Category Archives: 1950s

309S: Miguel, The Dirty One

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The book I am looking for is/was a children’s book that I loved as a child. I was born in 1955 so I am guessing the book was published in the 1940s or 1950s. I checked it out, with the help of my mother, from the Pittsburg, California Public Library. I think I remember that the cover of the book was red and the illustrations were in black and white.

It was about a little Hispanic boy, Mexican, I think,  who hated to take a bath. His family and village all must convince him to take a bath for some special celebration. I think the name of the book was the boy’s name, maybe Miguel, The Dirty One.

 

309F: Mouse’s House

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This was a book out in the early 1950’s. It might have been a golden book, but I could not find it in their listing. The first line was “This is the house of Mrs. Mouse and these are her children three.” It was book for young children; it had illustrations. I don’t remember anything else, but that first line has stayed in mind all these years.

307S: A kiss on the the elbow

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I remember a library book about a group of children who discovered they had magic powers. I don’t believe it was any of Edward Eager’s books, and I also don’t think it was Mrs. Coverlet’s Magicians.

The tell-tale sign of magical ability was being able to kiss one’s own elbow. (Spoiler: I can’t.)

Can you help? I would have read it in the early 1970s, but I have no idea when it was published. I’m guessing the 1950s.

306O: Crushed Toys (Solved)

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Hello, I remember a set of books (we had 2 but there may have more to the set) they where hard back and about 2in thick. Plain cover with no illustrations, short stories with just a title on the cover. Each story was about 10-15 pages long and had a illustration at the beginning of the story. I remember one illustration with a car that was 1950’s looking. One story was about a kid leaving his toys (toy cars maybe) in the driveway and dad came home and ran them over. I really don’t remember any other stories from the books. I think the covers where dark blue or grey. The stories where life lessons and not really fantasy, no talking birds or stuff like that, as far as I remember.

305W: A Family Moves to the Country

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When I was in grade school in the late 1950's, I read a book, possibly from the library Bookmobile, that was about a family who moved to the country. The main theme was the transition to an old, broken-down house and the arduous process of fixing it up to make it livable. The story is told, I believe, by a young son, probably about the age I was when I read (10 or 11) it. What started out as an unpleasant experience for the kids, at least, over time turned into an adventure as the DIY project progressed and the boy explored the surrounding area. Finally, the family was able to embrace the house as their new home and I think the son learned the value or hard work and the pride that comes from it. I know this is sketchy at best, but it's not easy to clean out the cobwebs of my memory that far back! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

305T: The Dragon Under the Lilac Bush

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I am looking for a book that I believe was called The Dragon Under the Lilac Bush. It was filled with pull-tabs and pop-ups. This book was a favorite of a dear friend when she was a young child, and she’s in her mid-50’s now. So the book probably came out in the late 50’s or early 60’s. It may have been a San Francisco Bay area regional publication, as I have not been able to find any reference to the book anywhere.