Category Archives: Picture Book

301T: It appears to be about service vehicles

1 Reply

Looking for a children’s book which my mom read to me so many times that she memorized the verses below. The time frame could be anywhere from the early 80’s back to the 40’s. “When a cement truck travels, it mixes water, sand and gravel. When it’s travels are complete, it’s full of freshly made concrete. ” “When someone’s in trouble, the police get a call. The police car can get there in no time at all. It’s flashing lights and siren say, ‘I’m in a hurry. Get out of the way!'” It appears to be about service vehicles. I’ve tried Google searches but came up with nothing. Any help is greatly appreciated!

301Q: Choosing a bear (Solved)

3 Replies

Looking for a children’s picture book, possibly published between 1970 and 1990.

The book is about a child going into a store (I think) to choose a bear. There are many to choose from which we are introduced to on the following pages, groom bear, bride bear, stinky bear, sleepy bear, etc.

In the end the child is asked “which one will you choose?” and his/her choice.

301P: A boy makes a “Dagwood” style sandwich (Solved)

2 Replies

1960s children’s picture book about a boy making a tall, stacked “Dagwood” style sandwich.  The text is minimal – “a little of this, a bit of that, and some bread”. There is a girl (sister?) watching him in amusement. The focus is on the entertaining parade of sandwich ingrediants. The pictures are not full color and are sketchy and “modern” in feel.  As a kid this book made me want to make sandwiches every time I read it!

301L: The Sun is Put to Bed

4 Replies

I’m looking for a beautifully illustrated English language children’s book published in the early eighties or possibly late seventies. It was an important part of my childhood that was sadly lost in a move and I just cannot remember its name (I was 8 when it was lost). We lived in England at the time so I’m guessing it was published there.

The illustration was old-fashioned and in full-colour. I think it was art nouveau or art deco style. The theme of the book was about how the sun is put to bed and the night-time gotten ready for. This was done by illustrating most elements using textile symbols. So, curtains were drawn across a sleepy sun, a backdrop of stars was pulled down, the moon was a button that (I think) was hoisted into position, there was scaffolding erected around the moon so it could be cleaned. A cow and a spoon jumped over the moon at one point.

The book was not long, definitely more of a picture book with most illustrations in blue and white colour ways. The text was poetic and may have rhymed. It was a bedtime story for young children. The paper was thick with a matte finish.

If you could help me find this book I would be so, so, so grateful. It was a childhood gift from my much-loved godmother and I think it about it often.

301K: White Bear a in Blue Dress Goes to a Ball

1 Reply

I’m looking for a children’s picture book that features a white bear – I think her name was Edwina but I am not positive. At some point in the story, she puts on a pale blue satin fancy dress and I think she goes to a ball. I owned this book but can’t find it. I would have purchased it between 1990 and 1993. My daughter (who is now 24) marks this book as one of her earliest memories. She was so enamored with this book that I sewed her a pale blue satin dress to match the one the bear wore in the book and she wore it all the time when she was two or three. I still have the dress but can’t find the book. Her birthday is in October and I’d love to find and purchase a copy of this book if I can find it. Thank you in advance for any help!

301I: Catching Fireflies in a Jar

2 Replies

Looking for a children’s picture book that I read sometime between 1969-1973. The story of a young girl and her brother, or sister, catching fireflies in a jar, on a summer night.

The children’s mother (or grandmother) finds an empty glass jar in the pantry and explains how to catch the magical fireflies (she may have caught fireflies herself, as a child).

I recall the beautiful illustrations for this story, which perfectly portrayed the inky, soft atmosphere of a summer evening, filled with hundreds of glowing fireflies. The night sky was created with dark blues and purples, perhaps in pastel chalk or watercolors.

The children’s hair may have looked silvery in the starlight.

I think the fireflies were only kept in the jar for a short time and then were released into the night air.

301A: The pups get into several cans of paint

6 Replies

Hello! I am so hoping you can help me find an old children's book. Unfortunately I don't have a title....so I know I'm asking a lot.

The description of the book is about two dogs – one big (brown?) dog and one a small (black/multicolored?) dog. The book cover is hardcover, white background with the two dogs on it and several cans of paint. The story is about these two pups getting into several cans of colorful paint, painting paw prints all over the walls (and themselves).

It was my favorite book – I read it over and over as a child. I thought I had saved it but have been unable to find it in my moving boxes from over the years.

Estimated date of the book would be early 1970’s.

300S: It was very geometric (Solved)

5 Replies
Hi there! I was born in 1987. When I was a kid (early nineties) I read this book and I LOVED the illustrations. I’m not sure if it was a modern book at the time or not.
It had lots of bright colors and I think very little white space. I remember lots of orange and pinks, and vividly recall one page where a character is walking up stairs, the stairs and the character are just black silhouettes. I think it was very geometric.
For some reason (and I don’t know if this is right at all) I have it in my head that it’s somehow related to a native people, like Aztec or something.
So, it’s definitely a children’s picture book, brightly colored with silhouettes, and geometric. Possibly to do with Aztec or some other native people.

300P: Travels the world while floating in a bubble

Leave a reply

I don’t know the title, but I checked it out from a local library in McAllen, TX about 20 years ago. It is a children’s book with pictures on every page about a small animal (like a hamster or gerbil or mouse?) who travels the world while floating in a bubble. I think the cover was dark blue or purple, and I believe one of the places he went was Paris. I apologize if this isn’t enough detail, but its all I remember. I had it checked out the maximum amount of times and want to own it now for my own kids.

Thanks for your help.