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It will take Google a few weeks to connect with this new site since Disqus hasn’t functioned well since December. We welcome your comments now, but feel free to repost later in March. Suzanne
Long shot but I have to ask lol. When I was kid growing up in the 80’s I did a book report and I can’t remember the name of the book. All I can remember was that the cover had a stumpy man with a helicopter strapped to his back flying in the night sky. I think the main character was named Carlton or maybe Carl. Thank you to anyone who reads this.
Can’t seem to edit this ad out or bump up my comment perhaps because the original post was from the old site.. Ads are not allowed here,
But thanks Vic for IDing the original post.
Vic also IDed Magic Elizabeth by Norma Kassirer from a 10 year old post but I don’t seem to be able to bump it up. The arrows are just for recommendations, which are not enabled. If anyone here moderates a Disqus forum, please tell me how to bump up old posts. Would be very useful. Thanks.
Now it seems to have worked, a few hours later.
I don’t seem to be able to edit out this ad, perhaps because the original post was migrated from the old site. I hope this does not re-occur!. Advertising is not allowed on this site, just references to books people are searching for. Thanks Suzanne
It might surprise our readers to know that this is actually a fair price for this paperback in nice condition although if you trust Amazon’s condition ratings, you can get it for less, quite a lot of them around in Fair to Good condition these days. Magic Elizabeth used to be hard to find 20 years ago and the price levels have lingered. For some reason, this has never been reprinted and many people remember it.
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?bi=0&bx=off&cm_sp=SearchFwi-_-SRP-_-Results&ds=50&kn=scholastic&recentlyadded=all&rollup=off&sortby=17&tn=magic%20elizabeth&xpod=on
Maybe? https://www.ebay.com/itm/125365517995?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=125365517995&targetid=1264870805424&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9001910&poi=&campaignid=16190447015&mkgroupid=128435277530&rlsatarget=pla-1264870805424&abcId=9300820&merchantid=6296724&gclid=CjwKCAjwh-CVBhB8EiwAjFEPGeuTQTvFkDS9xyRixHoL79ul6DaGDmR9IFdLDNxgefM7WELLCcNFJhoCndoQAvD_BwE
Could the first book be one of the Ginny books by Catherine Woolley? https://www.amazon.com/Ginnie-Mystery-House-Catherine-Woolley/dp/B07RC2TFRZ/ref=pd_sim_sccl_3_1/136-0161929-9781720?pd_rd_w=SA74U&content-id=amzn1.sym.c4a59542-32d7-42e0-896e-07bdfd700573&pf_rd_p=c4a59542-32d7-42e0-896e-07bdfd700573&pf_rd_r=K3DE8ERWYDCE7ZZRRB4B&pd_rd_wg=XMjOQ&pd_rd_r=ea0846df-e004-499d-af3f-e694f3f9518b&pd_rd_i=B07RC2TFRZ&psc=1
Could it be Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark? They made a decent movie based on this popular book. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scary_Stories_to_Tell_in_the_Dark
Thanks but it’s not as well known as that but similar tradition. The title is something about the book being for children who are not quite right.
If it was just a little bit later (1990’s) your recollection of the title sounds like one of Jamie Rix’s books of scary/cautionary stories: Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids (1990), Ghostly Tales for Ghastly Kids (1992), Fearsome Tales for Fiendish Kids (1996), and More Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids (2001).
I have not personally read these, so I’m not sure if any of them match the specific stories you recall.
FOUND! MR. PINGLE AND MR. BUTTONHOUSE by Ellen MacGregor (author of Miss Pickerell books). After posting this, I checked with my siblings and our collective 60+ years’ brains solved the riddle. Possibly British, likely 1960s. “Mister Something and Mister Something.” Featured a man on a bridge (eating chocolate buttons?) and a man on a boat passing beneath. Wish I had more; probably a picture book. I think there was a time table or clock element. Thanks! https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Pingle-and-Buttonhouse/dp/B01JEIZQ8O
Dominic by William Steig.
Dear Friends,
I am leaving in rather a hurry to see more of the world, so I have no time to say goodbye to you individually. I embrace you all and sniff you with love. I don’t know when I’ll be back. But back I will be.
Dominic
It’s time for a change, so Dominic packs his collection of hats and his piccolo and heads out, letting the world take him where it may. When Dominic encounters members of the Doomsday Gang, he easily foils their attempt to rob him. Legend of his victory quickly spreads, and each new friend Dominic meets tells him a story of their own less-fortunate meeting with the villains, and asks for help from the heroic dog. But can one lone dog bring down an entire band of hooligans?
Here’s a bit about the death of the pig from an online review:
Something that caught my attention this time was that around 30 pages in a character dies. I mean not like “is killed violently” or “passes away off-camera” but straight up is an old old person (okay, old old pig) and who is described as being old, and who says he’s going to die soon, and who does eventually do just that. Dominic has no one else to turn to. He just stays with his friend, and then does what he has to do in terms of a burial, and he mourns to himself, and he accepts that this is what life does. I mean, damn. I don’t remember a single other kids’ book that does this so effectively and without pulling any punches. If this isn’t a succinct encapsulation of what it means to deal positively with grief, I don’t know what is.
“Then he leaned on the shovel to rest, the wooden handle warm with his work. The moment he stopped being busy, he felt his heart quake. He had to cry. Life was suddenly too sad. And yet it was beautiful. The beauty was dimmed when the sadness welled up. And the beauty would be there again when the sadness went. So the beauty and the sadness belonged together somehow, though they were not the same at all.”
