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272E: Mr. Apple’s Family (Solved)

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Collection of children’s stories containing Mr. Apple’s Family and also a story about a little girl and a goat who live in a house with a roof made of grass. I think the goat gets into mischief? The edition we had was an orange hardcover.

Additional info:  This was a book at my grandmother’s house, and she is a big second-hand shopper, so I have no idea on original publication date, etc.  I was enjoying this book in 90s, and it was in relatively good condition at that time.  The illustrations were not very colorful, mostly black and white I think with a few splashes of color here and there.  The above stories are the only two I can remember for sure being included in the book, but there may have been one about pancakes(?), and maybe also some poetry.

272D: Hero has to choose the true object from a room full of copies

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A black and white illustrated children’s book that I read in the 80’s. At one point the hero has to chose the real object hidden amongst a bunch of duplicates. The object may have been a small knight or castle figurine. The hero solves the riddle by asking the various craftsmen who made the copies which one they think is best. The one left over is the true object.  The craftsmen or makers may have been dwarves or some other type of fantasy creature like an elf.

I recall it being a fantasy type setting, possibly medieval and probably had a typical Hero’s Journey type structure to it. The illustrations seemed to be cross hatched or stippled and I’m pretty sure they were in black and white only. The illustrations were large enough to make me think this was a picture book. The book was probably a hardcover and likely in a landscape format.

 

Hope you can help!

272C: A quest to find trees

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A boy and girl find themselves in a town/city with beautiful windows. The residents ask them to go on a quest to find a type of tree so that they can help the town get rid of ghost/monsters that are only afraid of that certain kind of tree. All the trees around the town/city had been cut down for fuel to make glass windows etc. Only one quirky resident had a small piece of wood from that kind of tree so he was the only one who could “fight” off the ghosts/monsters by touching them with the wood. I think he wore a cape and a yellow/orange outfit… not definite though.  The monsters were formless so I’m not sure if they were called “ghosts.” I forgot why the ghosts/monsters were so troublesome, and when they came out, but there were more than just one of them.

The Children agree to go look for the trees, not sure if one of the children is a resident, and not sure how the protagonist found the town/city. At one point, the children encounter a wizard who squeezes the boy’s hand/foot turning them into gold or some kind of metal.  At another point, they reach a mountain range, but the mountains move like waves so if they sleep on the bottom, they wake at the peak. So at first they were very disheartened as they tried to cross the mountains by scrambling to reach the peaks before getting tired.

I don’t remember anymore plot points because the teacher didn’t finish the book. So I don’t know how it ends. It took her a few sittings (3-4?) to get through the plot points above, so I guess it’s quite a thick book.

I don’t quite remember the design of the book either, but I think it was hard back, with some watercolor drawings? I can’t remember if it was a picture book or a more text-based book because the teacher was the one reading it. I don’t think there was a drawing for every scene though.

272B: Magical gift inhibited by silver in braces

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I’m wondering if you might be able to help me track down a book that my SIL vaguely remembers from her childhood. The main character is surrounded by people who have magical gifts, but he (she?) apparently has no gifts. Then he/she gets his/her braces removed, and it turns out that the silver was inhibiting the magic, and he/she actually does have magical powers.

She read it in the mid-80s, and the fact that there were braces in it leads me to believe that it wasn’t written too much earlier than the 70s or 80s.

 

272A: The Story of Tolah

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The book I’m looking for was lost in house fire and I regret that I had not memorized more about it.

Here’s my best recollection:

“The Story of Tolah” has a female author, and believe it was written in the 50’s.

It was definitely published in Delaware.

So, I don’t know with certainty that I have the title just right (but believe so).

The cover flap had a picture of the author, and she was somewhat elderly then.

Since my mom was a U of Delaware graduate during WWII, and both of my parents went to seminary in Newark, DE in the 40s (maybe 50s) I recall wondering if my parents might have met this woman at some time.

It is a wonderful fiction story, that is effectively a story about making perfume (I didn’t realize women had their own personal scent developed), and also a story of Christ’s anointing before his death.

Tolah was an obedient Jew and he married his lifelong sweetheart and she was a delightful mother of several children including young twin boys.

Tolah loved her passionately and was working on a fragrance for his beloved, and would sneak off to his private little haven where he had his fragrance laboratory (if you will) in a cave near a stream.

Then the story turns very dark, as Herod orders the horrific murder of all young Jewish boys.  Although the family valiantly contrived to save their boys they were found in their hiding place among the sheep wrapped in wool to appear as young lambs, but the mother lamb moved when Herod’s guards came into the pen.

The wife never recovered emotionally, and Tolah plummeted as he was unable to restore his wife’s sanity.

I’ll not continue with the details (Tolah’s dark journey) but say that, as God would have it, much good came from evil.

There is a curse upon anyone that would make a perfume recipe as prescribed and not use for intended sacred purpose, which happened to be the ingredients Tolah used.

The perfume recipe was for exclusive use by the priesthood.

Through the dark journey of poor choices, Tolah’s perfume ended up being payment to a woman that he owed, who in turn anointed Jesus.

 

 

271E: Unlocking a treasure chest

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I am looking for a childrens book where at the end a treasure chest was unlocked. The keys to unlocking the chest have shapes on them and they are colored different colors. Above the lock on the treasure i believe is the shape that will unlock it. I am unsure if the colored shapes are at the front or in back of the key.

271D: Scary children’s picture book (Solved!)

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Greetings!

Please help me remember the name of this book.

I guess it must be kind of obscure since I can’t seem to find it on Google. It is not a novel. It had big pages with big illustrations. It’s a children’s “horror” book but horror is a bit much. It more-so just has a creepy, dark tone. It has about one or two sentences per two-page spread. Maybe more. It is also a flip-book (meaning the pages have flaps that flip outward. When you unfold the flaps, the same setting and creatures are portrayed underneath, but this time, you see them without skin I think). It takes place in the wilderness, in some sort of forest. Every two-page spread depicts a new spot, as the book gets progressively deeper into the forest (not just a forest, caves, etc., all part of a bigger, creepy wilderness setting). The narrative describes the setting, and the creatures. There are no reoccurring characters or dialogue besides the minimal narrator. There were creatures in this book that were very odd, dark, small, animal-esque. The book climaxes on the last page where we find a character at the deepest part of this world. The creature is a combination of elements of all the settings we’ve seen. I think the flap reveals a heart inside this creature.

271B: Child meets magical friend from a family of wizards/magic in secret garden (Solved)

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I have been looking for this young adult’s book for some time without success. I can’t remember any words of the title, it was aimed at 10-12 year olds. I read it in around 1990-1995, but it may have been published in the 1970s or 1980s. I’m pretty sure it was a British author, but it may have been American/Canadian. It was a slim paperback and I seem to remember that it came in a boxed set with a 3 or four other books, not necessarily by the same writer, but similar fantasy/magic genre. The story followed a young boy or girl who was staying with a relative somewhere, perhaps on holiday, who one day crawled under a hedge in the neighbourhood and into the garden/grounds of a wealthy and mysterious family, who turn out to be magical (possibly wizards). S/he meets and befriends the young girl who lives there who shows her various magical things but they keep their friendship secret as the other wizards/magical relatives would be angry if they found out she had come in to the garden. The family lives in a large and beautiful house and there is a magical lake in the garden which the two children sail across to an island in the center. They are later placed in danger when someone finds out the child is in the magic garden. I remember this being a wonderful story and would so love to find it! It is not Tom’s Midnight Garden or Timothy and the Witch.