Category Archives: 1980s

288G: Mother and daughter flee from France to Canada

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I am trying to locate an older book I read back in 5th grade elementary school, older than 1985 and possibly published before 1980. This is a small hardcover book (5 x 7?), children’s historical fiction. A mother and daughter have fallen from the graces (have disgraced or angered) the king and queen in France, maybe between 1600-1700 (did daughter say something to make the king mad?). They are being sent away (or flee) to New World, most likely Canada. I think the mother and daughter were seamstresses for the royalty and made their own clothes. Book is NOT Angelique, not The Frenchwoman either. Thank-you for trying to locate book, especially when I cannot remember title at all and am trying to find book over 30 years later!

288F: Boy in pajamas chases illusory tiger (Solved)

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I’m looking for a children’s book I read in the late 80’s. From what I can remember it was about a boy in pajamas that is chasing a tiger or other large cat, but pretty sure it wasn’t a lion, I don’t remember a mane. The tiger was hidden on every page, in the background such as hidden as a pattern of stars in the night sky, a symbol on the border of a tent, or made of vines. As far as the setting I believe it was in the boys’ dreams. The book had a very surreal feel to it, and the book was filled with illusions. These illusions made a thing look like another, like a strongman made entirely of things from the sea, like seashells, crabs, etc. Here’s an example of the type of illusions I remember in the book

They do visit a circus at one point, because I seem to remember one page outside the circus tent, and possibly one more. But the book wasn’t entirely centered around the circus, it felt like they were just passing through. The circus is a google trap though, there are lots of kids book involving the circus and a tiger, and I haven’t found one yet that matches what I remember. The book is definitely not I Spy A Tiger, Heart of A Tiger, Riding the Tiger, A Lion in the Meadow, A Tiger Took Me to the Circus, It’s a Tiger, or Come the Terrible Tiger. Please help! I’ve spent hours searching on the internet, but I keep getting nothing.

287H: Rats taking Uncle Skinny somewhere on a raft down a river

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There are a family of rats that have to take their uncle named “Skinny” somewhere via a boat. I believe he may be sick and they go down the river to take him to the doctor. I also think he is wearing one piece pajamas with the button flap in the rear, and either he or the driver has on a crinkled top hat. I wish I could recall more about the story. I read this book as a child sometime around 1982-1985. I would really love to get this book for my daughter.

287E: Children robbed in forest as they come home from a fair

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This was a hardback picture book we read in the library in the 1980s. Two or three children go to a fair. On the way to or at the fair they get some small items (possibly a gold star?), which are put in a ‘cornucopia’. I think this was pictured as a paper cone. On the way home through the forest, robbers steal their treasures. I think it had the line ‘what wicked robbers to steal such precious things’, the point being these are items of no commercial value, but things of wonder to the children.

286F: Girls go to wrong house on Halloween, meet strange girl in spider costume (Solved)

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This was a kids’ picture book from the late 70s or early 80s (probably 4/5th grade reading level, 32ish page length, not just a simple picture book but not chapter or young adult) level. The premise is that two friends (I think they were two girls, might have been just one) show up at a house for a Halloween party, They think it’s the right house, but upon getting inside, are met with another girl who I *think* was wearing some kind of a spider costume – she might even have been named “spider”. They proceed to go to the basement (which I don’t remember being a scary development). At some point they swap costumes (possibly against the will of the girl who showed up to the house).  The girl who came to the house doesn’t want to be there, and eventually finds a way to escape/leave. Important to underscore that even though it sounds a bit this way,the tone of the book isn’t scary or sinister – more just a vibe of “strange” and “oddball”. A fun little Halloween story that I vaguely remember and am desperate for help locating!

286E: Picture-only book with words next to items in several scenes

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This book was a children’s early reader book from 70s/80s with scenes from a park (which had a pond in it, I think, and possibly a duck in the pond), classroom, hospital room, etc. In the picture of the classroom, for instance, it said “paint” next to where the paints were, and “chair” next to the chair in the picture.  No plot, just labels for items in the pictures. It is *not* a Richard Scarry book (which sometime label individual items as well).

286D: Friendly purple creature has magic yellow umbrella (Solved)

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I’m thinking this book would have come out in the 70s or early 80s. The general plot, as I recall, was a friendly purple creature was friends with a young boy, and the creature had a seemingly magic yellow umbrella. The umbrella was used in a variety of helpful ways, culminating in the umbrella being used as a big swimming pool for all of the neighborhood children. Those are the primary details I remember; any help much appreciated!

285D: Boy and cat are best friends

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I am looking for a children’s book from around 1980.

I do not recall the title or author, and the book may have been published before 1980.  Let’s say anywhere between 1970 and 1982 or so.  This was a favorite book of mine when I was a kid, and I used to take it out of my local branch of the St. Louis Public Library pretty regularly.

The one thing I DO remember were the fantastic illustrations.  It was done in black and white, and the drawings looked as though they may have been pen and ink, or etchings, and they were very realistic.

Thematically, I remember a couple things about the story:  A boy and his cat used to sit on a hill under their (or maybe the cat’s) favorite tree.  At night, the cat would go have adventures on his own with his cat friends.  Toward the end of the story, the cat died, and the boy and his mom decided to bury him atop the hill under the beloved tree.  Then the boy would go there to remember the cat.

Specifically, I recall one page in the book that illustrated night time, when the cat would go with his cat friends.  There is a house (presumably the cat’s) in the background, as though he has just been let out for the evening.  In the foreground, you see the cat joining up with many, many neighborhood cats as they set off to roam around–a virtual cat army.

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing what you all come up with.

284D: Alternate outcomes become alternate worlds

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In the world of this book, every time something happens, like a war, both outcomes come true. A new world is created with the alternate outcome. So there are many earths. The one that this one takes place on is not ours. In this Earth, America is called Atlantis.

The children survive the shipwreck because the boy is a witch and the sister hangs onto him. But you don’t find that out till the end. You think – because she says so – that she is the witch and she saved him.

He is left-handed, which where they came from is punished but where they have arrived at, is celebrated as it is a sign of being a witch. That’s all I remember….

I probably read it in the late seventies, possibly early 80’s. I was probably around 12 – it was a middle-year chapter book. It was really good.

I hope it sounds familiar to someone! Thanks for your help!