Hello, I hope you can help me find this book for my dad! The book is a picture book (which my parents gave me) for children and is about the passing of the seasons, especially winter and summer. I do not remember much text, there may not have been any. The drawings are page size (the book was hardcover and large) and beautifully drawn and very detailed, some with a view of what happens on the surface as well as underground. The drawings show the retreating winter in spring, and the advancing winter in the autumn. Winter and summer are represented by large armies of creatures (dwarfs?) and animals battling each other. I vividly remember a (cute) rodent pulling a sort of oversized triangular spiral drill (with a handle) in a tunnel. A large tree behind which armies gather. The summer army bombards the winter one with some objects (flowers?). The images are very natural, no machines. It is not a violent battle, more symbolic, there were flowers, nuts, trees. In the spring, winter is retreating, and in the autumn summer is on the back-foot. The scenes were spring-like and autumn-like respectively, with the parts of the scenery representing summer and on which the summer army was gathered being more lush than the parts representing winter, which were more harsh. I cannot recall a plot or story line other than this recurrent passing of the seasons. I do not remember a protagonist, there may not have been one. I do not think there were many pages, perhaps a dozen or so. I read the book in the mid to late eighties in Germany. There may have been two editions, one in German and the other one in English. The book may have come to Germany from the UK/Ireland. I have reasons to believe that the original was in English. It somehow was a very special book, to me anyhow. Thank you for your help!
Category Archives: Picture Book
333U: A Three Star Bear or The Three Star Bear, maybe even Three Star Bear
What the story is about is a little bear, who is always good and always on the right side of everything, receives three stars and then brags to his friends – a raccoon, a rabbit, and I don’t remember the others. But his friends get tired of the bragging and say something not very nice, so he decides to be a bad bear instead. I think he ties the raccoon’s fur in knots. But in the end, he fixes everything and learns his lesson. It was maybe a 20-page book with illustrations on every page.
The front of the book has the little bear walking through the woods. Kind of pink or peach border around the picture. The picture is just black and white, no color. The little bear looks a lot like the bear in the stories of “Little Bear” by Else Holmelund Minarik; however, they are not by the same author.
I was in Elementary School when we found it at the library one day, and it was my mother’s favorite book of all time. I still remember my mother reading it to me and how she made me laugh, and I would love to get it for her. I just can’t find this book.
I am 42 now and it was 1982-989 time frame that it was in the library. If you can find this, it would be a welcome surprise for my mother. Thank you for your time on this.
333S: Teenage Girl Helps Orphaned Foxes in their Den
My mom (born in 1960) has long searched for this book she read in her childhood. She consulted with librarians and even wrote a letter to the Toronto Star, but none of the suggestions were it. She gave up in the '90s. It was a picture book (for children) about a teenage girl who finds a den of orphaned fox cubs and cares for them in the den, rather than taking them home. The illustrations were in pencil crayon or pastel style. She believes it wasn't an old book back then, so it was probably published in the late '50s or '60s.
333R: Interactive Alphabet Sounds
I am looking for a children’s interactive alphabet sound book that was purchased in the 90's at either Price Club or Costco. I believe it had a white cover with the soundboard of alphabet letters attached to the side of the book. Each letter would play a sound. All I can remember is that the “T” was for trombone. This is all I can remember at this point. Thank you!
333N: Dinosaur Rainbow
Seeking the following book:
– children’s book
– owned in late 1980’s
333M: Boy (Artist?) Finds Flower Fairy, Keeps it in a Glass Dome (Solved!)
333I: Boy’s Overgrown Chalk Art Washed Away By Rain
Boy chalks beanstalk or garden all over the pavement/sidewalk of his town, possibly as part of an art competition. Then rain washes it away, leaving only what was done in an alley way.
Children’s fiction - read in 1980/1990s. He was given an allotted space to do his chalk art but he went up the walls and through alley ways etc. At the end it was all rained away.
Beautiful illustrations as I recall - not a chapter book but a child’s story book.
333H: Big sister anticipating little brother, wonders if she can trade it for a dog (Solved!)
I received a children’s book in 1995/1996 in anticipation of my little brother. We lived in Gardner, Massachusetts at the time (central MA). The book had beautiful illustrations (something about Monique Felix’s illustrations for The Velveteen Rabbit reminds me of it), and was about a little girl finding out she was going to have a little brother and not being excited about it. She wondered if she could trade it for a dog. She also ate an egg out of an egg cup at some point in the story. I believe there was something about her getting a new coat as well, either peacoat or cape-style. The style of the book in my memory makes me think it was not necessarily American, nor necessarily published in that time period (egg cups?!).
333E: Young Muskrat Contends With a Forest Fire
The story is a muskrat growing up, his adventures, from his point of view. Most memorable part is when there is a forest fire going on; he describes the fear, the fire, smoke, etc.
I read this book around 1961-63, so book was definitely published before 1963. Book was dark brown. Illustrations are like a moonlit night as the muskrat travels by a stream and sees smoke, etc.
332Z: Exceptional Animals, “Goodness Gracious!” (Solved!)
Seeking a children’s rhyming picture book, published sometime in the last 10 – 30 years; describes major characteristics of several animals (i.e., big ears of a fenec, sharp teeth of something, big spots of leopard) using the phrase “Goodness gracious!”; final page is “Goodness gracious, what a noise . . . from girls and boys!” and it shows children playing outside at recess.