Author Archives: admin

373T: Zen Koans for Young Adults

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This was a book I purchased for my elementary school library in the mid 90’s through early 2000’s.  I think it was published in 94 or 95.  It was a slender black hardcover book with white lettering (I think) about 21.6 cm x 16.5 cm.  I don’t remember a cover image but if there was one it was a simple line drawing.

I think one or more of the keywords Japan, Japanese, stories, koans, or zen were in the title or prologue.  It had brief stories (one page or less).

Here are two I remember:
*The master pours tea in a student’s cup, but the cup is full so what the master poured spills over the sides.
*The master and student are walking down a muddy road.  They encounter a woman standing before a muddy muddle.  The master carries the woman to the other side of the puddle, puts her down, and he and the student trudged on.  After many minutes the student blurts (something like) “Master why did you carry that woman?  You know (avoiding women?) is part of our practice. The master replied that he carried the woman but a few steps but the student was still carrying her.
I’ve scrolled through what seems like millions of hits for Zen and koans with no luck. It was written for young people (5th-adult?) according to my search tools.  It was not in a picture book format like the Muth books. And it pre-dates them by many years.

373R: Wizard with a floating kettle

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I read a book in the 1980s, or possibly even very early 1990s, but the book may have been published long before then. All I remember about it is that there is a scene where a tea kettle is hovering behind a wizard, and the wizard says something about it keeping the water “just at the boil”. I think the character who stumbles upon this wizard becomes his apprentice, or the two travel together, or something, and I believe the sorcerer/wizard/whatever he was is in a clearing in a forest. Formulaic, I know, could be describing a hundred fantasy books – except for that teapot that is consistently at the boiling point! Help?

373Q: Looking for the title of a book: Stories of the Garden Gates in the Tower Room

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I am looking for the title of a book that had belonged to my mother and was in our home library. It was probably sent to her by her librarian aunt, so probably published in the 1930s, but could be older.

The story is about a boy who goes into a tower room & stares at the gates in the wallpaper, a gate opens and he imagines himself in a story behind that gates. They aren’t many gates because the wallpaper was cut quite a bit to fit around the windows in the small round room.

He lived with his aunt.

He was sad when went to the tower  room. He might have been sent there as a reprimand or he might have gone there of his own accord, or both. 

I think that each gate was a virtue and the story that unfolded in the world behind that gate exemplified that virtue.

373P: Dog Learns Colors

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Hoping you can help me remember my favorite children’s book, here we go. 
Title: Don’t remember but going with “Dog Learns Colors”
Details: I was born in 1997, and this is a book meant for preschool to kindergarten kids. I’m guessing it’s a late 90s (maybe earlier) or early 2000s book.
I can’t remember the cover well but I believe the dog was like a terrier, mostly whitish with maybe a spot or some brown fur. In the short picture book, each page is dedicated to a color and the dog then wears clothes matching and does an activity matching as well. I remember for yellow he wore a yellow raincoat and for purple I think there was some purple grape jam involved. I want to say for the color black the dog appeared as a mime maybe? I remember black and white stripes. I believe the plot involved trying to decide what his favorite color was.
The style used for the illustrations was unique, the pictures were simple and used minimal detail. I want to say they were a type of watercolor, the children’s book “Where’s Your Creativity?” is drawn in a similar style but it’s not quite it. I included a picture. Wishing you luck, thanks!

373O: Primer featuring a little fairy/brownie

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I am looking for a copy of the first book I ever read (I have been looking for it since 1995 without success). What I remember is:
– I was born in 1960 and started reading in 1963. We were poor and the only books we had were from my father (born in 1940) so the book would have been 1920-1940s for when he went to school in 1945.
– I remember the color of the book had a dark sandy brown cover and had the words “first primer” or “young reader” on the cover. Primer figured prominently on the cover and/or title page but I cannot remember the exact wording. I think there was a square illustration on the cover but am not sure.
– There were stories, poems, and I think a musical score at the center of the book. The main story involved a little brownie (fairy/sprite) with a red cap, with squirrels for friends/neighbors. The illustrations were only two to three colors, red and brown primarily.
– I have been looking for this book for approximately 30 years. off and on, without success. Other books in the similar time frames come close but they are not the one. The closest ones in style, illustration, and structure are The Work-Play Books Make and Make Believe by Gates and Huber and The Children’s Own Readers Book Two by Ginn and Co. circa 1920s.
I grew up in Norwalk, CT in the 60’s if that helps in any way.

373M: Children’s book about a man in the moon

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I’m looking for an illustrated children’s book, most likely published in the 90s although it could have been earlier. Definitely before 2000. There is a man who lives in the moon. He is illustrated as a man, not a face on the moon. There is a woman or girl he cares about who is below in a house. I think she comes outside to see him or communicate with him. I can’t recall if he has a ladder and can get to her or he can’t reach her. He maybe has a job to do taking care of the moon or lighting it up.

373L: Don’t remember but going with “Dog Learns Colors”

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I was born in 1997, and this is a book meant for preschool to kindergarten kids. I’m guessing it’s a late 90s (maybe earlier) or early 2000s book.
I can’t remember the cover well but I believe the dog was like a terrier, mostly whitish with maybe a spot or some brown fur. In the short picture book, each page is dedicated to a color and the dog then wears clothes matching and does an activity matching as well. I remember for yellow he wore a yellow raincoat and for purple I think there was some purple grape jam involved. I want to say for the color black the dog appeared as a mime maybe? I remember black and white stripes. I believe the plot involved trying to decide what his favorite color was.
The style used for the illustrations was unique, the pictures were simple and used minimal detail. I want to say they were a type of watercolor, the children’s book “Where’s Your Creativity?” is drawn in a similar style but it’s not quite it. I included a picture. Wishing you luck, thanks!

373K: Supernatural spinning top

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I am trying to locate a favorite childhood book, probably published sometime in the mid sixties. I do not recall the title of the book, but it is in the “supernatural” category, geared for pre-teen or early teenage years. The main character is called Dorcas and she has a spinning top that allows her to access her supernatural power. I believe she is an orphan. There is also a young man that is her advocate. She acquires damaging information through her “gift” that implicates stalwart pillars of the community; they come after her as the book comes to a climax, with her being trapped in a cave by one of these perpetrators. She is rescued at the end of the book by her young protagonist who, at one point, had given her a red scarf. I always thought this book was called “The Spinning Top”, but any and all efforts to locate it by that title have been completely futile! I have been searching for this book for nearly 50 years and hope that, with your help, it can be found.