And from another review:
In the tradition of the great picaresques, like Don Quixote, and of the kind of quests that Arthurian knights set out on, Dominic the dog leaves home one day in search of adventure. He immediately meets an alligator-witch, but refuses to let her tell him his future, but who lets set him on the right road; a catfish, who gives him a spear that will make him invincible; a fox, a ferret, and a weasel who turn out to be members of the Doomsday Gang, with which he will do battle for the rest of the book; and a hundred year old pig, Bartholomew Badger, whose dying days Dominic makes more comfortable, and who in turn leaves him a fortune.
The passages following the death of Bartholomew Badger are especially lovely :
Dominic went out for a long walk and did a lot of thinking. He was still walking when the stars came out. Mournful, he lay down on the ground and looked at the stars. Life was mysterious. Bartholomew Badger had been alive long before there was a Dominic–long before anybody had even thought there would ever be such a dog. Two hours ago Bartholomew Badger was still alive. But now he was gone. There was no Bartholomew Badger; there was only a memory. His turn was over. Dominic’s turn was still at the beginning. There were many who hadn’t yet even begun to exist, but there they would be, some time in the future, a whole new world of creatures, some important, some not, and many of them wondering about life just as Dominic was wondering now. It would be their turn and then Dominic’s turn would be over. Many of them would think about the past, which was now the present, but by then what was now the future would have become the present.
Looking for one of those anthology style books about kid’s tales with a dark twist. This was a mid-80s book I bought through Scholastic in Australia as a kid. It was a tale per page (or double page) from memory with black and white illustrations (or minimal colour). One of the stories was of a vampire that tries to attack a kid through their bedroom window at night but the kid stabs him with a stake. Another one about a little girl who has to cross through a garden path with all sorts of dangerous and creepy snakes and spiders etc.
Hi! I was born in 1985, i’m looking for a little book i read when i was about 4-5 yrs old. It was something about a kid who befriends an alien (or little monster), brings it home but then it starts eating wood/wood furniture/their house, etc, and it starts to grow big every time it eats. I forgot the ending 🙁 Any help would be great. thanks!
Little Kim’s Doll by Kim Yaroshevskaya.
A young girl growing up in Moscow in the 1930’s has a very special wish. She wants a doll and has her heart set on a beautiful one she has seen in a Moscow store window.
“But little Kim’s parents like many parents in Russia those days believed that little girls who played with dolls would never learn to be brave and strong. And since they wanted their little girl to be among the bravest and the strongest, they weren’t going to buy her a doll. Ever.”
Kim is determined and makes her own doll by taking a soup spoon and dressing it in a kerchief. Kim’s parents try to tempt her with a more “suitable” toy – a rifle. But her reaction to this new toy does not please her parents.
“Little Kim pressed the rifle to her heart. She wrapped it in a cuddly blanket and rocked it gently singing a Russian lullaby … her mother was furious!”
In time, Kim’s parents have a change of heart and see Kim’s persistence as proof that she is strong and courageous. For her fifth birthday, Kim is given the beautiful doll she has seen in the store window.
It’s a Soviet book. I’ll get the title for you if nobody else remembers it first.
Hi, My name is Leanne and somewhere between 1970-1975 I read a book about a small dog who went on an adventure/walk and came across various animals such as an old fat pig in bed and when he came back after a few days found the old pig dead in bed. It wasn’t a coloured book but just drawings of the dog and the animals. Can anyone help me?
I’m looking for a book, about a young girl who wanted a doll for her birthday. Her mother wanted her to grow up strong and independent so she bought her a rifle instead. The girl played with the rifle as if it were a doll, and eventually the mother gave in and bought her a doll. Crazy plotline, can’t believe a children’s book depicting kids playing with a rifle was okay.
Little Kim’s Doll, by Kim Yaroshevskaya.
You’re welcome! Thanks for posting back.
Hello everyone. I am looking for a children’s picture book about a boy who journeys through a magical place. At one point he rides on huge flying birds, and pretty soon a big creature in the sky starts chasing him. You don’t ever see the creature that well, they are always obscured by clouds, by you can see the creature’s mouth which is breathing fire. Eventually they pour water in the creature’s mouth and there is a bunch of steam, and the boy is saved. This is really vague, but those are all the details I remember. I don’t think there is much dialogue either. If someone knows this book that would be great!
You can read The Dunkard on archive.org .
Hi there. I’m looking for a children’s story (moral/cautionary tale) about a naughty field mouse. I believe her name was Lillipet (Lilipet?) and she had a blue ribbon in her white fir. All of her sisters were obedient and clean but she kept disobeying her mother and straying from home. One day she strayed too far and was almost eaten by a predator. I believe she was found and brought home, and she promised to never leave home again, and conform like her sisters. It was part of a collection of children’s stories, which of course I can’t remember the name of because it was the early 80s (maybe even published in the late 70s). Despite having specifics, I can’t find this story anywhere! Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks Melissa but sadly this is not the one I am looking for. I know that the book was first published in the mid 80s because the author/illustrator was a distant relative of mine whom I met as a boy. His original book had wonderful rhymed prose which the publisher changed to generic encyclopedia-styled descriptions.
Since you know the author’s name, you’ll be able to find your book with the correct text using https://www.worldcat.org/advancedsearch
If you scroll down in the lower left hand column results, Audience lets you check Juvenile or non Juvenile.
Then you will have the correct title of the original book, if they differed.
With the title and author’s name you can search again and look in the left hand column at the Year (show more) to confirm the early edition.
Then looking on Abe’s advanced search, using the date limitations, should give you the original book if it is currently available online. You can also do the same thing with Amazon but the results are not as accurate, garbage in/
Let us know if you find it!
Thanks Suzanne. No luck unfortunately 🙁
If you’d like to share the author’s name, I can keep an eye out for it. Probably rare.
