Category Archives: Early Reader

378A: Identify Childrens’ Books 1930s – 40s, photos of tableaux

The books I’m trying to remember were children’s books for youngish readers, medium-size (12 x 8 inches perhaps?), hardback and slim, perhaps 20 pages long, I feel not more than 30. They had text on one page (but not very much, a few sentences at most) and illustrations opposite. 

They were in the children’s bookcase in my father’s parents house: at least two titles. I was a little disdainful of them as a child myself (in the 1960s): they seemed a bit basic and unsophisticated to my small snobbish self. But they clearly had some kind of evocative magic, which is calling to me 50 years later. I’ve never seen anything like them since and was unable to google anything of the kind. My family is UK-based, though my grandfather worked in Washington DC during WW2. 

If I had to guess the publication date (based on when my father and his siblings were children, and the colour reproduction) I’d say the 1940s or early 50s. The stories were simple tales with a comic or slapstick outcome — possibly of a moral nature. A particular story I feel I strongly remember involves a house filling with water. 

The illustrations were colour photographs — but not photographs of real-life subjects. Instead they were photos of model characters on a little stage-set, a maquette complete with props and scale-model model furniture and so on. As with a cartoon or any illustrated story, each picture was a snapshot of the narrative: but from picture to picture while the characters might have been moved or adjusted within the stage-set, the set itself often stayed the same, possibly through the entire story (this I remember less well).  

The scenes I remember most clearly were the interiors of houses, sparsely furnished with wide expanses of wall in particular, of perhaps a single pastel pink or green. I think there was outdoors scenes also: when I try and recall the feel of the scenes what comes to mind is stills from the TV show Gumby (1953-onwards — but I was not aware of it at the time).  Certainly a similar sense of a flat painted backdrop, with similar spatial relationships between characters and objects and backdrop items. Also very much in colour, though perhaps more washed-out. I actually don’t remember the characters very well, but if my memory isn’t playing tricks I think they had more of a feel of pipe-cleaner people. 

377L: The White Blob From The Moon

Hi there! I’m seeking Stump the Bookseller’s help in finding a lost book from my childhood. It was about a white, blobby creature that came down to the earth from the moon and had adventures. This book was available in the Huntingdon Valley Public library in the Philadelphia area in the 90s (I’ve looked there and asked the librarians without success) but I’m sure it was not self-published. It was a picture book or perhaps an early-reader chapter book (I believe it was portrait orientation) and I think it was part of a series. It was illustrated–if not fully illustrated–on the interior. It was not new in the 90s–it had a slightly vintage feel–perhaps 60s, 70s, or 80s. The art style was graphic and cartoony–more akin to the Space Case books by Edward Marshall than something illustrative like Moornhorse by Mary Pope Osborne (and no, it’s not either of these–It’s also not Moon Man by Tomi Ungerer, the Matthew Looney series, or Dmitri the Astronaut by Jon Agee.) There were themes of loneliness–perhaps the moon creature came down to earth to make friends? It’s possible he was not from the moon but rather a different planet. I believe the background color of the cover was black. It’s possible that this unsolved query is describing the same book: http://w1.loganberrybooks.com/stumpthebookseller/145x-moon-creatures/. [EDIT: I now believe this is a book in the Moonbird series called The Unicorn and Witch. I don’t think it’s the book I’m looking for, though.] My mom remembers the moon creature as having had a pear-shaped body, maybe a bit of neck, and then an oval or round head, whereas I more clearly remember a white horse or perhaps unicorn. There could have been a little boy protagonist too, but I don’t remember clearly.

376F: A Brother and Sister and their Cat

Three short stories about two children and their cat. They are a brother and sister. In one story, the cat eats all their aunt’s goldfish, one at a time on successive visits to her house, and they manage to gradually replace them one at a time so that she never realizes. In another story, burglars break into the children’s house when they’re home alone and the cat scares them away. My grandmother bought this book for me in the mid-80s. I believe the format is somewhat taller and narrower than a standard book. It has illustrations throughout, they are sketchy black and white, possibly with touches of red, blue and yellow. Not sure whether it would be classified as a picture book or an early reader.

