Looking for an illustrated hardcover children’s book, a collection of fairy tales from the late 1970s to the mid 1980s. It contained stories from Hans Christian Anderson (including The Princess and the Pea), the Grimm Brothers, and other authors. It included The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde. It also had a section of Aesop’s Fables. The table of contents separated out the Aesop’s Fables from the other types of stories. Please help me find this book, thank you so much!
Category Archives: Anthology
324L: A Hidden Room Mystery Story (Solved!)
1960’s-1970’s YA mystery short story–people search a castle for a missing keep or room wherein may be hidden a fortune. Many people search. They decide to put a cloth in each window as they search; then they can see from the outside which window has no cloth and is therefore the hidden room. The story is possibly from one of the Alfred Hitchcock Presents Anthologies. It certainly had that feel. Although many others are searching this castle for a missing keep or a room in a keep, only one person finds it. There is some sort of secret entrance, I recall. When the finder discovers the entrance and room, another character (the bad guy) goes with him and murders him there and “hides” the secret entrance to the room again.
I recall (or believe I recall) a line at the end—part of the thoughts of the skeptical castle groundskeeper, I think– “there was no Norman keep.”
324I: Weird Creature Turns Against Boy Who Spared His Life
Looking for a children’s science fiction collection. Only remember one story. It was about a boy who finds an alien or some weird creature in his room, behind a chair I think. He goes to swat it or stomp on it, but it startles him by talking to him, begging for its life. It convinces him it’s friendly. But by the end of the story, it’s clear the creature had malicious intentions; but it’s too late. And the end of the story is the creature telling the boy he should’ve killed it when he had the chance. That’s how I remember it, but I read it 30 years ago.
323Q: Town Gets Rid Of Laws And Other Stories (Solved)
323L: Mermaid short story/book of ironic stories
I believe there was a YA book of ironic stories that I read between 1979-1983. Story I’m looking for: A teenage boy discovers a mermaid living in a pond at the bottom of a quarry. She never breaks the surface of the water, but looks beautiful underneath it. The quarry will soon be dynamited and caved in, so he decides to save her and move her to another pond. When he does capture her, with much difficulty, she is a hideous monster (the water had distorted her features) that nearly kills him. He lets her stay in the pond. The next day the quarry is dynamited and she is buried under the rubble. Have asked for years on every search site I could find. Please help! Thank you!
323I: Anthology for girls featuring Jane Austen and others
323C: Fun Jokes For Kids
323B: Maypole Murder Riddle And Other Mysteries (Solved!)
The book is a compilation of multiple crime riddles. It was most likely published in mid 90s to early 2000s. I’m pretty sure it was a dark purple color and I vaguely remember a magnifying glass on the cover. Oh, and it also contained one mystery involving a murder around a maypole.
322Z: Boy Flies Away In Bubble, Slides Down On Icicle
I remember a storybook collection with one story in particular that stood out, which I have been unable to find mention of here or elsewhere. The story was of a boy who blew a bubble and stepped into it. The bubble floated up and up and up. Eventually he came down sliding on an icicle. The anthology also contained a wonderfully illustrated rendition of The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the other stories in the collection.
I was born in the early 80s and my sister the late 70s so I suspect this collection was published around then or earlier
322W: Delightful Arabian Folktales
Looking for a children’s book with a yellow cloth cover and a drawing of a red tree on the front. It had stories about djinns in it and a story about a tree with three different colored branches, and a story about a dress woven from spider webs and so fine it fit into a walnut shell, and a story about a prince who disguised himself with tripe on his head to pretend to be a beggar.
My friend thought the book was Arabian folktales. She saw this book when she was a child, about 20 years ago.
Thanks!!