Thanks, that would be good. The illustrator’s name was Will Thorogood I think. Not sure if that’s the correct spelling. I don’t think he would have been classified as the author, as the publisher decided to remove his original prose and replace it with generic facts about Australian animals. Published in Australia sometime around the mid-80s.
Well here’s a very long shot. I have a book on my database, sold years ago, called Australian Animals. The author and illustrator are not credited. One of the illustrations seems to have been signed by Hal Missingham but that could be the lithographer. At the time of my notes, 2001, there was only one on Abe but many other later ones by Medley.
Sydney: Consolidated Press, nd (lithos signed Houghton, Mifflin 1942); paperback, 7.25×9.6; c 26 pp.
“Handsome prints of Australian animals, each in black with a shade of brown or green as accent; a paragraph below each gives Latin name and information. “
Wow that might actually be it. Does that mean you have a physical copy of the book? Am I able to view the cover or any of the pages?
Abe does not have it. Ebay might but they are not apt to list a publisher and Amazon who knows. Although I think Hal Missingham is the artist, he is listed as the author on the front cover so that is how most people would list it. Nice book even if it turns out not to be the right one!
The Five-Star General – a Whitman Big Tell-a-Tale Book (1965) by Joan Potter Elwart. The boy’s name is Markham.
Thank you so much! Found a copy to get for his birthday next month!
Looking for an old childrens book for my dad with a story about a boy named Malcolm who wears a star sticker on his forehead and is disappointed when he has to take the sticker off but realizes it has been tanned on to him. If anyone knows the name of the book it comes from, would really appreciate it. Dad’s favorite childhood book that he lost.
Another poem by Eugene Field just occurred to me. This one has a chocolate cat, dog, tree, and gumdrops.
“The Sugar-Plum Tree,” by Eugene Field
Have you ever heard of the Sugar-Plum Tree?
‘Tis a marvel of great renown!
It blooms on the shore of the Lollypop sea
In the garden of Shut-Eye Town;
The fruit that it bears is so wondrously sweet
(As those who have tasted it say)
That good little children have only to eat
Of that fruit to be happy next day.
When you’ve got to the tree, you would have a hard time
To capture the fruit which I sing;
The tree is so tall that no person could climb
To the boughs where the sugar-plums swing!
But up in that tree sits a chocolate cat,
And a gingerbread dog prowls below –
And this is the way you contrive to get at
Those sugar-plums tempting you so:
You say but the word to that gingerbread dog
And he barks with such terrible zest
That the chocolate cat is at once all agog,
As her swelling proportions attest.
And the chocolate cat goes cavorting around
From this leafy limb unto that,
And the sugar-plums tumble, of course, to the ground –
Hurrah for that chocolate cat!
There are marshmallows, gumdrops, and peppermint canes,
With stripings of scarlet or gold,
And you carry away of the treasure that rains,
As much as your apron can hold!
So come, little child, cuddle closer to me
In your dainty white nightcap and gown,
And I’ll rock you away to that Sugar-Plum Tree
In the garden of Shut-Eye Town.
The chocolate cat in the tree (and the gingerbread dog down below) is from the poem The Sugar Plum Tree by Eugene Field: The clock could be from The Duel (also by Field) where the Old Dutch Clock and the Chinese Plate witness the terrible battle between the Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat.
Both poems can be found in a number of volumes of children’s poetry and stories – either collections of Eugene Field’s works or anthologies of works by various authors. I had both poems in The Tall Book of Make Believe, illustrated by Garth Williams and edited by Jane Werner. You can see the table of contents and selected pictures here: http://www.vintagechildrensbooksmykidloves.com/2011/10/tall-book-of-make-believe.html Both poems are also in in Gyo Fujikawa’s A Child’s Book of Poems.
Have you ever heard of the Sugar-Plum Tree?
‘Tis a marvel of great renown!
It blooms on the shore of the Lollypop sea
In the garden of Shut-Eye Town;
The fruit that it bears is so wondrously sweet
(As those who have tasted it say)
That good little children have only to eat
Of that fruit to be happy next day.
When you’ve got to the tree, you would have a hard time
To capture the fruit which I sing;
The tree is so tall that no person could climb
To the boughs where the sugar-plums swing!
But up in that tree sits a chocolate cat,
And a gingerbread dog prowls below –
And this is the way you contrive to get at
Those sugar-plums tempting you so:
You say but the word to that gingerbread dog
And he barks with such terrible zest
That the chocolate cat is at once all agog,
As her swelling proportions attest.
And the chocolate cat goes cavorting around
From this leafy limb unto that,
And the sugar-plums tumble, of course, to the ground –
Hurrah for that chocolate cat!
There are marshmallows, gumdrops, and peppermint canes,
With stripings of scarlet or gold,
And you carry away of the treasure that rains,
As much as your apron can hold!
So come, little child, cuddle closer to me
In your dainty white nightcap and gown,
And I’ll rock you away to that Sugar-Plum Tree
In the garden of Shut-Eye Town.
Early children’s 80s or 70s book about green leafy vines that took over the town or city. Almost like a monster? I know that is vague but, it’s all I can remember. I loved it as a child and don’t want to forget it! Any ideas??
A children’s book from possibly the early 70s or 80s about long green leafy vines that took over the town. I can barley remember it but I loved it as a child. It was almost like the vines were a monster or something. But they wouldn’t stop growing. Any ideas at all? I know this is vague but, it’s all I can remember and no one knows what I’m talking about! Please help if you can! Thank you!!
A note that some places say Island, others say Islands, some just call the book Chowry.
Some info about Jean Forbes-Robertson:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Forbes-Robertson
I have found and ordered a copy! There was just one on offer. My lucky day! Thankyou again
Elizabeth
Glad you found one!
Got it!
Title, Chowry, And, Idle’s Island: Two Tales of Fantasy. Author, Jean Forbes-Robertson. Publisher, Macgibbon & Kee, 1953. Length, 224 pages.
