Children’s book, fiction. Hardback full illustration with words. I saw this book at library 3+ years ago. My daughter was attracted by the cover and took it out to read. There was a little girl who saw something in a store window (hat, but maybe purse, dress, doll, jewelry item?). Girl thought it was beautiful and really wanted it. One day snooty girl she didn’t like was looking through the shop window at the item, as well, and the poor girl was trying to figure out how get the item but the snooty girl bought it first. The little girl who wanted it was very upset, and ended up getting wise advice from a parent or grandparent (can’t remember) who comforted her. My daughter was so sad she didn’t get the item, that we put the book away. Now I’m sorry! What a lesson in coping with these moments when we realize we can’t have it all!
Author Archives: admin
262A: A dalmatian with no spots
The children’s book I’m looking for was read to me in the late 60’s early 70s. It was about a dalmatian who wanted to be a fire dog but had no spots. Thanks.
261E: A young girl cuts “her glory”
A young, shy, and lonely girl visits her (aunt, grandmother, ?) for the summer. She cuts her long hair, referred to as “her glory,” that her mother refused to let her cut. After she cuts her hair, she experiences a “freeing” self confidence boost. I read this probably in the late 60s to 70s.
261D: Fairies Kidnap Girl (Solved)
I’m looking for a children’s book that was available around 1990 (not sure if that is the publication date or not). The story details I can remember are that a girl is either kidnapped or befriended by a fairy, and her mother tries to get her back. When the mother finds the daughter, she is told she has to hold on to her no matter what. The fairy then turns the daughter into different things trying to get the mother to let go (snakes, thorns, and finally hot iron). As the mom holds on to the hot-iron version of the daughter, the metal melts and turns back into the actual girl and they can leave together.
The version of this book that I remember had gorgeous illustrations in sort of an art-nouveau/greek style. Very detailed and beautiful. Thank you for the help in identifying the title/author!
261C: Children build a mechanical horse (Solved)
I first read it when I was somewhere between first and third grade, in the early ‘70’s, and, unfortunately, don’t know what its cover or illustrations looked like, since I read it in braille. I have only the vaguest description, but hope this helps me find its title so I can now read it through adult eyes. It involved several kids who built, I think, a mechanical horse that time-traveled (maybe). Their workshop was someone’s basement—I remember they had to move some “lead weights” periodically, and I remember this only because, at the time, having never encountered the word as pronounced “led”, it took me a while to catch on that they weren’t “leed weights,” but were, indeed, “led weights”. I’m guessing it may have been 150-200 pages in print.
261B: Interesting machines with interesting names
My stumper is a picture book that would have been in print by 1990. It was about interesting machines that did odd things. They also had very interesting and hard to pronounce names. At some point in the book there were earrings that were fans, and square peas that would keep them from rolling off the table.
261A: A collection of children’s tales
I remember two books of short stories, a part one and two though I cannot remember any part of the titles. They were hardcover and fairly large, the spines were at least half an inch thick. One was blue and one was yellow, and the books were illustrated in color. The biggest problem I have had in searching for them is that the stories I remember are not ones I have heard anywhere else. It is very possible that they contain well know stories as well, but I cannot be sure. One story has some humble person who needs something from a kingly man. The man likes riddles and makes a riddle something like, you must come back here not on foot or on horseback, not clothed but not naked, and not empty handed or with a gift. A little girl (his daughter I believe) solves this riddle by coming back riding a hare, wearing a fishing net, and holding a bird. I remember a picture of that scene. I think it was actually a second riddle, I don’t remember the first part. Another story I remember less of has a misbehaving boy who takes a deep breath through his mouth and inhales a tiny man (or two possibly). The man or creature talks to him and I cannot remember if he was good or bad but the boy stops misbehaving (possibly yelling too much) in the end.
I cannot remember anything else at the moment. but hopefully you all will have more luck that I have so far.
Thank you!
260G: An East Indian (Mid Century Illustrated) Children’s Book: Parrot and a Princess (Solved)
This book is one of a series of books by a female illustrator (and for some reason I think she has an Asian name). They are all different stories from different cultures. The one I am searching for (and found years ago on a site from Australia when I still remembered the actual name but neglected to write it down) is a story about an East Indian Prince who listens to a parrot’s advice about a Princess. The Princess has many sisters and an overbearing father. The Prince is cast out into the wild, I think he’s beaten up by other Princes, and the parrot is there with him to give him advice. I can’t remember if the parrot is more of a trickster parrot who gets the Prince into trouble, or a helpful parrot. I think they end up together (Prince & Princess) and I don’t know what happens to the parrot. Regardless, the illustrations are simply beautiful and with crisp and clear colours belonging to the mid-century era of illustration. I believe it’s oriented landscape, about 8”x11” (or smaller, but not by much), and it’s paperback. My Mum bought it in the early 1970s Victoria, BC, Canada, but I’m not sure if she bought it used or new.
260F: Girl raised by witches is really a fairy (Solved)
There was a book that I always took out of my elementary school library between 1975 and 1978. Although I do not have the title, what I recall is as follows:
The book is about witches and fairies. The little witch in the story never felt right with the other witches, they were mean. I think she used to see the fairies and wish she was one of them. The middle gets fuzzy but towards the end she discovers that when she was a baby she was caught in the witches web and that’s how she came to be with them. But she was really a fairy and was returned to them.
I know this is not much but at 47 years old I cannot put this story out of my mind. I have always been an avid reader and hope to find this book. It will haunt me otherwise.
260E: Ball
No author that I recall. It was a small [~3-4″ by ~6-7″] hardback book with glossy color cover. A leaf-green border and white center background with a red ball [it might have had a yellow stripe around it].
The first line on the first page is: “The ball lay on the ground wanting to be thrown.” It is the tale of the adventure of this ball being tossed from place to place by random individuals. Not more than 20 pages total, probably less. It ended on the last page with: ” … wanting to be thrown again … ”
I thought it was from Germany; my husband thought it was from France. But neither of us recalls ever actually reading the publication/copyright page.
We bought it in a little boutique toy store [long gone] in Pasadena in the mid to late 80s.
I wish I had more details. It disappeared from my goddaughter’s room, and was never found. I have a new grandson, and would love to find it for him.
