Collection of magical and wacky short stories for children, I believe it was an anthology of different authors, but I’m not sure. The edition I read in the 2000s had a cover illustrated with dancing pumpkins entwined with various characters from the short stories. It was old, maybe 70s or 80s? One story was of the pumpkins, someone tended them too well and they danced around the town causing havoc, another involved too much bubblegum. The only story I remember in detail was one of an author who wrote comedies. Everyone loved them, but he dreamed of writing tragedies. Whenever he tried submitting tragedies to his publisher, he was turned down. Being the father of two boys, he can’t afford to stop writing his jokes. These two boys also wanted a swimming pool. One night the author threw his tragedy out the window, and the pages floated to the mountains. The next few nights he heard crying coming from the mountain – and finally he went to investigate. There he found a griffin, crying over a few pages of his manuscript. Griffins, apparently, love tragedies. So the author offers to write him more, and give dramatic readings, and the griffin brings his friends, and their tears flow down the mountain, and become a natural swimming pool for the author’s boys, who become the best swimmers at their school.
Category Archives: 1970s
348Y: The Magician’s Windows and Other Short Stories (Solved!)
348T: Children’s book about alchemy, 1970s or 1980s (Solved!)
I had a book when I was a kid that I really liked a lot. I was born in 1976 so it would have been published before the mid-80s, probably. It was about an alchemist, possibly old and doddering, who was trying to turn lead into gold. If I remember correctly it had sort of sepia-toned line drawings, and there were quite detailed illustrations and instructions on how various alchemical apparatus worked. I remember illustrations of him working with tubes and liquids and flames and such. He also needed a unicorn horn so he had to get a young maiden to help him catch one. Can’t remember the title at all.
347V: Shape Shifting Amnesiac Becomes The Thunderbird
I read this book in the 1970s or early 1980s. It is fiction/fantasy about a man with amnesia (modern times of the 1970s or 80s) who through adventures eventually discovers that he is a shape shifter who morphs into the SW Native (Indian) god/entity the Thunderbird. I think there are two books in the series and I seem to recall a female protagonist who also turns into a Thunderbird and the two characters go off into the sunrise together, but don’t quote me on that! The cover art was intriguing. And the end was sad because to become Himself as the Thunderbird the guy with amnesia had to give up the self he had become while in human form.
347U: Girl Sent to Live with Her Father Who Is a Pilot (Solved!)
347N: Dinosaur Drive In
My brother is trying to find a book...published between 1975-1985, he remembers it as dinosaurs at the drive in, but no luck there. It’s about a boy that goes to the drive in and cars turn into dinosaurs, where the t-Rex chases him. Any help would be much appreciated!
347L: A Japanese Boy Turns Into a Peach
I am looking for a book from my childhood (1975-1985). It had the most beautiful detailed pictures. I remember each one like a painting of another word. It’s about a Japanese prince … He flies up to the gods. Then I think there’s something about dragons … I think he turns into a peach and ends up flying over the land.
Not this book
https://www.amazon.com/Peach-Japanese-Childrens-Favorite-Stories/dp/4805309962
Or this book
The pictures were so beautiful. I hope you can find it.
347I: A book named Toby? (Solved!)
347H: Clearing Out the Trees
Looking for a children’s book circa early 1970s. Don’t remember a title or subject. Clearing the wood and trees being cut down. I think the title has the mans name in it. Mr. ? Farm. There is a picture of man in overalls sitting on the stump of a tree and stumps of trees in the back ground
346W: Boy Makes Cake
I am looking for a childhood book and I remember it had a “Boy makes cake”. I remember a picture where the boy is making a cake and ingredients are all up wildly in the air. I grew up in the 70s but had several older siblings. Can you help? Thank you.