus and the Cat, Kiki Dances, Evie and the Wonderful Kangaroo, Rosa-Too-Little, Susanna's Auction, The Five Chinese Brothers, and The Little Old Woman who Used her Head.

Could this be hope for the flowers: by Trina Paulus? In it a unhappy caterpillar becomes a happy butterfly. I think it was from the late sixties. My hippie parents liked it more than I did.
Dom DeLuise, Charlie the Caterpillar, 1993. illus. Christopher Santoro.We had this book and recognize the picture of the caterpillar.
nope, but thank you. neither of these books are "the one".  thanks

I think this may be Tim and Ginger, one of Edward Ardizzzone's books as both author and illustrator.  I just located these books for myself within the last two months since discovering the Book Stumpers database. It is set in England (although there is a definite French "feel" to the pictures) with distinctive watercolor and black and white illustrations.  Ginger is a boy, but you might remember his name as a girl's name. (As I did.)  He is careless and gets trapped in the ocean bay on a sandbar at high tide.  There is a great illustration of him standing with just his head out of the waves, as Tim approaches in a small boat to rescue him.  Once you see the illustrations you will know immediately if it is the book you want, they are very much the author's own style, very memorable.  This is a picture book, and there are several written about Tim and his adventures in a seaside town.  I hope this helps!  I'd been thinking about this same book since kindergarten!
Napoli, Adventure at Mont-Saint-Michel, 1966. This is about a French girl who gets trapped in the sand near Mont-Saint-Michel when the tide comes in-- and I remember that the illustrations look very water-colory.

Patricia Coombs, Dorrie series, 1974. This description sounds like the series of books about Dorrie, a young witch, first published in the early 70's.  Coombs wrote Dorrie and the Blue Witch, Dorrie and the Goblin, Dorrie and the Amazing Magic Elixir, and so on.  There must be roughly 15 Dorrie books.  They were my daughter's favorites.
Marian Place, The Resident Witch, 1970. This reminds me a bit of The Resident Witch (see solved mysteries under "R" for more details).  Witcheena does wear long striped stockings, polka-dotted underwear, a ragged brown skirt and blouse, a pointed hat, and long pointed witch shoes with big buckles.  She can be pretty, when she combs her hair and cleans herself up, as she does when trying to pass as a normal human to have fun at the carnival.  The illustrations are black-and-white sketches (pen and ink) by Marilyn Miller. This doesn't quite match up with the isolation you describe.  Witcheena lives with her aunt, but she is a bit lonely until she makes a human friend (Nancy) at the carnival.
Patricia Coombs, various titles about Dorrie. Could you mean Dorrie? Patricia Coombs wrote several titles about her for beginning readers. Her stockings never matched and were often slipping down. She does not live alone but with a mother and aunt-type witch, but she has most of her adventures on her own or with her black cat, whose name escapes me.
Coombs, Patricia, Dorrie. This sounds like the series of books about Dorrie the little witch. She lives with her mother the Big Witch and wears a black hat and dress and stripped stockings. More about his series (including some of the illustrations) may be found  here:
etc.
Eleanor Estes, The Witch Family.  Nearly forgot about this, but could it be the Witch Family? The little girl does dress in witchy fashion, all in black, but generally acts like a normal little girl, albeit one with a few special skills. She lives with the mother figure of Old Witch, and gets a baby sister; she later befriends two little human girls. For some reason the human girls have power over the Old Witch, "banquishing" her to keep her out of trouble, the Little Witch is for her company.

Virginia Lee Burton , The Little House, 1943. I suspect this stumper may be The Little House by Virginia Burton, originally published in 1943. I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s and read this as a child. The little house loses its family and the city grows up around it. In the end, it is moved into the country and gets a new family to love it and make it look happy once again.
Virginia Lee Burton, The Little House (Her Story), 1942. A country house is unhappy when the city, with all its buildings and traffic, grows up around her."  Caldecott winner in 1943, reprinted 1969, 1978, 1988, and back in print again.
Virginia Lee Burton, The Little House, 1943. I suspect this stumper may be The Little House by Virginia Burton, originally published in 1943. I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s and read this as a child. The little house loses its family and the city grows up around it. In the end, it is moved into the country and gets a new family to love it and make it look happy once again.
Virginia Lee Burton, The Little House, 1978, reprint. Could this be a possibility?  It was written decades ago but remains in print.  The cover is different, but I believe there's a picture within the book matching your description.  I read it at the local bookstore sometime within the last year as I searched for books for my nephew who was due to be born.  I also recall an old cartoon based on a similar story.
This book, as described, is probably NOT "The Little House" by Virginia Lee Burton. The Burton book is a regular hard cover Caldecott Award book (not a Golden-type book) about a little house in the country, who lives through the seasons, wonders about living in the city, is eventually overtaken by the city, then abandoned as skyscrapers grow up around her.  Eventually, she is discovered by relatives of the original owner, finally move her back to the country, where she is happy and lived in again.  The cover has a picture of the happy little house (curving steps somewhat resemble a smile), with a tree on each side and a smiling sun above. The copyright date for The Little House is 1942.

Jacqueline Jackson, The Taste of Spruce Gum, 1966. Could this be the book?  In 1903, Libby Fletcher, about 10, moves from Illinois to Vermont a year after her father dies.  Her mother is going to marry Libby's father's brother, Uncle Charles, who runs the family lumber camp.  Libby struggles with adjusting to her new father and new surroundings.  My first-edition copy has a yellow cover and not a red one.
Annie Roe Carr, Nan Sherwood at Pine Camp. Could it possibly be Nan Sherwood at Pine Camp (also named The Old Lumberman's Secret)? I had a different Nan Sherwood book, handed down from my mother and grandmother, and it did have a red cover. This book is available through Project Gutenberg, if you want to check the text.
Walter and Marion Havighurst, Song of the Pines, 1949. Is she sure that the main character was a girl?  Because if it was a boy named Nils, it could be Song of the Pines. It was a Newbury Honor Book in 1950, so it's probably gone through multiple printings.

Ida DeLage, Weeny Witch, 1968, copyright.  Sounds like this one, if she turns out to have been a fairy child who had been kidnapped by witches and raised as one of them. The birthmark on her hand establishes her identity as a fairy.  See solved mysteries for more details.
Weeny Witch? See Solved Mysteries.

Barbara Robinson, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, 1972, copyright.  This is the first thing that came to mind. From the net: "The Herdmans are absolutely and without question the worst kids in the entire history of the world. They are guilty of evey unmentionable childhood crime and have thought of more than a few original ones. When they take over the church Christmas pageant (although none of them has ever attended church, much less heard the Christmas story before), the first Christmas becomes new and real in some pretty surprising ways."
Here's a bit more information about L224: The Christmas book would have come out in the 60s and it involved a little girl angel who was very sad because she accidentally broke a stained glass window in a church with a piece of ice/snow.  Maybe this will help.
Vardon, Beth, Wonderful Window, reprint.  I had this book as a child and it can now be purchased as a reprint. It is illustrated by Charlot Byi. If you wish to check and see if this is the one you remember, look here: http://www.grandmas-attic.com/children_books.html.

Sarah Eberle, Jan Brown illus, What Is Love? 1975, copyright.  You may have the right book, but just the wrong version. Eberle's book has been reprinted several times, with more than one illustrator. (Jan Brown, Angela Jarecki, and Tammie Speer are the three I can find.)  I would suggest looking at the Jan Brown version from 1975 - I think this is a Happy Day Book, published by the Standard Publishing Company. The front cover of this one shows a little girl in a red and white heart-printed dress, kneeling on a rug, holding her baby brother's hands and helping him to walk. There are a ball and teddy bear on the rug beside her, and behind them is a window with two pots of red geraniums on the sill, and a puffy curtain.  The style of the artwork reminds me a bit of Holly Hobby.
Well, I *think* the 1975 version of the book "What Is Love?" could very well be the right one.  The "Holly Hobbie" reference to the illustrations sounds correct.  However, I'm having an INCREDIBLY difficult time finding a picture anywhere.  Everytime I try to come up with that version, I end up with pictures of the 1980 golden book-type version instead.  So I'm not gonna say this is definitely solved yet until I can find a picture of it *somewhere*.  But it's definitely looking promising.  Thanks!

Sesyle Joslin, The Night They Stole the Alphabet, 1968, copyright.  Illustrated by Enrico Arno.  Harcourt, Brace & World, 1968.  While Victoria is sleeping, someone steals the alphabet from her wallpaper.  She goes off on an almost Alice-in-Wonderland type search to find the missing letters.