Category Archives: 1960s
345E: Walking Into the Sunset
I would love some help finding an old children’s book from my childhood. I seriously doubt that anyone will be able to locate it, but it’s worth a shot.
344I: Teen Romance From the 50’s or 60’s
Looking for a book I read as a young teen. Early 1970’s, I expect it was written in the later 1950’s or 60’s.
The book was a young adult high school romance. I remember nothing except the girl was not one of the popular girls (she may have been new in school) and her name in the book is Beth (could have been Elizabeth but she was called Beth). The boy in the story line was the popular boy in school.
Outside of Little Women, the name Beth was not one found often in books and since it is my name the basic story stuck with me.
344H: Cool Kids Book About Southern US During British Rule
I’m looking for a childhood book that was my favorite:
1. Children’s book
2. Takes place when the British were in charge of America
3. Takes place in southern USA
4. General plot is a boy travels south through the swamps of Georgia and Florida. He ends up in New Orleans (?) in the office of a British officer who holds a scented/perfumed handkerchief over his nose because of the stench from the boy (and others?).
4. It was a grey hardback, typical of good quality children’s books in the 50’s & 60’s. It may have had red highlights or bands.
344C: YA novel from 1960s; English girl fall in woods and breaks leg
I am looking for a chapter book or YA novel I read in third grade in 1971-72. I believe it would have been published in the 1960s or between 1970-71 but it could also have been in 1950s.
343V: Ellen, Haggis, Scottish Traditions in America
A teen girl whose family has died is sent to live with relatives (maiden aunts?) in a part of the United States that still follows more Scottish customs than American customs, including holidays, and she experiences major culture shock. I believe the title character is named Ellen. The cover shows her at the door wearing a shift mini-dress, so the novel probably was written in the late 1960s or early 1970s. This novel is the first time I encountered the word “haggis.”
343Q: Boy Collects Golden Dragon Scales to Make A Dragon (Solved!)
Here are the details of a book my dad read around 1960 (possibly as late as 1963, but unlikely).
Plot elements: A boy (named maybe Ling or Lo, or a hyphenated name with one of those syllables) goes on a long quest collecting golden dragon scales that in the end fit together like a puzzle and make a dragon.
Genre: kids chapter book
Publish date: likely late 40’s early 50’s (my dad’s best guess—it was a library book)
Physical description of book: blue cloth hardcover
Illustrations: he remembers an illustrative motif of cranes, like on chapter headings maybe
Some books he claims it is NOT that I’ve found:
- Loot of the Flying Dragon (by Kenneth Payson Kempton)
- The Pink Porcelain Pipe (by Pauline Scott)
- The Overcoming of the Dragon (by LC Sturgis)
- The Last Dragon (by Dan Totheroh)
Many thanks for whatever you can do! I’ll at least know I tried my best after gnawing this bone for decades.
343H: Children Build Fanciful Houses in Meadow
343D: Late 60’s picture book with animals changing beds
I’m looking for a children’s picture book from the late 60s. A child wants animals to change beds: “____ sleep in the horsey’s bed,” (something like that), and many variations.
342Q: Vintage Picture Book Featuring the Ocean
Vintage Picture Book (from 50s, 60’s, or 70s), not very thick, stapled, maybe 10 – 12 pages, not a lot of printed text. Watercolor, realistic illustrations
What I remember about the story: A boy spends a lot of time snorkeling, he sees all kinds of fish and turtles, and he finds a shipwreck and a shark shows up (scary) but he escapes and finds a treasure.
I remember the following illustrations:
- Sea stars on a sandy ocean floor, the sunlight is shining through the water onto the ocean floor
- A sea turtle swims and again the sunlight coming through the water
- A two page illustration showing the boy on the left top looking down on the shipwreck, again the light plays through the water
The illustrations were realistic and what stood out was the light portrayed underwater.