Category Archives: Anthology

171A: Book of Poetry and Stories

When I was a child, we had a set of books that included 6-8 volumes. I don’t believe it was Childcraft, but something similar. The first volume was gray and blue, I believe. The illustrations were absolutely stunning. I remember many of the poems – Robert Louis Stevenson; one about digging in the sand at the beach; a diller, a dollar, a 10 o’clock scholar; two little kittens, one stormy night, began to quarrel and then to fight. There were also stories – Christmas at Hollow Tree Inn; one about fairies.

166D: Woman wants blue teapot for birthday (solved)

The book is a medium-sized hardcover compilation of children’s stories that includes one about a woman who is upset because she cannot find or does not have a blue teapot. Her friends and neighbors begin bringing her teapots of varying sizes and patterns, but none of them are the right one. Eventually she finds the teapot she wants and decides to give the other ones away.

Other stories may include a clambake, a young boy taming/naming a horse named Starbuck on a ranch, the circus coming to town, and a man who peddles pots on a mountain. My memory is fuzzy, so I’m not sure if those will be included in the book — but it’s important that the story of the teapots is there. I believe that this is a book my mother read as a child, so it should be published before or during the early 1960s. The cover (sans dust jacket) is bright green and depicts a valley or meadow. Any help or suggestions you could give would be invaluable.

166A: Collection of folk/fairy tales from around the world

A beautifully illustrated hard cover book of folk and fairy tales from around the world, including Peer Gynt, Tovik Tomte and the Trolls, a story about African wind, the Twelve Seasons, a blue-beard type story from China, an Australian story about the breadfruit flower/tree, a Scottish story about a black bull & an Irish story about a mermaid.

 

163C:Collection with Little Red Hen and a Fox (solved)

I’m looking for a collection of children’s short stories that my mom read as a child (either read herself or had them read to her – her memory is fuzzy).  She was born in 1944.  She remembers illustrations in the book and the book having a story about a fox and a little red hen.  Any information or leads you can provide would be awesome!

163A: illustrations, dragon toothache, Li Po moon, princesses, mountain climbing

I am looking for a large (coffee-table sized) book of children’s stories that are beautifully illustrated by watercolor in full color with glossy pages. The illustrations could be kind of scary–they were artistic, but not childish or cartoonish. The stories were involved, with lot of text.
One was about a dragon that had a toothache because a baker’s apprentice brought him so many cookies and donuts. Another about the Chinese character Li Po trying to get the moon in a cup.
Another about dangerous mountainous adventures.

 

157I: Collected Stories and Poems

My aunt bought me this book in the late 1970s (I’m thinking 1978 for some reason). It was a white hardcover with green leaves I believe, and a picture of King Arthur on the front. Maybe 3/4 of an inch thick. She got it at a little 5 and dime (G.C. Murphy’s) located in Southern Ohio.

I’m guessing there were probably 20-30 stories in the volume and each had full color illustrations. In the back of the book was a selection of poetry. Also some illustration in with the poetry but these were in black and white.

Some of the stories included were: Sinbad, Puss in Boots, The Emperor’s New Clothes, King Arthur, The Tinder Box, and Jack the Giant Killer.
The only poem I remember distictly was The Jabberwocky.
I want to say the title was something like “A Children’s Treasury of…” or something similar.

 

157H: Girl awakes with stuffy nose, cant smell breakfast.

Book of short stories (not fairy tales-more like stories with a lesson) with illustrations. presumably hard cover and 8.5×10 (although I suspect I was missing part of the book along with the cover) From the clothing worn in the illustrations, which were few but what I remember most-The book was probably from the 50’s-60’s-The earliest I would have read it would have been around 1979. The stories would be to my extremely fuzzy memory, no longer than 2 pages or so. The ones I remember are as follows: There is an illustration of a mother (very June Cleaver-esque) downstairs in the kitchen cooking breakfast while the smell of presumably bacon can be seen wafting upstairs to a bedroom where 2 girls (early teens) are awaking. I think the girl in the 2nd bed is a friend sleeping over. the 1st girl awakes to smell breakfast cooking but the friend doesn’t. The friend has awaken ill. The story touches on her senses and the mom explains that because she has a cold-her sense of smell is gone. Next story shows an illustration of a younger boy who has fallen and skinned his knee or arm, maybe off of a bicycle..he is crying and and an older brother comes to help him I don’t remember the point of the story but I remember the illustrator drew bags under his eyes to signify the distress from his crying and it looked extremely odd to me, even as a child I thought it odd. also I think he may have been missing some front teeth (due to his age, not the fall). Another story is a father and son at a camping ground or walking in the woods, one of them has a plaid jacket on. I think it is fall. They happen upon a camp fire that was not properly put out or they are about to leave their own campfire (dont recall) but the story is basically the dad telling the boy the dangers of not putting out campfires properly. The last one I remember is an illustration of 2 little girls with short bob cuts,almost identical but one is blonde one is brunette walking in unison in the rain. each one has on a raincoat, rain boots, and umbrella one is all red, the other is all yellow. I think they meet a 3rd girl along the way. She may have not had any friends but she looks like them also. She may have on all blue or green but dressed as the other girls are..this story is about friendship..the illustration reminds me of the morton salt girl X3. I’m pretty sure this story was near the end of the book or possibly the last story. for some reason, these are the only ones I remember reading over and over again..but surely there were more in the book. I’ve longed for this book for so many years!!! Please help!

 

156C: 1960’s lighthouse “boy and girl go to big city” “department store” escalator

Only story I remember from a book of stories I received in the 1st or 2nd grade, mid to late 1960’s.  A hardcover book with color illustrations, about a boy and girl, lighthouse keeper’s children, who go with Mom to a big city department store with an escalator.  No title, author or publisher.