Looking for info on 2 books from my childhood. All I can remember is one was red and one was yellow. They were both large, like 12×16 maybe. The content was mostly stories and nursery rhymes accompanied by artwork and maybe some general science for kids. The covers may have been embossed. Mid to late 60’s is when i was reading them. They may have accompanied the My Book House series but don’t count on that. I just remember those at the same time perhaps. Any help would be appreciated. fiosco@bell. net. Thanks, Scott
Category Archives: Anthology
350Z: AI Celebrate Anniversary Date Of Their Creation
I read this story in English, I think in an anthology of short stories (I read a lot of those), sometime around the very end of the 90s or early 2000s. I’m pretty sure it was only a few pages long.
It’s presented from the perspective of a family waiting for a lift or a babysitter before going to a party. The parents are getting ready and the kids are (I think) getting ready for bed.
The gist of it is (you discover either through the story or at the end) that humans invented Artificial Intelligence at some point. Instead of the AIs turning on humans Skynet-style, they simply realised that Earth was a tiny part of the universe and that they were easily capable of travelling out into space in search of freedom and adventure in places that humans weren’t suited to. Thus they went out and colonised the stars, but they still remember their creators fondly and keep an eye on them. Every year (I think) they throw a huge party for humanity on the anniversary of their creation to say thank you, and this is the party that the parents are getting ready for
I *think* the story ends with the parents getting into the car/spaceship that arrives to take them to the party, and possibly robots arriving to babysit the kids?
It’s set in “The Future”, but I don’t recall it being specific with a date or time frame.
For years I suspected it was by Brian Aldiss, but I haven’t managed to find any of his work that seems to fit it. I don’t recall it being particularly aimed at kids or YA, but it would likely have been easy for them to read anyway.
350L: True Ghost Story Collection
I am looking for a paperback collection of “true” ghost stories, published probably in the 1970s. Cover: Ghost bride on stairs. One story has a title like “The Scent of Lilac”.
350C: Short story compilation
349I: Children’s ghost story U.K.
It was a collection of horror stories for children I think and one of them was a lady with a burned or scarred face who possibly came out of a painting. She was called Rhoda or Roda or something like that. It had these simple ink illustrations and I remember that one.
It had another story where a boy (I think) was hiding and heard the ghosts of some body snatchers - it may have been a retelling of Burke and Hare.
I’m English if that helps and I think I would have read this sometime in the 90’s.
Sorry, that’s so vague but those are the two that I think I remember.
349F: Boy with gigantic tall spoon catching clouds
348Z: The Griffins Who Loved Tragedies and Other Short Stories (Solved!)
Collection of magical and wacky short stories for children, I believe it was an anthology of different authors, but I’m not sure. The edition I read in the 2000s had a cover illustrated with dancing pumpkins entwined with various characters from the short stories. It was old, maybe 70s or 80s? One story was of the pumpkins, someone tended them too well and they danced around the town causing havoc, another involved too much bubblegum. The only story I remember in detail was one of an author who wrote comedies. Everyone loved them, but he dreamed of writing tragedies. Whenever he tried submitting tragedies to his publisher, he was turned down. Being the father of two boys, he can’t afford to stop writing his jokes. These two boys also wanted a swimming pool. One night the author threw his tragedy out the window, and the pages floated to the mountains. The next few nights he heard crying coming from the mountain – and finally he went to investigate. There he found a griffin, crying over a few pages of his manuscript. Griffins, apparently, love tragedies. So the author offers to write him more, and give dramatic readings, and the griffin brings his friends, and their tears flow down the mountain, and become a natural swimming pool for the author’s boys, who become the best swimmers at their school.
348Y: The Magician’s Windows and Other Short Stories (Solved!)
348O: Book with a page that is a dream about nose turning into a pickle w/ illustration (Solved!)
Book was hard cover, dark blue, about the same size and length as Graeme Base’s “Animalia”.
348G: Stories for Five Year Olds
My Stumper request is for a book entitled either “Stories for Five Year Olds” or “Five Year Old Stories”. I purchased this as a paperback in the 1990’s.
Short stories include “A Drink of Water”, “Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf” and “The Little Boy and His House”. This was a favorite book of my daughters when they were young. I’m now trying to find it for my granddaughter. Your assistance is greatly appreciated!