Mama Squirrel, thank you VERY much! I am in awe at your ability to track down such an obscure pair of stories. I have been wondering about this book for decades so this is a very new feeling, to have the mystery solved!
I know it may be difficult to track down a copy, but now there is a possibility, and I am delighted. I am so grateful to you. Elizabeth
So glad it popped up! I found an online reference to it in a 1953 magazine, link below, that gave the names of the children: Anna, Jo, and Idle.
https://books.google.ca/books?newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&id=I74cAQAAMAAJ&dq=children%27s+books++jean+forbes-robertson+anna+jo&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=yak
Try this one: George Selden, The Dunkard.
You’ve nailed it! Many thanks!
Could it have been a book of poetry? Your description brings to mind the poem “The Duel,” by Eugene Field.
The gingham dog and the calico cat
Side by side on the table sat;
‘T was half-past twelve, and (what do you think!)
Nor one nor t’ other had slept a wink!
The old Dutch clock and the Chinese plate
Appeared to know as sure as fate
There was going to be a terrible spat.
(I wasn’t there; I simply state
What was told to me by the Chinese plate!)
The gingham dog went “Bow-wow-wow!”
And the calico cat replied “Mee-ow!”
The air was littered, an hour or so,
With bits of gingham and calico,
While the old Dutch clock in the chimney-place
Up with its hands before its face,
For it always dreaded a family row!
(Now mind: I’m only telling you
What the old Dutch clock declares is true!)
The Chinese plate looked very blue,
And wailed, “Oh, dear! what shall we do!”
But the gingham dog and the calico cat
Wallowed this way and tumbled that,
Employing every tooth and claw
In the awfullest way you ever saw—
And, oh! how the gingham and calico flew!
(Don’t fancy I exaggerate—
I got my news from the Chinese plate!)
Next morning, where the two had sat
They found no trace of dog or cat;
And some folks think unto this day
That burglars stole that pair away!
But the truth about the cat and pup
Is this: they ate each other up!
Now what do you really think of that!
(The old Dutch clock it told me so,
And that is how I came to know.)
In case any readers are in the Portland Oregon area and looking for something fun to do today! This is the second and last day of the Rose City Book Fair (no Sunday this time) https://cascadebooksellers.com/rose-city-used-book-fair/ Dealers from all over and some beautiful things. By accident, we got a large booth so have been able to lay out children’s books from the 1850s to Mid Century on tables. Double Tree Hotel Exhibition hall. Good parking. Easit side of Lloyd Center. Let me know if you’re from this forum.. Suzanne
Looking for a picture book (maybe from the 80s?) starring a girl named Sue with tiny eyes and large glasses, brunette (?) with pigtails. She said in the book “So I am Sue.” Thank you!
Can you possibly remember any of the children’s names?
I’m assuming it was a British book?
I’ve been trying hard, but so far no likely caravan yak.
Dear Mama Squirrel,
Thank you SO much for looking into this. I can’t remember the names of any of the characters. I assume it was an English book – the type of imagination in it I’d think of as being English!
I know one other person who is equally interested in this book, and I will write to her and see if she can remember any of the names. I’ll get back to you when (and if) I hear back from her.
It’s a terrific image isn’t it: a huge old hairy yak with antlers pulling an old caravan!
Picture book from late 80s/early 90s about a new or shy girl who makes friends with the neighborhood kids on a snow day. They make snow angels and I think snowmen. They race paper boats in a puddle in the spring. She lives in a house on top of a hill from the pond where all the kids play.
Looking for a mid-80s A-Z picture book on Australian animals. Each letter for the alphabet was allocated one page of a very detailed illustration of an animal native to Australia starting with that letter e.g. ‘K’ for kangaroo (or it might have been koala) with a description of the animal’s characteristics. Colour illustrations were pen and ink and possibly also painted. The illustrator’s name I think was Will Thorogood. The ‘X’ page was the mythological Aboriginal creature the bunyip (the only non-scientific/not real animal in the book). The bunyip had its back to the viewer and a big ‘X’ was drawn on its back. I can’t remember which animal was on the cover but it was probably one of the better known ones like a kangaroo, koala, emu or platypus or something.
My sister just sent me a message that asked “What was the childrens book about a chocolate cat or dog running around a tree and clocks and gumdrop and it was like multiple short stories…?” I can’t remember this at all, but if anyone here may know it…It was apparently about the same time we were reading Rain Babies as kids.
I think you can click on your profile and see your posts. If not, make sure to bookmark your request.
Thankyou, I’ll try those two methods, this is all new to me!
I’m looking for a children’s book I read in the 80s (though it may have been published far earlier than that) about a man who loved dunking food. It started with him dunking donuts into coffee and then he evolved into dunking everything like lamb chops in mint jelly. It was great fun and in the style of Phyllis Krasilovsky’s books like The Very Little Girl or The Man Who Tried to Save Time.
It’s fine to repeat your post after a week or so. Loganberry keeps their comments indexed but they charge a (well earned) fee. I have an advanced search on the admin pages but it doesn’t work very well. Suzanne
Hello, I don’t know how to search back through 27,808 comments with a keyword or two to see if my search has already been asked by someone else; so I will ask it as if it has not come up before.
Around 1960, aged around ten, I was lent a (hardback) book from a school friend and would be fascinated to find it. It contained two stories, both quite strange. In the first, some children are holidaying at a place with an orchard in which there is an old abandoned car with the number plate YAK 1. At some point it mysteriously turns into an actual yak, which tows them in a caravan – presumably to have adventures. The second story I remember little of, although it was equally strange, which included children boating. amd an island which either intermittently disappeared or floated/moved about. There were probably a few illustrations. Any ideas? I would be thrilled to have this mystery solved!