376E: A talking horse and an aloe plant

Looking for a slim paperback from the 80s. It might have been from either Starbooks or Scholastic Book Club. Written at the early reader level, a little less than a full chapter book. Set in the American West. A boy goes to a livestock auction and encounters a horse who can talk. He’s a recently captured mustang who wants to rejoin his herd. He persuades the boy to buy him and they become friends but the horse always wants to return to the wild. Somehow the boy smashes his mom’s potted aloe plant, which she needs to treat a burned hand. The horse offers a deal where he will show the boy where to find one growing in the wild in exchange for his freedom. They make a secret journey into the wilderness at night to find the plant. I think the title is something obvious like “The Horse Who Could Talk” but I can’t find anything online.

374I: Vintage children’s book about two raccoon brothers

The book was published sometime in the 1960s to 1970s. It had full-color illustrations and multiple stories presented like chapters about two raccoon brothers. The book was probably written for children between 4-7 years of age, or early readers. The only two chapters I remember were about not chewing with your mouth open and having a hard time falling asleep. In the first story, the older brother is annoyed by his younger brother chewing with his mouth open, making a noisy mess. The younger raccoon tries to chew with his mouth closed but has a hard time, even going so far as to tearfully pull his cheeks out so he doesn’t bite them. Eventually, the older brother relents and the younger brother happily resumes his messy, noisy eating. In the second story, the younger raccoon is struggling to fall asleep in his top bunk. The older brother, in the bed below, advises his brother to say goodnight to his body, part by part, starting with his toes. But by the time the young raccoon gets to his (knees, hips, stomach? can’t remember), his toes have “woken up” and he is sad. I don’t remember much more about this book other than I loved it very much as a young child in the 80s, and it was a gift from my beloved grandmother.

373O: Primer featuring a little fairy/brownie

I am looking for a copy of the first book I ever read (I have been looking for it since 1995 without success). What I remember is:
– I was born in 1960 and started reading in 1963. We were poor and the only books we had were from my father (born in 1940) so the book would have been 1920-1940s for when he went to school in 1945.
– I remember the color of the book had a dark sandy brown cover and had the words “first primer” or “young reader” on the cover. Primer figured prominently on the cover and/or title page but I cannot remember the exact wording. I think there was a square illustration on the cover but am not sure.
– There were stories, poems, and I think a musical score at the center of the book. The main story involved a little brownie (fairy/sprite) with a red cap, with squirrels for friends/neighbors. The illustrations were only two to three colors, red and brown primarily.
– I have been looking for this book for approximately 30 years. off and on, without success. Other books in the similar time frames come close but they are not the one. The closest ones in style, illustration, and structure are The Work-Play Books Make and Make Believe by Gates and Huber and The Children’s Own Readers Book Two by Ginn and Co. circa 1920s.
I grew up in Norwalk, CT in the 60’s if that helps in any way.

372K: The Signs Come Alive! (Solved!)

Seeking a short children’s chapter book, some black and white line drawings. Published by the early 1990’s, probably much earlier. Inn signs from around town come alive at night and hang out together. Definitely a rabbit, a mermaid, and either a lion or a tiger. Possibly a unicorn as well. They get stuck in the position they are at when the sun rises, so they must rush back to get to their signs in time. A child notices that they’ve been shifting positions.

372H: A boy named Junior tries to fly (Solved!)

The book was found on the shelf of my grade school library near the Boxcar Children and my best guess of pub date is 1960s to 1990s-early reader chapter book/ middle school reading level. In the first book of the series a young boy jumps from the roof of the family barn with homemade (airplane?) wings and breaks both legs; I think the boy’s name is Junior- the story follows a sibling set who i remember being cared for by an older (non parent) male relative – there is a pet companion involved, a dog? At one point, Junior knocks on the front door to the home from the inside to ask permission to come sit outside with the older male relative in one of the series’ culminating scenes
This book has haunted my dreams for almost fifteen years and I badly want to find an old copy to read. please let me know if it sounds familiar and thank you for providing this essential service to society- that sounds facetious, but I promise I am serious as a heart attack, thank you. 

370D: Good Clean Fun for Kids!

The book was the size and style of a Dr Seuss book with an orange cover.  It contained fun things for kids to do ie: curly paper  book mark races ( something about Willy?) , rooting a sweet potato and making a newspaper tree.   I think it may have been the same illustrator as the Seuss books.  It would probably have been published in the 1960″s.