Category Archives: 1970s

346L: NYC girl and cat go to ancient Egypt

Read in 1973-1978, for elementary school readers, minimal illustrations. A girl from the Upper West Side (i think) has a stepmother who she is in conflict with, and a cat who she loves. Somehow she and the cat are transported to ancient Egypt where cats are venerated, and maybe her cat is even Bastet. Someone in ancient Egypt also represents the present-day stepmother. Girl returns and the resolution with the stepmother is refreshingly NOT fantasy-perfect.

346K: Girl + boy eat so many pumpkins / pies that they roll away happily ever after

Read 1973-76, for young readers, pictures every page, text every page?, fields of pumpkins between their homes. I think the girl was the pumpkin princess and the boy was a commoner or vice versa. Does he invent pumpkin pie? They both love the pie or pumpkin so much that they eat until they are each as round as pumpkins. Story ends with them literally rolling away in their happy roundness, likely disobeying parents through their connection.

346H: Picture Book – Kid With Blanket on Beach

Here’s what I’m looking for:
Old children’s book
Mostly line drawings
The line drawing might have one splash of color in it on some pages
Very few words on each page, maybe one or two
About a little kid, has a blanket in the story, maybe the beach?
Has a humorous ending
Small book, I think hardback
Horizontal, rectangle
Yellow cover maybe
Read to children in the early 1980s so may be published 1968 to 1984?

346F: A Rich Small Man and Poor Large Man Switch Houses

Seeking a picture book, illustrations probably pen and ink, blueish tones. A large, poor man lived in a small house. A rick small man lives in a mansion. They are each becoming tired of their own houses, so agree to swap, expecting to love each other’s house. They initially do, but ultimately discover that the preferred their own house. Date: I was born in 1976, so earliest read would have been 1979-80. Location: I live in the UK (England).

346E: Book about a little girl with lace gloves

Hi, I have tracked down all the books from my childhood (a few through your site!) but there is one I simply cannot find. All I can remember of it is there was a little girl with pretty lace gloves. I believe the gloves may have been a plot point – that she lost them or something. It was a picture book. I am American, born in 1974, and I remember this from when I was quite young, so I’m thinking late 60’s, early 70’s. The girl was all dressed up and put on these little wrist-length gloves and went out somewhere. Any thoughts you had would be greatly appreciated!

346D: The Grass has Eyes

This is a children’s book I checked out from the library in the mid to late 70’s. I think it was about an explorer and the book followed him on expeditions. However, I don’t remember if the gist was that the person telling the story was sort of exaggerating his exploits. The illustrations were pen and ink and colored in watercolor. The one thing I remember most about it was one of the illustrations had the man standing in a tall field of grass, and that the grass itself had eyes. It creeped me out as a child. It’s haunted me ever since. I’d love to be able to read that book again.

345V: Elementary school reader – Pigs trying to sell their house

Hi! I'm trying to find a school book from the late '60's or very early 70's. Probably a second grade reader but I'm not certain. It has multiple stories and the one I remember is about a married couple of pigs trying to sell their house. Each animal that comes to look at it suggests something they would like changed about the house. The pigs change each thing and by the end of the story they don't want to sell their house anymore. Does anyone remember this book? It was read with the classic Dick and Jane books for sure.

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

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.

345G: “A place…” book for a Brit (Solved!)

I am in desperate search of a book for my dear British friend. She grew up in Suffolk, England, born in 1958, and remembers a book she used to pour over as a girl:
Possible title: A Place of Your Own
Contents: pictures and descriptions of homes, rooms, treehouses and places where children (and maybe young adults) escape to be kids
Publication Dates: at least published by 1972
Location: read in Suffolk, England

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.

Really, the back page is all that I remember, because I used to stare at the picture all the time. I used to read the book at my babysitter’s house, when I was roughly 3-6 years old. This would have been from 1986 to 1989. The book could have very well been from the late 60’s thru early 80’s.
Anyway, about the image at the very back page of the book. It was a sunrise or sunset image, with the main characters walking out a door into a beautiful scene full of trees, animals, etc. The main character(s) had their backs turned to the reader as they walked down a road into this scene. The image really was beautiful, serene, filled with hope. The sunset was mostly orange and yellow, and took up a big portion of the page. This image looked like the ideal place to be, and I’ve never forgotten it. Sesame Street comes to mind, though I don’t specifically remember it being a Sesame Street book. Truth is, I don’t know but am hoping that this will jog someone’s memory. I’ve never forgotten this book and would love to see that picture again, now that I have kids of my own.
Again, I doubt anyone would be able to help me with this, based on the limited details that I remember. But, thank you for trying!