Looking for a children book or story. I’d say it’s from the 80s or sooner. A boy starts eating apples to grow big. He eats too many apples and gets a stomach ache, so he goes to take a nap. When he wakes up, he’s a giant. If I remember right, he’s sad because now he doesn’t fit in the house with his family. Eventually he wakes up and realizes it all a dream. I feel like there’s a line very similar to “it’s all a dream.”
Could it possibly have been the Miss Bindergarten (Gets Ready for Kindergarten) series of books? I know that’s a long shot (she’s a dog and it’s not in a swamp), but they are about going to school.
There’s Eileen Christelow’s Jerome Camps Out, with a teacher named Miss Gator, but that’s about a school camping trip, not a regular school day.
Hi everyone!
I’ve been trying for a long time to find this kids book that I was in love with when I was young (28ish years ago). I remember the teacher was an alligator, the school was in a swamp… I think she had a skirt on with bracelets. I don’t remember if the main character was also an animal or a person. But the story was about the day. Getting up, getting ready, going to school, etc… if I remember correctly it was a thin hardback book. I can see the illustrations in my head I just can’t find the book anywhere. Does this sound familiar to anyone?!
My first thought on reading this is a book I read in the early 2000s called “Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs” by Alan Katz. It’s a bunch of silly poems/songs that can be sung to the tunes of traditional songs.
i’m looking for a book about a little boy who was bullied for how he looked & in doing so; he fed his hands to lions, stuck his arm stumps in ban elevator door so the elevator would rip off the stumps when closing, chopped off his hair + ears & ended up as just a head + was used as a soccer ball for the kids that bullied him until they just abandoned him. other than the plot, all i remember is that it was a children’s book. the only reason i remember the book at all (with the obvious exception of the title & author) was how disturbing it was for a children’s book.
Hi There, I’ve been trying to find this children’s book for a while now.
It is an interactive children’s book about a young girl (she could be a fairy but maybe not) It is her birthday and she thinks everyone has forgotten. Everyone is pretending like it isn’t her birthday and so she gets upset and runs into the forest and starts to cry. The animals of the forest guide her through the forest and at the end of the book you can open the interactive vines and there is an image of all of her friends who had set her up a surprise party. A few of the interactives were a candle lamp, and a letter in an envelope and the vines opening. The cover was a light purple fairy looking image. Thanks in advance!!
My first thought when reading this was a book I remember from the early 2000s, “Take Me Out of the Bathtub.” It’s full of funny, silly songs/poems that go to the tunes of traditional songs. Any chance this could be it?
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145325.Take_Me_Out_of_the_Bathtub_and_Other_Silly_Dilly_Songs
I’m looking for a book to give to my new born nephew. I had this book given to me for my 2nd birthday (1996) but sadly it has been misplaced. My brother loved reading it to me, hence why I’d like to try and find it to pass it onto my nephew 🙂 it was a slide and flap seeking book, with I think different animals looking for their mummy. I specifically remember a monkey? Not sure on other animals. I remember one of the pages saying “where’s my mummy or where’s mummy?” And you lifted up the shower curtain to find mummy in the bath/shower. I think there was another where perhaps the mummy was hiding behind a bed sheet whilst hanging out the washing? Every page consisted of “where’s my mummy or where’s mummy”. My mum recalls the cover of the book having a toucan bird in some palm leaves? I’m hoping someone could help me find this as it’s bugging me so much haha! Thanks in advance.
Maybe Where’s My Mom by Julia Donaldson?
Long shot here – but the first thing to come to mind is Trouble for Trumpets by Peter Cross and Peter Dallas-Smith. The peaceful Trumpets live in underground tunnels. When they are attacked by the hostile Grumpets, the book may seem dark or scary. There are a number of woodland critters (rabbits, mice, birds, toads, insects, etc.) that serve as pets, mounts, or beasts of burden for the Trumpets and the Grumpets, both in this book and in the sequel, Trumpets in Grumpetland.
If that’s not it, perhaps you could come up with a few more details. Approximately when did you read it? Was it an old book then – perhaps something passed down from a parent or grandparent – or was it new? Was it a picture book? Or a chapter book? Did it have a lot of text, or mostly just pictures? Were the animals real animals – or were they anthropomorphic? Did they wear clothes? Use tools or furniture? Were the tunnels set up like animal burrows – or more like little underground houses? Or were they digging tunnels to get somewhere?
Mother, Mother, I Feel Sick, Send for the Doctor Quick Quick Quick, by Remy Charlip.
I’m looking for a book I really can’t remember much of at all. I know it had something to do with animals, specifically a white mole maybe? and they lived underground or in tunnels or dug tunnels. I remember the book pages itself seemed mostly dark and it was vaguely scary to me as a child.
Hi, everybody.
I’m looking for a book read around the years 2004-2008. I remember it was a large, thin hardcover book with a light yellow/cream jacket. All over the jacket was a spotted/scribbled design. The title was printed in the middle of the cover on a big white rectangle. As for the content, I recall it was not a single story, instead a collection of short stories or poems. The book had vivid illustrations throughout. I remember vaguely a story about a bathtub?
Please let me know if you have any ideas. I have been searching for this book for so long!
Try this one: A Matter of Pride, by Dorothy Simpson.
Exactly!
Looking for a book that I had late 70s early 80s. Bluish thin hardback child’s picture book. The boy is quite rounded as he has eaten random things (birdcage, fruit, hat, etc.) The boy and his mother are dressed Edwardian/Victorian. Everything seems silhouetted aside from the things that are revealed that the boy had eaten. By the end the boy is back to his normal size and all the things are piled behind the mother.
Hi, everyone.
