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101A, solved: Portuguese brooch lost in Cape Cod Cranberry bog

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I read this book one summer in the late 1950’s or early 1960’s?  I believe my grandmother took it out of the Harwichport or Harwich Massachusetts libraries for me, as I was about 10 years old.  It is set on Cape Cod and is about a Portuguese Family.  The grandmother has a brooch she brought from the “old country” which is very dear to her.  And her granddaughter “borrows” the brooch without permission and goes skating on the cranberry bogs, where as I assume you can guess, the brooch is lost.  Grandmother turns this into a teaching moment and there is tremendous remorse, etc., etc. Magically, in the spring when the little girl is walking across the bog (or playing there or working there?), she sees the brooch encased in the ice and brings it home to her grandmother.

I do not know why this book is so memorable to me, except that I stayed on Cape Cod with my grandmother most summers and I guess it hit a chord.

I do not remember the actual title or the author (hey it was 50 years ago!), only that the book was about an inch thick and had a yellow cover with sketches of the Portuguese grandmother.  I do believe the entire book was illustrated throughout , as I remember seeing a sketch of the brooch in the ice.

Anyway, not much to go on I know – any information would be much appreciated!

 

100D: Children’s Stories Including Excerpt of ‘The Hobbit’

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I have been looking for a copy of the following book for a long time, but hardly know where to begin. I am afraid that, for a start, I do not know its title nor when it was published, although I imagine it was some time during the early 60s.

I can however describe it.

It was an illustrated collection of stories and excerpts from children’s novels, very lavishly illustrated in colour, in red cloth-bound hard covers. The title, which was something like “The Illustrated Collection of Children’s Stories” was in gold caps on the spine.

I think it was about 7 cms thick and about 28 cms long by 16 wide.

The stories included the opening chapters of “The Hobbit”, “Thumbelina”, “Snow White and Rose Red”, I think some fables from Aesop, and a lot more. Many different artists were involved. “Thumbelina” for instance included full-page watercolours, whereas the Aesops were pen and ink sketches.

Does this ring any bells? I imagine Unwin will know which publishers had permission to use “The Hobbit”.

I had this book when I was very small and I think it was secondhand. From the style of the art I remember it was about 1962, but possibly early. It had long since lost its dustjacket.

I’d be delighted to find out what it was – the pictures were beautiful.

Thank you very much.

 

100C: Katie and Her Guardian Angel

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I am trying to locate a book I had as a child. It’s about a little girl named Katie who accidentally breaks a church stained glass window. Her guardian angel follows her around in the book, cleaning up her messes, and of course, now the window. My parents kept it with our Christmas books, so it may talk about Christmas in the book.

100A: Woman Who Loves the Colour Lavender/Purple

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I’ve been trying to find a book from my childhood and I’ve scoured the Internet and can’t find anything on it and was hoping you’d be able to help. It’s about a woman that loves the colour lavender/purple and I think she might be a house keeper or something in a country manor house but I’m not 100% about that fact. The only other thing I can remember is there is a section of the story where she is painting all the doors lavender and the cat knocks the paint off the shed table and walks through the paint so that there were purple paw prints all down the garden path. It is probably about 20 years old but could be older.

I know it’s not much to go on which is why I haven’t had much luck but if you have any leads I’d really appreciate it. Thanks.