Children's book about balls (obviously), read in the 80’s. Specifically remember a bathysphere page.
345O: The Ball Book
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Category Archives: 1980s
345E: Walking Into the Sunset
I would love some help finding an old children’s book from my childhood. I seriously doubt that anyone will be able to locate it, but it’s worth a shot.
Really, the back page is all that I remember, because I used to stare at the picture all the time. I used to read the book at my babysitter’s house, when I was roughly 3-6 years old. This would have been from 1986 to 1989. The book could have very well been from the late 60’s thru early 80’s.
Anyway, about the image at the very back page of the book. It was a sunrise or sunset image, with the main characters walking out a door into a beautiful scene full of trees, animals, etc. The main character(s) had their backs turned to the reader as they walked down a road into this scene. The image really was beautiful, serene, filled with hope. The sunset was mostly orange and yellow, and took up a big portion of the page. This image looked like the ideal place to be, and I’ve never forgotten it. Sesame Street comes to mind, though I don’t specifically remember it being a Sesame Street book. Truth is, I don’t know but am hoping that this will jog someone’s memory. I’ve never forgotten this book and would love to see that picture again, now that I have kids of my own.
Again, I doubt anyone would be able to help me with this, based on the limited details that I remember. But, thank you for trying!
345B: Musical Love Story from Harlequin Era
I'm looking for a book which may be Harlequin from late 1970s or early 1980s, about a young widow of a rock and roll band member who may have committed suicide. She falls for his band mate, who has long been in love with her, and it turns out, she has a hidden singing talent. I believe the setting is at a beach house, in Florida perhaps.
345A: Geometric Mood Diary (Solved!)
I have been searching for a book for a few years now without much success. I read it between the ages of 7-10 (I am 43), it was a chapter book in a diary format, the cover was black and white (maybe speckled?) and each diary entry had some sort of drawing — I want to say a geometric pattern to describe the mood of the entry. That is all i remember, besides the fact that I loved the book and continually checked it out from the 79th street public library in NYC.
344Y: Parable Book From the 70’s or 80’s
I remember this book being popular (I think) in the 70s/80s. I think I read it or looked thru it when I was around 7/8 (1980/81). I think the main character was a boy who went on a journey to different towns.
I feel like it was a parable of some kind.
And I want to say Heidi was involved...or maybe that was just another parable book in my house.
Do you have any clue of what I am talking about?
It’s driving me crazy.
344S: Boy with a Magic Pencil?
I recall a young adult chapter book from my youth (late 1970s-early 1980s) about a boy with a magic pencil. It is used like a regular pencil, but it might have been blue lead. Like a regular pencil, it needs to be sharpened, and gets slightly smaller each time. I can’t recall the things he made or did with it. Some dramatic emergency with the last bit of pencil. Apologies but that’s all I remember.
344Q: Fruit and Vegetable Creations to Entice Reluctant Child
I am looking for a children’s book from the 1980s/90s era about a young boy left at home with a babysitter. He hates eating anything healthy and complains about the sitter wanting him to eat apples, carrots, etc until she shows him that you can make it fun and create animals and other creatures with the fruits and veggies. The back of the book had photos and instructions for making your own creations.
344L: Brother and Sister Run Amuck Through Restaurant
My book Stumper is a children’s book that I predict comes from the 90s (even 80s maybe). I had it read to me everyday when I was a kid (I’m 22 now).
I have no idea what it’s called, but the cover depicts night time (Navy blue) with a restaurant illustration! I remember the book being rather large and rectangle (long). To give you a visualization, it sort of resembles Van Gogh's “Cafe Terrace at Night” painting!
The book follows a brother and a sister who run amuck through the restaurant - they run through the chefs kitchen and hide under the tables. They also do a lot of magic tricks. I vividly remember a white rabbit in a hat and the extending handkerchiefs!
The girl has black hair in a short haircut, and I can’t remember what the brother looks like.
I suspect that it’s not a popular childrens book as I’ve looked at countless lists and it’s never been there!
If you can find this book, I will be beyond happy. I have literally been searching for it for YEARS!
343Y: Nonfiction book about two women who exchange lives and husbands (Solved!)
The author was Miriam/Mimi Keiffer/Kieffer/Kiefer?, probably published in the early 80s, paperback. Mimi and another woman traded lives and husbands for a short time; it didn’t turn out well. Miriam or Mimi worked in administration at a university in New York.
343U: Foiled By a Tricky Sock
A friend and I remember a book from childhood and cannot find it. We are both in our mid 30s.
The book illustration is the most memorable one. A character has a sock, and is using said sock to collect and hold bright primary colored marbles or candy, but there is an unraveling and/or hole near the toe of the sock and the things are trickling out along the way.