I’m trying to find a book I read as a kid-maybe 1970? It was about a girl who lived with her family somewhere that a ferry would bring mail and packages. The family didn’t have a lot of money, and I believe the main character picked berries to sell or similar. Her mother gave her instructions (and money I think) to order some sensible shoes or boots, but the girl used the money to order patent leather maryjanes instead. This was a very controversial decision as you can imagine. The time frame could have been the 1920s-onward. The setting could have been Maine or Nova Scotia or New Foundland or maybe even the west coast.
I imagine it was a children’s novel. Thanks very much for any information you may have. Leslie
Elvira Everything by Frank Asch.
Elvira everything is about a little girl who is given a magnificent, albeit kinda’ rude and obnoxious doll that takes over the whole household, and usurps the affections of the girls parents as well. Funny and brilliantly illustrated in black and white line drawings, this book amused me constantly as a youngster, and I still re-read it from time to time. When the daughter gives annoying ( and not water-proof) Elvira a bath, it is a moment of great triumph and vindication for kids everywhere.
Yes! Thanks so much!
You’re welcome! And thanks for posting back!
That sounds like a collection of the stories of Oscar Wilde.
The Roman Candle one would be The Remarkable Rocket. You can read it here: https://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/RemRoc.shtml
The one with an icy garden that was never spring is The Selfish Giant. You can read it here: https://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/SelGia.shtml
There are a lot of different collections of Oscar Wilde’s stories, but take a look at Tales From Oscar Wilde (a Nursery Classics book) retold by Stephanie Laslett (1999). The book matches your description and contains The Selfish Giant, The Remarkable Rocket, and The Happy Prince.
Sad Day, Glad Day, by Vivian L. Thompson.
A little girl named Kathy is sad and a little bewildered on moving day. All of her familiar possessions have been packed, and she finds consolation only in her beloved doll Susie Jo. There are many distractions as Kathy helps her mother with last-minute details so they can meet Dad in their new city home as scheduled. Kathy is surprised when she learns they’ve exchanged their small-town house for an apartment in a high-rise building. It doesn’t seem at all homelike- and Kathy can’t find Susie Jo anywhere! She’s so worried about her lost doll, but her mother convinces her that the doll may still be found. Lunch at a restaurant reveals that more new things- such as pretty dishes as a contrast to the broken ones she used for a last convenient meal at the old home- are a memorable part of moving day. After further unpacking, Kathy is saddened about the doll that seems lost for good. But while exploring her new bedroom closet, Kathy finds someone else’s treasure and a note just for her. Her first day in a new home ends with something special and with…gladness.
This is it!! Thank you so much!
You’re welcome! Glad I could help – and thank you for posting back!
Hi all! My friend has been trying to find a book from his childhood for years and I thought I would post about it on here. Here’s what he remembered:
-Illustrated children’s book about cats
-My friend read it in the early 1960s, but said it could have been from the 1950s or even 1940s.
-He seems to remember it having a pastel or pink cover.
-There was a lady who lived in a house full of cats. She was mysterious but kind.
There was a special room in the lady’s house that was just for the cats. There is a child or some children who sneak into the cat room, and it is a peaceful place with nice lighting and accumulated cat hair. The lady finds the child/children in the cat room but they don’t get in trouble.
If anyone could help I would be grateful!
I’m trying to hunt down a book I read as a child that was torn up by a bratty kid at recess one day, haven’t had any luck so far. I remember it was very small, like 6 inches by 5 inches, hardcover, a sky blue cover with the characters on it, and it was some sort of collection of children’s stories that was beautifully illustrated. The stories weren’t common fairy tales like Rapunzel or typical fairy tale compilations, however. I vaguely remember one story about fireworks that were alive and possibly involved a character named Roman Candle? Another story was about Old Man Winter living in an icy garden where he never allowed it to become spring, and there may have been a little girl who teaches him to be nice? Something along those lines. It was very thick for a children’s book, probably about an inch thick. I read it in the late very 90s, early 2000s, and I remember it looking new at the time. Any help would be very much appreciated!!
My mom is looking for a Children’s book from when she was little (1960’s). She remembers a little girl and her family moving. The mother gave them breakfast on the moving boxes and the little girl had a favorite doll. They left the house and in the hustle and bustle she forgot her doll but it was too late to turn around. She ended up finding a doll in her new house, maybe up in the closet. She said the ending was something like the girl hoping another little girl had moved into her old house and would love her doll as much as she loves this one.
Looking for a book that I checked out from an elementary school library.
It was a collection of stories. One story was about a young girl who had a candle stick on/in the top of her skull.
The book title may have had the word “shoes” in it.
😅 it’s very vague, but I checked that book out monthly.
I’m looking for a thick story book with I believe a bright orange hardcover that has a picture on the front but don’t remember what it was. It was a collection of small short stories along with other things as well I believe for learning but it could have just been interesting illustrations. I believe one of the stories was Jack and Jill plus many others. I remember lots of shapes and colors and interesting illustrations and characters. I read it in the mid to late 90s but not sure when it was written. It looked new but doesn’t mean it wasn’t just a new copy of an older book.
im looking for a book about a bear with purple eyes who is too big I read it in 2011
I’m looking for a picture book I read in approximately 1976. It was about a girl who received a robot doll as a gift. The doll started being the perfect child and usurped the girl’s place in her family. The girl eventually gave the doll a bath and she rusted. The pictures were line drawing, if I’m recalling correctly.
