Category Archives: 1970s

283B: Babette and the Magpies

There was a children’s picture book that we had in the 1970s which seemed to be generally a Scandinavian based story about a brother and sister (who I believe was Babette) who lived on a farm or large piece of property. There were two sets of birds living on the property, one set were robins or finches or some small birds who lived in a thorn bush or some kind of dense shrub whose eggs were stolen/eaten by the two “thieving” magpies who lived high up in a very big tree on the farm. The boy and the girl were each given gifts and I believe that the girl’s was some sort of shiny red purse or red mittens which were again stolen by the magpies after she had set them down on the bench underneath the mapgpies’ tree. Because the tree was so tall, they couldn’t get the gift back and both the little girl and the small birds were very sad and angry with the magpies. One winter night there was a terrible storm and the large tree fell down and the next day the girl found the missing gift and the magpies were forced to fly away.

283A: Boxed set of illustrated fairy tales (Solved)

I am looking for a boxed set of wonderfully illustrated fairy tales from the 1970s.

This was given to me in 1974 or 1975 by my grandparents.

The books were huge, maybe 11×14, and contained 3-4 stories in each. The set must have had at least 10-12 books. They were covered in a hard cloth-cardboard, thin, no more than a half-inch thick, and in pastel colors of blue, pink, yellow, orange.

There was a distinctive, oblong sun logo or emblem on each book but not sure if that was the publisher’s. They may have been from Reader’s Digest or Random House. I think they were mail order.

The stories I remember were Sleeping Beauty, Thumbelina (this was my favorite because of a sweet picture of Thumbelina nursing the Bird), The Brave Tin Soldier though there were many, many more. I think it was a mix of authors, not just one.

The last time I had the set was in 1992 in Ithaca, NY.

282J: Quiet cozy things to do

Small late 60’s/early 70s children’s book- I ‘think’ it was about quiet cozy things to do, but I especially remember a picture of a snail outside in a light rain by pebbles and I think an upside down pail in one picture. I’m pretty sure it was watercolor illustrations. Sorry so vague I was quite little and my grandmother used to look at the book with me.

282B: Girl tired of toys

My friend read this storybook during her childhood in the early 1970s. She remembers it was about a little girl who was tired of her toys and ruins them all. She somehow ends up with either a boy or a bear who becomes her new toy. She forces the boy or bear to do what she wants, including playing maid and brushing her hair. The boy or bear eventually gets tired of this and throws the spoiled girl out in the snow.

Thanks so much! If there is anything else I can provide, do please let me know.

282A: A dollhouse with a little witch living inside

This is a book that was in the library when I was in grade school so early 90’s. It was already vintage then, probably 70’s-80’s, but I actually have no idea as to the publishing date. It is about a young girl who acquires/has a dollhouse with a little witch living inside who is alive and rides around on her broom. If I remember correctly the house is in the room where she is staying with an old relative. I think someone’s name started with an S, possibly Samantha, but I could be mistaken.

281G: Little girl hides her small treasures in a brick of her brownstone

I am trying to remember/find a book about a little girl who doesn’t have much, except her little treasures.  I think it was a stick of chewing gum, a jack ball, and a few other small items.  She lives in a brownstone and it seems like she hides her treasures behind a brick.  She takes them out and looks at them often.  The front of the cover had her and another person sitting on concrete steps with a railing.  I don’t know if it was a little golden book or not.  It seems like it was about 5X5 square, about 10 pages?  I would have had it read to me around 1970ish.  I can’t remember much else.  I have looked everywhere for it, only being able to search by the memory of the cover.

 

281A: Amazingly illustrated pirate story starts with abducted boy

I have been looking for some time for this illustrated children’s book I read as a child around 1974-77 in Australia. It is the story of a boy playing on an old dinghy on the beach when they are kidnapped by pirates and go on amazing adventures. The boy (or boy and girls) is playing in an upturned dinghy on a beach when he is abducted and taken to the pirate ship, he witnesses pirate battles and then gets included in their adventures. The boy becomes part of the pirates. They may visit the odd strange land or Island (I’m recalling tree houses, maybe African colours themes), they use bell helmets to go under water, they find treasure, they take the boy home.  The most notable thing about the book is the incredible double page illustrations with rich rich detail and colour. The pirate characters are diverse and hilarious creations – themselves a very strong feature of the book. First page might be looking down on the beach from the top of the escarpment at the north end of the beach (if the coast faces East). Next we see him on the beach with the upturned dinghy with a big hole in it. There are loads of crabs and other creatures to see. A few pages later in the battle scene I recall the boy peeks out from below decks – he’s not a pirate yet. In the underwater scene I recall they wear old fashioned bell helmets with air lines leading back up to the ship, and there are many amazing creatures like giant squid/octopus. The treasure scene I recall amazing jewels and one of the pirates has a ring on the end of his beard.

My guess is it’s hardcover.

The illustrations cover double page spreads.

There is minimal text or possibly no text at all.

It’s written in English.

Hopefully you can help.

280D: YA Coming of Age (Solved)

Girl 11-14 who has ESP (as does her clan), has to do something or loses it and dies, meets boy (older) from moon or sky city who has no powers, but lots of technology that does same thing.  They hook up (which I thought was odd for that age), and their two civilizations meet or something like that.  60-70’s I think.  Telepathy was part of it.