I'm looking for an illustrated children's collection of stories. The story I remember most vividly is that of a girl that always wears a ribbon around her neck (I think it was yellow), and eventually her husband removes it and her head falls off. It is NOT from the book "In a Dark, Dark Room." The illustrations were simple black (or blue?) and white, with pops of color (kinda similar to Robert Bright's). The book also had a story about a young man that only had a couple hairs on his chest, and he was trying to grow more to prove that he was brave (my memory of this plot line is pretty fuzzy though). I borrowed it from the library as a child in the 90s (I was 5ish?), and it was pretty beat up then so maybe published significantly earlier? I attribute this book to my lifelong irrational inability of wearing anything around my neck (necklaces, scarves, turtlenecks, etc.) and would love to prove that this book exists.
Stump the Bookseller
New format, same book stumper solving.
It sounds like one of the “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” books. I remember that story!
The story is “The Green Ribbon” found in “In a Dark, Dark, Room and Other Scary Stories” by Alvin Schwartz. Although I read it in an earlier compilation from the 1970s also, this is the earliest reference I could find of it. There are internet articles about how people are haunted by the story (rightly).
The story about the ribbon appeared in Cricket Magazine in the mid-70’s. (I think you’re right that the ribbon was yellow, and the husband removes it when she is at the end of her life.)
I don’t know if this helps, but it at least dates it from earlier than the ’90’s.