I have this memory of a book about squirrels living in a village in the woods. My memory includes the cover: soft green hardcover book, that I discovered in the my grade school library in the 1950’s. That’s about all I remember about it but it captivated my imagination then.
Category Archives: 1950s
317S: Boy Attends Fairy Wedding
I’m looking for a vintage, illustrated children’s book that I believe was made in the 1940s or 1950s. In the story, a little boy (just one boy–no siblings or friends) somehow is invited to a fairy wedding and he dances and parties the whole night with the fairies, elves, goblins and toads before he has to go back home. Other details that stand out: he slides down a tunnel to get to an underground area where the “fairyland” is (my mom remembers this tunnel as starting at the base of a tree); he fills a jar with fireflies to make a lamp when walking through a dark place; at some point, either an elf or a toad or a fairy (some magical creature) is caught in something and he helps him escape and is rewarded by being a guest to a party/wedding (I think maybe the caught creature was the groom?); there is a cute little blushing bride who I believe is a fairy or something–I think the party was her wedding, but I’m not sure. My mother also remembers there being a lot of red-capped mushrooms throughout the book. Thanks!
317L: Late 50’s/Early 60’s Story Book
I am looking for a children’s book. This book was published around 1959-1960, give or take a year or two. It had a medium blue hard cover and was approximately 8 x 6 and 100 pages give or take some.
317G: Duck Looking for Water
The book I am trying to find is about a little duck that is looking for water but there is no rain, so he finds a truck that is spilling water out of the back to follow. My father-in-law had this book as a child in the 1950’s and passed it to my husband but it is now lost. They don’t remember a title or even possible words, they do recall it having wonderful pictures and illustrations. Any help is appreciated!
316Q: 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
A children’s novel, written by Walter Pease in the 1940s-1950s, about a San Francisco mansion with a collection of rare books. I believe there are two children involved, and they try to save the books from the earthquake and fire.
316P: Classic children’s poetry – Little Golden Book?
I have a tattered copy of a much-loved book of poetry by Eugene Field that I think was a Little Golden Book. This was from my childhood in the 1950s. Some of the poems in the book include “Little Boy Blue,” “The Sugar Plum Tree,” “The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat,” “Good Children Street,” “Intry-Mintry,” Wynken, Blynken, and Nod,” “Seein’ Things,” “The Drum,” “To a Little Brook,” and “The Boy.” I think there may be one or two other poems. The illustrations are whole-page in color with black and white pen and ink drawings between the poems. I would love to find an intact copy of this book.
316M: Colouring a grey kingdom leads to misfortune
A man (possibly the king of a realm) lives in a kingdom, its quite likely grey, and he discovers various colours in his castle / dungeon. You see a brilliant patch of colour in an otherwise totally grey scene as he discovers each colour. He rushes outside and paints the entire land colours, but this makes the inhabitants sick / depressed / angry etc. based on the characteristics expected of that color. Colors include (from memory) pink, cyan and yellow.
I first had this read to me in the late 70’s and as it was from my public library so may have been published considerably earlier, perhaps 1950’s or 1960’s.
316K: Bizarre Candy Shop
I’m searching for a children’s book from the 1940’s or 50’s. I thought it was a Little Golden Book but I don’t think it is now. It was my mother’s favorite. It had a story about a woman taking care of children and I believe she took him into a candy store and there were stars on the ceiling. She broke off 1 of her fingers and turned it into a piece of candy for them to suck on. It’s very bizarre; I remember her reading it to me and she just loved it and I would like to know what this the title of it was so I can find it for her. She used to read me “Little orphan Annie came to our house to stay…” put a candle underneath her face and do this voice. It was wonderful and slightly creepy all at once. She owned a bookstore when I was little so I’ve been reading since I was 3; no TV or video games allowed, but as many books as we pleased, most of them children’s books over 100 years old. Lamb on Wheels; The Adventures of Frog and Toad; everything Mark Twain – I loved his short stories, especially the one with the devil. I was a slightly creepy child. I’m 48 and mom is 71. If you need any more details I’ll try and think of anything I can. Thank you!
316B: The mystery of the dead cousin
315W: A lion of a tale
It's a children's book, kind of big, maybe 8"x10", old, probably from the 60's or earlier. Hardcover. There is a lion on the front, I think the cover was pinkish. Multiple stories, one involving a lion that gave his hair to birds and lost it all, so they brought him leaves. I think another was about monkeys. I've been searching for years. Halp! 😀