Category Archives: Anthology

318A: A Princess on a Hill at Sunset

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In the late 1960’s a friend gave me a fairy tale book that she owned.  I LOVED IT!!!  It was a plastic coated hardcover, perhaps 8×10 (it was a larger book) with various scenes (in color) depicting the stories inside.  One cover picture that I vividly remember was a princess on a glass hill at sunset.  In the body of the book were a lot of drawings (black and white from what I remember).  I think there was a knight in armor on the cover, but I could be mistaken.  I also think there were pictures on the front and back cover.  I LOVED the interior pictures and traced many.  Stories that MAY have been inside were one about “Roland”, definitely princess on the hill story.

I kept the book for years, but thinking that I would not have children to share the book with, I gave it to my stepdaughter, who promptly lost it.  (I love her a ton, but of course she didn’t value the book as much as I did – reading material is a hugely personal preference).

I did read fairy tales to my daughters, but I would love to have this book to share for possible grandchildren.

 

317Z: My First Book of Poetry

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I received a poetry anthology of about 20 children’s poems titled something like “My First Book of Poetry” in the 1960s. It had one poem per page and simple black ink drawings. Some of the poems included: “The Fog” by Robert Frost, “Alexander Beetle,” by A. A. Milne, “The Spider and the Fly,” by Mary Howitt, “The Neighbor” (?) by Edna St. Vincent Millay and “Poor Tired Tim” by Walter de la Mare. I lost the book in moving and have not been able to relocate it for years. Any help would be much appreciated.

316H: The mer-folk take over the island

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I am looking for a short story that I read a few years ago about an island that belongs to the mer-folk/ sea beings. The island lies off a coastal town who connect it to the mainland via jetty/pier and build a dance hall on it. The mer-folk throw up a huge storm on a dance night and separate the island from the mainland once again. They claim back their island. There was good description of the storm and its effect on the dancers I think. I read it in a compilation of spooky stories but I have never found it since. I would love to read it again.

314E: She Recalls the Word “Willow”

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I am looking for a children’s book.
This book was published around 1959-1960 give or take a year or two. It had a medium blue hard cover and was approximately 8 x 6 and 100 pages give or take some.
It had many short stories and poems. The illustrations were primarily black ink and the drawings remind me of Irene Haas illustrations. This book may have been part of a Harper and Brothers adult book club selection because I have another book my mother had from this club and it is titled “The Day Christ Was Born” By Jim Bishop. She said the children’s book was offered as a special selection. My sister recalls the word “Willow” she thought maybe that may have been in the title of the book or possibly a title to one of the stories. I have been looking for this book for quite a few years and any help would be appreciated.

314B: Mer-Folk and a Stormy on Dance Night

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The short story I am looking for was from a compilation of stories, probably a compilation of spooky stories. Not sure whether it was set in the United States or the United Kingdom. I think it was the UK.  I read it a few years ago; it was about an island that belongs to the mer-folk/ sea beings. The island lies off a coastal town which connect to the mainland via jetty/pier and build a dancehall on it. The mer-folk throw up a huge storm on a dance night and separate the island from the mainland once again. They claim back their island. There was good description of the storm and its effect on the dancers I think. I would love to read it again.

313U: Mer-folk and a Stormy Dance Night

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The short story I am looking for was from a compilation of stories, probably a compilation of spooky stories. Not sure whether it was set in the United States or the United Kingdom. I think it was the UK.  I read it a few years ago; it was about an island that belongs to the mer-folk/ sea beings. The island lies off a coastal town which connect to the mainland via jetty/pier and build a dancehall on it. The mer-folk throw up a huge storm on a dance night and separate the island from the mainland once again. They claim back their island. There was good description of the storm and its effect on the dancers I think. I would love to read it again.

313K: Stories From Around the World (Solved!)

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The book I’m looking for was stories for older aged kids than the grade school library I found it in (our librarian wanted to encourage us). The book had a red hardcover, about 16″ x 8″ and was about 2″ thick. It had an illustration from the first story, I think, on the cover. The only story I remember the title for is The Twelve Princesses. It had stories from Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and probably more. When us grade schoolers got on the bus with it the older kids tried to borrow it! It was quite a read and some bits of the story lines were, the stairs to heaven with a trapdoor on one of the ends (Japanese), and the man who escaped a pond/water which he had to pass by putting a shell to his ear which had been filled with a love song by his beloved (Malaysia, I think). I wish I had more specifics.

313I: Seven Soviet Sisters

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This book was a little over my head when I was around 7 (ironically). It was not a Little Golden Book nor a Disney book!

It was a story book or what seemed to be a collection of related stories. An elementary epic?  May be Scandinavian stories rather than Soviet.

The early 1970s edition I had was bright blue and the cover was at least 8 ½ x 11.

There were seven (or only six) sisters. In the picture book version each sister was wearing an ornate but monochromatic dress. I’m thinking they were different examples of the regional dresses worn, or maybe clan-type styles. But with a hippie-vibe art style.

I think each sister was sent out on some kind of unusual coming-of-age search. Or maybe they were kidnapped by seven (or six) different people and each had a story about how they got home.

I was a natural reader, but either the words were a bit too big for me or I was too interested in what they were wearing to remember much of the plot. (That, and home wasn’t peaceful so I was sleep-deprived…so it was a big, wordy, beautiful blur of a book.)

I’d still have the book, but since I didn’t seem to be reading it, Mom gave it away to charity. I still have books that I was given when I was even younger…

 

309U: Illustrated colour hardcover short stories from around world

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I am looking for a children’s book I had as a child. It had short stories (1-2 pages) per story and they were different stories from around the world. There were a lot of different stories – at least 25 plus.

I recall three – one was the leprachaun, another about a boy who had egg nest soup and I think there was one about ananzi

I got the book as a gift – it would have been late 1980’s or early 1990’s. I think it would have been published in South Africa.

309T: Poems, myths, legends, fables, bios and much more

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I am looking for an anthology of children’s literature that I received as a new book in the late 60’s or very early 70’s. It was a single volume and quite thick. It was divided by genre similar to, but not exactly like, THE CHILDREN’S HOUR 16 volume collection. It was also on a similar reading level. There were poems, myths, legends, fables, bios and much more. I remember those categories because they were my favorites. I specifically remember Pandora’s Box, Arachne, The Oak and the Linden. Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated.