Category Archives: 1970s

344C: YA novel from 1960s; English girl fall in woods and breaks leg

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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.

It was about a girl in England who lived with her mother and no father. They lived in a flat, which was the first time I had encountered that word. The only thing I can distinctly remember was that the girl was hiking in the woods, alone, I believe, and fell and broke her leg and then had to figure out how to get help.

343V: Ellen, Haggis, Scottish Traditions in America

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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.”

343K: Jojo the Monkey

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I am trying to track down a children’s book I had growing up in the late 70s/early 80s. It was a hardcover book (I think it was green) and it was entitled something like “The Adventures of Jojo.” The book had a lot of illustrations and featured a little monkey called Jojo. i used to LOVE the book, but can’t seem to find any info anywhere. Please help.

342X: Asian Inspired Dragon Picture Book

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I was hoping someone out there would have a bit of information on a book I’ve been looking for over the last 20-25 years. The book was a hardcover, horizontal/landscape style. It was highly stylized, with what I could only describe as flat/paper like art. The book had little story to speak of, with the appeal being the detailed art. I believe the book had some fold outs as well.
The little text it had was descriptions of the dragons (if there even was that). It may have served as an encyclopedia of different dragons (Ice Dragon, Mountain Dragon, Forest Dragon, etc).

The dragons were mostly Asian-like in nature but there may have been some Western ones tacked on as well.

I think it was printed in the late 80s or early 90s, but it may just have been when the book was available to me. I can’t see it being from before the 1970s, it’s just too stylized. It’s possible, but I don’t think it was.

342V: Hippies in a Sunny Book

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The book we are looking for may have been affiliated with Paulist Press. My brothers and I remember reading it back in maybe the mid to late seventies. It was a hippie/peace kind of book. Probably a book of stories. The pictures below show a distinctive sun image that we have tried to find through Google reverse image searches. The images are likely Photoshopped for copyright reasons. These photos are from Jim Erickson’s photography site. We have reached out to him as part of our quest, but have not heard back.

342Q: Vintage Picture Book Featuring the Ocean

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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:

  1. Sea stars on a sandy ocean floor, the sunlight is shining through the water onto the ocean floor
  2. A sea turtle swims and again the sunlight coming through the water
  3. 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.

 

342I: Children playing in a tree

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My brother and I have been searching for a picture book that we were particularly fond of as children. I don’t remember the title but it would have been published in the late 60’s or early 70’s. The story is about a boy (possibly named Keith) who has his father help him built a fort in a large tree in his back yard. Some neighbor children come by to play, and they end up adding their own structures to the tree. I remember one of the friends puts a big wash tub up in the tree and pretends to be an astronaut in a ship. Some girls bring their dolls up in the tree and make a tent with a blanket or some kind of hammock. There’s also a plank that they stand on that is supposed to be a raft? Maybe one of the kids was a pirate? Not sure, but before you know it, all the neighborhood children are playing in the tree. I can still see the illustrations in my mind’s eye and and would recognize it if I saw it. Thanks!

342D: Talking Clock Sends Boy to the Past

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My brother read a short children's book when he was a kid in the 1970s. The book was about a kid (boy) and a talking clock, the parents of the child are lost (died), the clock takes the boy back to happier moments in the past. At the end the boy is reunited with his parents. My brother said the book only had a few pages similar to Golden Books. If you know someone who could point us towards finding the book it would be appreciated.