Category Archives: 1950s

349L: Scaring Moose by Yelling in French

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In the early 1960s we had a picture book that was probably published in the 1950s. It was about a man and boy walking through the woods, possibly in Canada. The man was likely a lumberjack.

At the climactic moment, they encounter a moose on the trail. The man scares it away by yelling “Marche donc!”
This is all I remember about the book.

349G: Selfish Witch, Disguised as Regular Girl, Does Selfless Favor

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Looking for a beautiful line-drawn picture book from earlier than 1975, about a witch and her daughter who live beyond the seven valleys and the seven seas. The daughter witch is selfish, and does not come home to her mother on time. Her mother sends her away until she can do a selfless favor for someone, while disguised as a regular girl. She is dropped off outside a village. Eventually, she finds a little boy who is also being punished, and helps him peel mounds and mounds of potatoes. She falls asleep doing this, and her mother comes to collect her. Ends with a line something like, "but she could never stand the sight of another potato."

349F: Boy with gigantic tall spoon catching clouds

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I am seeking a vintage children’s anthology possibly printed somewhere between 1940s-1960s. Possibly earlier.
The main clue is an illustration of a boy holding a huge spoon, (tall like a ladder) scooping up clouds.
The featured poem with the illustration is
CLOUDS
 by Dorothy Aldis
If I had a spoon
As tall as the sky
I’d dish out the clouds
That go slip-sliding by.
I’d take them right in
And give them to cook
And see if they tasted
As good as they look.
I’ve searched other books and I can usually find this poem, but I cannot find the right illustration of the little boy holding the tall spoon catching clouds.
The book was a hardcover cloth-like blue,  with faded letters embossed on cover. There was no dust jacket.
I thought maybe the book was “Here, There, and Everywhere” by D. Aldis, but as it turns out, it is not the right book 🤔
Size of the book was approximately
 8″ x 11″x 1″ thick.

348D: Orphan Girl Finds Factory Job and Friends

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I was born in 1946, probably read and reread this book several times during the fifties and it burned its way into my psyche.  The story line is a little girl who is orphaned? Abandoned?  At any rate, she is alone and knows she has to take care of herself.  She wanders in the woods and comes across an abandoned hut.  She moves in and goes about making a home and a life for herself.  She is able to find a job in a factory nearby and finds some friends….and there my memories run out….
I have no inkling of the title nor what it looked like. It was not a picture book but I think it did have some illustrations.
Not much to go on,I know.  I don’t even remember her name.  I don’t expect anything, really…just worth the “investment” to have someone on my team.  I’ve been haunting old book sales for years without success.

 

346X: Fairy Tale Collection From Pre-1950’s Era

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I currently have part of the book, but the first 30 pages are missing. Also the binding is worn away and the final pages are missing. The book is a collection of folk tales, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, etc. I always called it the Wolf Book, but I’m sure that is not the title. It was published around 1950 at the latest , but could have been considerably older.
Some of the stories in it are: The Three Little Pigs, Chicken Little, The Lion Hearted Kitten, The Hole in the Ground, The Gingerbread Boy, The Three Sillies, The Tortoise and the Hare, Little Red Riding Hood, The Cap that Mother Made, The Boasting Bamboo, The Musicians of Bremen, Silly Will, Hans in Luck, The Ugly Duckling, and many more.

 

345Y: American Girl “Self Improvement”

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I am looking for the title of a book given to me by my father around mid-late 1960’s.
It was about a pre-teen girl growing up, trying to improve, organize and schedule her day to day life. More like a Nancy Drew “good girl” type, unruly hair, awkward.
I think it must have been written earlier, 1940’s or 50’s.
The book was written in the first person, humorous and light.
I remember a strict but kind father, older sister and school friends/enemies.
Possibly a first dance. Lots of list and schedule making to improve herself, waking, school work, etc., minute by minute.
That’s all I’ve got. Maybe this will ring a bell with someone.
Thank you.

345K: In Search Of a Children’s book called “The Bus Riding Book”

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I’m looking for a children’s primer, a first reader series, and one of the books is called “The Bus Riding Book.” In the book, all of the animals get on the bus, one by one, and then a bee flies in and everyone runs out of the bus. I learned to read using it in 1976 in catholic school in Queens, NY. I believe the publisher was McGraw Hill, colorful drawings inside the book with animals getting on the bus, and the cover may have been soft.

345J: Young Girl Decries Dangers of Reading When Chased by a Bull

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Read this book when I was around 8, which puts it at 1960.  I am sure it was not new at that time.

Written by someone like Thurber or Ogden Nash, it was a collection of children’s short stories.  The only one that I can remember clearly was about a little girl who couldn’t read. At the end, when she is being chased by a bull, she comes to the conclusion that reading (words?) are dangerous.  The sign she couldn’t read said something  like, ‘beware of  bull.’

Hoping you can help me.

344K: Love Stories Around the World

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Daughter of the Sun (I thought) was the title.

The book was given by my great grandmother to my mother. My mother is now 60 for reference.
The book was bound in a green fabric with gold accents.
The book was three separate love stories in one book .
Story 1
The first story was Daughter of a Sun. Main characters name is Charlie (Charlotte).  Charlie’s father disappears in the mountains and she ends up backpacking with a former student of her fathers through the mountains to solve the mysterious disappearance of her father. They end up finding her father who lives with a lost civilization. Takes place in South America.
 
Story 2  
 
Woman is an antiques appraiser and falls in love with an engaged client and helps the family find the missing will – that I believe was hidden in a door stop. Takes place in Europe.
 
Story 3
 
Gill has arranged marriage with one brother (I think his name starts with an F) and falls in love with the other brother. She fell asleep in the wrong limo and ended up at a castle-like estate. The man she loves did a business merger with her grandfather. Lover calls her mouse. There is a problem with a landslide. Additionally, he is a race car driver. Takes place in Italy
 
This is the most important book I ever read because it came from my great grandmother. I have no idea who wrote it or if it is even possible to find. I would be humbled by any help.