Author Archives: admin

306O: Crushed Toys (Solved)

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Hello, I remember a set of books (we had 2 but there may have more to the set) they where hard back and about 2in thick. Plain cover with no illustrations, short stories with just a title on the cover. Each story was about 10-15 pages long and had a illustration at the beginning of the story. I remember one illustration with a car that was 1950’s looking. One story was about a kid leaving his toys (toy cars maybe) in the driveway and dad came home and ran them over. I really don’t remember any other stories from the books. I think the covers where dark blue or grey. The stories where life lessons and not really fantasy, no talking birds or stuff like that, as far as I remember.

306N: A shape that’s gone all wrong

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I will try to give you all the details I can remember.  The story is about two apes. I want to say the female’s name is Sylvie or Silvia (not sure), anyway the two apes like each other but are too self conscious to talk to one another. One line in the book refers to him having “a shape that’s gone all wrong”. She thinks she is too small and he thinks he’s too big. They finally see each other out and he has tried to make himself smaller and she tries to make herself taller. In the end they find they are prefect for one another just as they are.  I bought it with a stack of about nine other paperback books with the same publisher, I think from a Scholastic order from my daughter’s school for a very reasonable amount. I kept that one for myself because it’s an inside joke between myself and significant other and lost it moving. I would really like to find it. If you can find this one,  I will have you look for another for me.

306K: Just Plain Nancy

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I was sure was the book was titled “Just Plain Nancy”, as my name is Nancy.  It’s about a girl who has a sister, I think named Marjorie.  Marjorie was named after her mother’s friend, but “Nancy” was just plain “Nancy”.  It was set in the time when “Nancy” could ride along on an ice wagon.

 

306J: Funny Practical Retelling of Fairy Tales

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I am looking for a small hilariously funny book in which the author goes and analyses or re-tells several famous fairy tales using common sense and pointing out the truly ridiculous bits.

I remember in the pulling apart of “Little Red Riding Hood” he ponders why in the world everyone would name a kid after an article of clothing and wonders what if she had been “Little Dirty Tee Shirt” instead.

In “Snow White” he points out that the mirror is essentially creating the whole problem by maliciously or cluelessly making the queen wildly jealous. He also thinks that “Snow White living in the glen, with the seven little men” rather suggests they are getting up to something and is further evidence of the mirror’s troublemaking.

In Rapunzel he comments upon the whole idea of naming your child after a root vegetable and the wisdom of robbing witches.

In Rumpelstiltskin he thinks everyone is rather hard on the poor guy, and wonders why when she knows what his name is, and her baby is on the line, the queen decides it is funny to play around and wind him up by giving the wrong names at first.

The book was (I think) a half-sized hard back (half height but same length as a hardback book? Size of say an Edward Gorey single story like The Doubtful Guest.)  I think it had a black and white drawn illustration on the cover.

I know I gave my copy to a friend around 1983-1985 so it was in print before then. I am thinking it was probably published after 1972 as I think I would have been over 13 when I first received it. My vague memory is that my mother bought several copies as gifts and it was being sold fairly prominently one Christmas season in NYC possibly at Barnes and Noble.

I have tried searching for it but only ever get Fractured Fairy Tales back and that is not it.

I would really enjoy finding this book again!

 

306I: Girl Rides Polar Bear

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I read this book in perhaps 5th grade (1975). An Inuit Girl lives with her mother but is either urged to leave or gets lost (set in Greenland?). She encounters a polar bear and is “adopted” by bear. The hardcover book jacket featured girl in traditional parka riding the bear, she has a spear I think.

Sounds suspiciously like East published in 2005, but this was long before that.  I remember her learning to fish.

Any assistance greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

306H: A little boy who builds a robot

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This book was read in the 1960’s (maybe 1967 of 1968) by a friend of mine. He describes it as being a book about a little boy who built a robot out of scraps. Those scraps maybe have been pick-up from a junk yard.  The boy may have been an only child and living with one parent. The second parent may have died or was in the military. The robot’s name or the boy’s name could have been Robbie. My friend definitely remembers the name Robbie. Another character in the book could have been named Tommy or Johnny. The robot and the boy developed a friendship. “Robbie” could have also been in the title of the book.

Books that I have already eliminated: “Andy Buckram’s Tin Man”, “Harry’s Homemade Robot”, “The Runaway Robot”, “Tommy Tinker the Wind up Robot” and “Rosalie, Robbie and the robot”

306G: Anti-Jewish Demons

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Adult book. Was in paperback format in mid to late 70s. Book was about one of the 4 arch -demons (as in demons from Hell) who became known to members of the Jewish race. This particular demon held special hatred for the Jewish people and had been an SS officer during WW2 era.
They were able to capture the demon (who was in human form) by someone wearing the vest of Abraham. They imprisoned him in the crypt in China which is surrounded by the Terracotta warriors who actually were guarding the tomb to ensure none came close to open it. One follower of the demon tried and the terracotta warrior killed him with a bow. The crypt was actually a prison built specifically for him. Another prison was built for one of the other 3 arch-demons under the great salt lake in Utah prior to the prison being submerged thousands of years ago.

306E: The rabbit that gave all of their clothes away in the cold

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My children want to find this book that I read to them. The cover was deep blue with the rabbit on the cover, in a snowy nighttime setting. Over the course of the book, the rabbit (as I recall, you are never sure if it’s a he or she) gives away maybe food, definitely shoes, coat, scarf, etc to others in need. Sadly the rabbit freezes to death, but then maybe you see the rabbit in the starry sky? Not an old book, probably written in 80s or 90s. Very simple drawings, cartoon like, not realistic. Anyone remember?  Title might have indicated it was a book about giving. Thanks