Author Archives: admin

231E: Growing Girl with Floral Clothing

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Hi,

I am so excited by the possibility of finding this book remembered so fondly from my childhood!
What I remember is a children’s book (maybe ages 3-7) about a little girl, maybe born as a baby, who grew and grew grew, so fast or so big, that no clothing would do. So (her mother?) dressed her in clothing made of vines and flowers which then grew with her as she grew. Covering her as she got taller and bigger, growing as she grew.

I remember the book being very colorfully illustrated. Flowers, vines, perhaps she had long hair. I think the illustrations may have filled the pages – not been small.

I THINK the book was horizontal, rectangular in shape.

I was a young child in the mid-late 70s.

231D: Shrunken ghost

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I’m looking for a book about a ghost that has juice spilled on it. And in order to get out the stain, the ghost is put in a washing machine and clothes dryer. When it comes out it has shrunk.

231C: Black and white sketches and no narrative

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No idea about the title. I first found this book in the early 2000’s, but it is probably older–90’s or 80’s or even earlier? There’s no narrative, contains (mostly?) black and white sketches of many silly and imaginative designs for ordinary items and new inventions. Just one example of many: a contraption that completely encloses a desk to allow a nap in the office. I also remember a page full of funny-looking footwear; a memorably risque one was modeled after the nude female figure. Sadly, these are all the sketches that I can clearly remember.

231B: A young woman decides to be a book illustrator

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I’m trying to locate a short story I read years ago. The protagonist is a young woman who decides she will set herself up as a book illustrator. She advertises her services and her first client pays her a call. The author describes the scene he wants as the cover to his book, full of contradictory requirements: show the moon behind the young lovers and the rising sun in their faces, the reflection of the young lady in the eyes of her beaux, and the glorious sweep of the landscape behind them, etc., etc.. The young woman is so hopelessly overwhelmed by the client’s demands that she retires from the business, having never painted a single cover.

My memory is that it was Edwardian or Victorian short story, and written in a typically late-19th/early-20th century light, satirical tone. It was in a collection of short stories, but possibly may have originally appeared in a British periodical like “Punch” or “The Idler”.

Can anyone identify the story?

230C: Grade school book of mammals

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I remember frequently checking this book out from my grade school library; it was hardcover, no dust jacket; limited to mammals (worldwide species). It was a ‘tall’ sized book and may have had a pinstripe or harlequin design, on the front cover was an oval/circle template with jungle animals. (I do remember a giraffe). The inner illustrations were not photos, but looked painted/drawn. It looked like an old book, maybe from the ‘40s-‘50s?

230A: An itinerant fire eater and his friend, a dog

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I am trying to locate a children’s book, title unknown, probably written in the 1950’s or early 60’s. The story is about an itinerant fire eater, (Mexican Indian?) and his friend, a dog, and I believe the story is told through the dog’s POV. The story is about their travels, all I remember is a part about their finding wild strawberries, that they have a falling out and happily reunite…
-I’ve been trying to find this book for decades.

Hope you can help.

229G: Millicent did not Say Anything (Later says Bow Wow)

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Looking for a children’s picture book, probably from the 1960’s, possibly late 1950’s. Title, author, publisher unknown. Typical small book like Little Golden Books. Plot included a family with a dog that it is hoped would be a watchdog but sleeps through a burglary. It seems that the father scolds the dog and it says “Bow Wow”. It appears they will have to get rid of the dog. The family includes a toddler, a little girl named Millicent, who never says anything. The phrase “Millicent did not say anything” (or something to that effect) is used after each event. At the end, somehow the dog redeems himself and they get to keep him. At which point, Millicent says, “Bow wow.”