Category Archives: 1960s

318J: Poems Teach Kids English

Seeking hardback book from the late 60's early 70's for kids, I think had a yellow cover, with poems about parts of speech like "beware the dangling participle" and a snake dangling from a tree. Probably 8 or 10 different poems for different parts of speech. Seems like one of the poems has mugwumps but I am not 100% sure. Sorry I can't remember more.

318I: Large Bird Takes Away Overbearing Woman

I am trying to remember the title and author of a children’s book.  It had pictures.  It was about a little boy with an extremely overbearing mother.  Or maybe it was about a man with an extremely overbearing wife.  At a certain point, the woman is carried off by a large bird, and then the boy (or man) has a peaceful life.
I can’t imagine what the title might have been.  So-and-so’s mother?  The bossy wife?
I read the book as a child, in the late 60’s or early 70’s.
I remember the picture of the bird carrying off the woman – she was large but got smaller and smaller as the bird flew away.

317X: Boy By the Fire Wears Calipers

…a children’s book from late 50s early 60s (I suppose it could have been made earlier or at least the story could have been set in previous decades) about a little boy who wore calipers; he searched for conkers and his clothes were warmed by the fire. He may have had a nanny?  He may make toast on the fire with his mum/nanny?  I would say it was quintessentially English but maybe just middle class?

317T: The US Constitution for Children

It was a fairly thin book, maybe 10” x 10” with a blue/green hard cover.
It portrayed the constitution as a locomotive engine pulling the Bill of Rights, each amendment represented by a train car featuring an explanation.  Probably published about 55 years ago.  Most interesting book and format to help a kid (me) understand the document.

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.

It had many short stories and poems. The illustrations were primarily black ink and the drawings remind me of Irene Haas illustrations. This book may have been part of a Harper and Brothers adult book club selection because I have another book my mother had from this club and it is titled “The Day Christ Was Born” By Jim Bishop. She said the children’s book was offered as a special selection. My sister recalls the word “Willow” she thought maybe that may have been in the title of the book or possibly a title to one of the stories. I have been looking for this book for quite a few years and any help would be appreciated.

317B: The Magic Stone and a Witchy Aunt

This is a book I read in the mid to late 60’s about a young girl who goes to live with her Aunt Meg, who she finds out is a witch.  The little girl finds a stone which belongs to another witch named Lanie.  They try to get the stone back.  I think there is some magic food involved and I believe the stone helps the little girl fly.

316N: 3-D Glasses Lead to Magic World

I am looking for the title of a book I read when I was a child, in about 1965 or so. It was about a girl who was at home, ill in bed, while her friends went to the 3-D movies. She couldn’t go due to her illness, but her friends brought her a pair of the 3-D glasses. When she put them on, she was transported to a magic world. It seems to me like there was lemonade rain but I’m not sure.

Does this ring a bell with you?

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.

316E: The 3 little ones ate all the fruit

I am looking for a children’s picture book. I probably had this book in the mid to late 1960s.  In the story there are 3ish siblings (I think animals, but possibly children) that play outside while their mother is visiting a friend. The mother’s friend has a picket fence that encloses her yard. On the fence is a grape vine or berry bush. The 3 little ones eat all of the fruit. They feel badly about their behavior and replace the fruit the next day by tying fruit that they bought to the fence.