There’s a story titled “Emil and the Rose Pink Swan” by Wendy Wilkin in the Ideal Book for Children, published by Dean & Son Ltd. in the 1950s. The Ideal Book for Children (and related publications such as the Ideal Book for Girls, and Ideal Book for Boys) was not a single book but an annual publication, with many different versions. According to the British Juvenile Story Papers and Pocket Libraries Index, the edition that includes Emil and the Rose Pink Swan was the one with a boy and girl playing with a model train set on the cover. http://www.philsp.com/homeville/bjsp/k00366.htm#A6
I was able to find a picture of a cover that fits the description – but these old annuals are somewhat hard to find, so it may be difficult to track down an actual copy of the book.
Table of Contents:
9 · Emil and the Rose-Pink Swan · Wendy Wilkin · ss
21 · Too Big! · Eunice Close · pm
22 · The Missing Pendant · Marjorie E. Crane · ss
32 · Samuel Snail · Eunice Close · pm
33 · The Circus That Came to Tea · Wendy Wilkin · ss
40 · The Little Cactus Plant · Dilys Beeston · ss
45 · The Jackity Gnome and the Wisher-Spell · Agnes Grozier Herbertson · ss
58 · A Treasure Hunt · Nancy D. Stevens · ss
67 · Winter’s Here · Eunice Close · pm
68 · The Grumpy Rain-Man · Margaret Connor · ss
76 · The House in the Wood · Gillian Lowry · ss
83 · Johnny’s Lasso · Marjorie E. Crane · ss
92 · I Love · Aileen E. Passmore · pm
93 · Gillian’s Magic Penny · Clement Wood · ss
98 · Things I Like to Do · Eunice Close · pm
99 · Off to See the World · Isobel Norgrove · ss
108 · Melanie Mouse · Dilys Beeston · ss
110 · The Little Red Spell · Hilda James · ss
119 · The Lonely Caravan · Joan Wadsworth · ss
Frederick, by Leo Lionni. (They’re mice.)
Wow! That was prompt! How did you find that so quickly??
It was a favourite story of one of my daughters–she had a book of Lionni’s stories..
I’m looking for a book I read as a child–I’m not sure when it was published, but I would’ve read it sometime in the early to mid-nineties. I *think* the story involved ants, finding food, but particularly the line (perhaps when the protagonist was feeling cold in the winter, “Now I give you the sunshine. Don’t/Can’t you feel its golden glow?”
Found this one, but it was written in 2015 and doesn’t match your description.
Grandma Moon by Rubysue Waters
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Grandma_Moon/rAPhBwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover
Thank you very much!
I sure thought is was!
The Stuart French book may be too late, though. Are you sure about the title?
Try this one: When Grandma Was the Moon, by Stuart French.
Thank you! I’ll look into this one.
Do you have a one syllable username? That seems to work better on the search. You can email it to me at [email protected]
Uh, I don’t think so? I’ll try to double check but I don’t believe I do. :/
I am going to post this although it is not of general interest.
If you click on your name you should be able to see all of your 29 previous comments, even those from before the Forum moved.
For instance, I can click on Chanda and see Chanda’s many posts from at least 8 months ago (Amazing!)
Click on the comment you want and bookmark it. Repost it again if you want to..
If this does not work, there is some kind of a broken Disqus link between your name and your comments. On the admin side I can see that you joined 1635 days ago and you have made 29 comments on this forum. The comments are still there. However I cannot call up the text of the 29 comments.
I’m looking for a book that I used to read to my grandkids when they were young called Grandma Moon. It was a story about seeing grandma in the pattern of the moon. This was around early to mid 2000’s. Thank you for your help!
Try this: a cassette by storyteller Diane Angela Sterba, Tales from the Land of Willy Nilly.
YEAH THATS IT THATS HIM!!!!! Thank you so much!!
A picture book I think came out in the mid 80s of a boy (or maybe a girl) who is having a bath and then goes down the plug hole. He/she has all sorts of adventures down there. I realise there are a few books with this kind of theme although I can’t seem to find this specific one when Googling. I think I remember the kid had a plush toy Snoopy that was illustrated to look very furry. Not sure what country it’s from but I would guess the US.
Hello! Looking for a story on cassette tape from the late 80s-90s. Details are vague but my twin and I both remember it took place in the land of Willy Nilly. There were several stories on the tape including one about a girl who drew flowers and another who helped save the bees. Unsure if there was a physical book. Thank you for any help!!
Clemens’ Kingdom by Chris Demarest.
“Clemens’ Kingdom is about a lion statue who is king of the library, but he has never been inside. One day he follows a boy to the reading room and discovers the treasure he is guarding. After reading all the books he returns to his post satisfied once he knew all was well and worth guarding.”
“Clemens is the lion statue outside a library. He decides to follow a boy inside one day and see what it is all about. The patrons in the library get a little scared but realize he is harmless because he is so enthralled with the books.”
Yes that definitely is the one!
I believe that is it! Thank you so much.
Great! Thanks for posting back.
Shoes for Angela, by Ellen Snavely.
All Aboard!, by Doris Stuart.
Thank you for your help!
You’re welcome!
I’m so sorry, We had a lot of trouble moving the comments, but supposedly they are all there. I can look at the admin side tomorrow and see what I can find under your name. If I can’t do it that way, we’ll have to look for searchable words (low frequency words) Suzanne
Ok thank you, I’ll appreciate all the help I can get. 🙂
Hello! I’m looking for a book, but I don’t know the title. The words go something like this:
“Hop aboard let’s take a ride! It’s time to go, so jump inside!” … “Look at all the things that go. Some go fast, and some go slow. Some have wings, and some have sails; some have wheels that ride on rails.” … “Scooters, skateboards, wagons too – it’s fun for me and fun for you!” My dad read this book to my brother in the early 90s. Thank you for your help!
I am looking for a book from the 1970’s that was about a little girl who loved shoes. I think she was a bit bratty. She bought tons of shoes like cowboy boots, dance shoes, etc…. But once she accumulated lots of shoes in stacks of shoe boxes her feet grow and all the shoes are too small. I believe the moral of the story was not to be too greedy or materialistic. I would love to know the title and author. Thanks!!
