Author Archives: admin

269A: Fairytale Compilation from 70s or 80s (Solved)

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I was born in 1985 so I must have had the book in the late 80’s early 90s, My mother purchased it from ToysRUs and it was a hardcover book with what I believe was a blue and white dust jacket. It is not the blue book of fairytales or the Richard Scarry book. It included Henny Penny, The Princess and the Pea, I believe also Anasi the spider and a story about a jackal or fox. There were about twenty stories in it. Please help! Thanks!

267D: Dick-and-Jane-esque, Plus Gyp (Solved)

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I have to tell this story first – I found Stump the Bookseller around a decade ago when I was in grad school in Illinois, and you all helped me find some dear books.  Then, my husband got his medical residency in Cleveland and someone told me about Loganberry Books, and I went, AND FELL IN LOVE.  Then I made the connection, and it rocked my world.  Another reason why I adore Cleveland: it has Loganberry.  (When I was in grad school, it was just a theoretical cool bookstore, not a concrete reality!)  Visit here if you can.

My stumper: my grandma had this series of square, paperback books, probably from the 50’s, that were like Dick and Jane but not – the same kind of easy-reading format, but the little kids had different names.  There was a boy, and a brunette girl, and a blonde girl, I think.  They did various things (the books had little stories per volume, I think); one of them involved the little blonde girl going shopping with her mom in town, and picking a bow for her hat.  I don’t remember their names, but I do remember that they had a cute little brown dog named Gyp.  My grandma is still around, but someone in the fam (understandably) took the books, and I so want to find them again.

Thanks!!! 🙂

267B: Myths and monsters

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The book (or possibly book series) I am looking for (to the best of my memory) is a children’s collection of short stories involving myths or legends or fairy tales.  I had the book in the early 90s and it may have been an older book.  I believe some (or all) of the stories may have been foreign tales.  I remember a story with a chimera.  I also remember a story about a village and a small dragon/lizard type creature.  I think he hid in wicker baskets along the streets possibly visiting a particular two story house.  These two stories fascinated me as a child because the creatures were scary.  I believe the other stories in the book may not have had monsters like this. I seem to also remember a story about a tree. possibly the moral of this story was one bad apple spoiling the bunch, or an apple not falling far from the tree.  I seem to remember that most of these stories had a moral theme like this.  I feel like the book had an older vibe like the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson.  There may have been pictures but the book was mostly words.  Please let me know if i can provide any further detail. I don’t remember the name of the book but i seem to think it may have had the word MYTH in the title.  I really hope you can help!!