Category Archives: 1930s or earlier

237A: Book of Fairy Tales Containing This Unusual Story

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Physically, it was dark blue or dark green (dust jacket was long lost). I read the book in the 70s, but it was much older. I would guess it was published in the 30s or 40s. It had simple black and white illustrations.
There was one story (whose name I can’t remember) about two children — a brother and sister who are in the woods. They come to a tree stump with a strange knot on it. When they sit on the stump and touch the knot, they fall into an underground world. There, they are tormented by scary monsters. They … do … something (sing a song about being brave, maybe) and the monsters turn into fairies. It turns out that they were fairies all along, and had been cursed to be monsters until someone did that thing. One of the monsters looked like a giant carrot.

233C: A series follows a young girl to adulthood (Solved)

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The main character, Jennifer? Jennie? Jenny? Possibly on the farm could’ve been the first.
These were a series of chapter books featuring an American girl who (moves?) to the country, detailing her charming life on a farm. There were several from when she was about 6-8 to almost 20 I believe. There were animal characters, a boy she might have married, various family members. She takes up ballet in later books. She wears her hair in looped braids. I read these as a child in the 80’s but they were clearly written much earlier. I would say 40’s or 50’s. Possibly 30’s or 60’s but doubtful.

I would so very much love to find them for my own daughter! I adored these- not only because she had the same name as me. I remember being even fonder of them than the Betsy Tacy books. In a way they were in between those and the Little House stories. Set the stage for Anne of Green Gables. So curious to know why they’ve disappeared!

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?

225C: A snail called Selina

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Picture book. Featuring a snail called Selina (sp?). Was beloved by my grandpa when he was a child – he was born in the late 1930s. He recalls the illustrations as fantastic. Unsure of title or author. Possibly an Australian title. Google searches haven’t turned anything up. Look forward to hearing from you. Can contact me at moo_haha@hotmail.com.

Regards, Sharni

223A: Poem about girl eating her first peach (Solved)

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This was a book I had when I was very young. The illustrations had children dressed in early 1900 clothing and it may have been published in that time frame. It was a compilation of stories and poems. One poem was about a little girl eating her first peach. I do remember a line from that poem “I’ve eaten it cloth and all Mama but what shall I do with the bone?” She was referring to the peach pit. Another story in the book was about a little girl who was picking blackberries and could not reach the best ones high in the branches. A gentlemen offers to bend over leaning, on his walking stick and let her stand on his back to reach the berries and she refuses saying she would be to heavy etc. The young man remarks that it would be rude to refuse a kindness and the little girl accepts his offer. There was a picture of this scene in the book of the little girl standing on his back and picking the berries.

221B: Girl moves to country with parents and falls in love with boy named Eric

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Hi! I’m looking for a book series written in the early 20th century (one in 1913)? It may be a children’s book series. It’s about a girl who moves to the country with her parents, where she falls in love with a boy named Eric.

Unfortunately I don’t have much more to go on, but here’s a few keywords/concepts that should appear in the series:

– The girl gets in trouble for wearing a skirt that goes above her ankles.
– Skiing with Eric.
– Wagons.
– Chickens?

Thank you so much for your help!!!

218A: Where the Elephants go

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The book I am eager to find is about elephants and titled, I thought, Where the Elephants Go. I was around 8 to 10 when I read it, so 1942-1944 would be the date.

The book lovingly described an older elephant going out alone into the forest to die, with the herd respecting that but coming to mourn when death occurred.

I’d be so pleased to find it again. At our age my husband and I are being encouraged to move into this and that retirement community – all with Meadow Something in their names. They remind me of Where the Elephants Go.