Hi I’m looking for a book o think it’s part of a compilation the story is about a character Emil and a pink swan? Not seen the book myself but been told it was bound in green with gold
Lettering and may have been from 1930?
That sounds like The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton.
The story centers on a house built at the top of a small hill, far out in the country in 1900 America. Her builder decrees that she “may never be sold for gold or silver”, but is built sturdy enough to one day see his great-great-grandchildren’s great-great-grandchildren living in her. The house watches the seasons pass, and wonders about the lights of the city, which grow ever closer in the year 1915.
Eventually a road is built in front of the house. This is followed by roadside stands, gas stations, and more little houses. Next, the small houses are replaced by tenements and apartments in the year 1925. Streetcars, an elevated railroad, and a subway appear to surround the house in the year 1930. Finally, two gigantic skyscrapers are built—one on each side; now living in the city in the year 1940, the house is sad because she misses being on the small hill in the countryside and that her exterior looks shabby due to no one living in her and the city’s environment thanks to urban sprawl and poor planning.
One day the great-great-granddaughter of the builder sees the house and remembers stories that her grandmother told about living in just such a house, albeit far out in the country. When the great-great-granddaughter discovers that it is the same house, she arranges to have her moved out of the city, to a hill in the country where she can once again watch the seasons pass and live happily ever after.
The little house becomes very sad and lonely as she is crowded by the city and falls into disrepair, and when she is moved, it says “At first, the Little House was frightened, but after she got used to it she rather liked it.”
You can read the book for free at OpenLibrary: https://openlibrary.org/books/OL24961116M/The_little_house
https://imgur.com/a/4jyMSdy
Rudof Geiger did a version in 1990 called About the Four Skillful Brothers. That might fit your time better.
Thank you for your continued research! This looks like it’s a book about fairy tales in general though.
Oh, sorry–I thought it was the story itself. You’re right, picture book versions of the story seem pretty scarce.
Yes, the search continues! My wife had a great idea of searching the public library catalog of where I was living at the time so I’ll check there. Thanks again for continuing to search!
Hi everyone, it’s been a while but I wanted to ask for some help. I had gotten many answers to my book inquiries on Disqus in the past, but it looks like since the forum was transferred to another online area all my answers appear to have vanished (unless I’m doing something wrong). I had originally had the answers, once I knew them, bookmarked on my Amazon account so I could get them later – some I already have, of course – but for whatever reason they seem to have vanished from there too. Should I relist my original questions, or should I try to maybe “link” the original posts here so I can hopefully get the answers again for the ones I haven’t bought yet? :/
Thanks! I don’t think this is it but this is the closest I’ve come so far. I usually see the tale in Fairy Tale collections but this is the first time I’ve seen the tale in a book all by itself.
Sorry, that should be Rudolf.
Brave Billy: A Did It Happen? Book by Kees Moerbeek
Billy seems to encounter a bat, ghost, and scary dragon,
unless they are the products of his imagination. On board pages with
die-cut openings and movable flaps.
I couldn’t find any pics of it online, so took pics of my son’s old book. 🙂
You are so so amazing!!! 😭😭😭 Thanks it! Thank you so much. I’m going to try find it online to buy.
Thank you again! 🥳
I can’t believe books can disappear from everywhere, I was shocked when I couldn’t even find an image or synopsis. I used Google Lense using your image and there isn’t even a comparable image online. Wow! I’d hope that there would be some sorry of ebook on archive.org for books like there’s.
Thrift books says they get 1 copy ever 6 months, so I’m on there wait list.
Thanks again!
You’re welcome. Thanks for responding back. Glad I could help. 🙂
Yes! This is it! Thank you dearly!!
You’re welcome.
But if it was as late as 1992, it might have been a different version of the story.
Try this one; The Four Clever Brothers, published in book form 1967, with illustrations by Felix Hoffmann.
I am looking for an old book. I believe it was a Golden Book but not quite sure. It had a house in it that was being moved and was scared. I remember the book scared me for some reason lol. It showed the windows boarded up and the house being scared. I cannot for the life of me find it!! Any ideas???
Hi!
I’m looking for a book that I read in first grade around 1992.
Once upon a time there was a poor father who had many sons (I cannot remember how many there were). He was sad because he was so poor that he could not afford to feed all of them. One night he gathered his sons together and explained that they would have to go out into the world and learn a trade if they were to survive.
So the next morning the brothers set off together to find their trades. As they were journeying one brother heard a sound.
He left his brothers to follow the sound. He came upon some thieves scaling a wall. The sound that he heard was the clang of knives as they were driven into the side of the wall. Using this method the thieves could scale any wall to steal any treasure. The brother decided to become an apprentice to the master thieves and learn their trade.
The rest of the brothers continued on their journey.
Here is where my memory becomes fuzzy. I remember two more brothers very clearly. One brother became a servant for the king of the ocean. He learned how to breathe underwater.
The final brother heard the sound of the birds deep in the forest. He came upon an old hermit. The hermit decided that he would teach the last brother how to talk to birds.
All of the brothers became very successful in their different trades. One day the Hermit brother was talking to the birds and discovered that the princess of the kingdom was taken hostage by a dragon.
All of the brothers use their amazing talents to rescue the princess. Because they all had an equal part to play in the rescue they all decide that they should be the one to marry the princess.
In the end the Hermit brother gets to marry the princess because he is the only one who actually loves her. The end.
The sounds of each trade was a very important element in the story. Each brother heard the sound of the trade calling to them.
The Hermit brother who talked to birds was the main character. He might have been the youngest brother.
Please help if you can and thank you!