Category Archives: Picture Book

186G: Children’s Book About Foxes (solved)

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I read this book around 1996 and it looked kind of old then. It was a hard cover, wide book and I’m pretty sure the picture on the front was yellow/orange. Very autumn like. The story was about a family of foxes, a mother, father, a son and a daughter (they specifically used the word vixen). The little vixen fox went and found an elderly couple who lived in a house and stayed with them. They gave her a red ribbon to wear. Her leg got caught in a hunter’s trap, and her mom came and lay down with her, where I think it snowed on them and they died together. Every year after that a certain kind of flower (might have been red) would grow in the shape of their bodies laying together.

186C: Trying to surprise Gramma with book

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My Gramma used to read my dad a childrens book when he was young (he was born in 1951) and she can’t remember the book but knows the phrase “(from the top top top) of his head head head” – the part in () I think is what she said but not sure. I think it might have been a golden book, and not sure of the rest from there. His name when he was little was Jimmy, not sure if that’s the character or not. Good luck, it’s not much to go off of. I could probably probe for more if needed from my Gramma. (i was hoping to surprise her). Thanks!

185F: Faithful dog completes difficult task

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This was a short story in a book of children’s stories, ca 1945-50?

The owner of a mastiff bets that his dog will accomplish a verbal task no matter what. He shows the dog a piece of money ( I believe it was an English crown), puts it in the dog’s mouth, tells him to take it home and sends him off. He goes home to await the dog’s arrival. A long interval goes by with no dog. Finally the dog arrives, bleeding with many dog bites, but still has the crown in his mouth.

The faithful dog has completed his task at fearful cost!

185E: Vibrant Color book

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My book stumper is a children’s picture book I’m pretty sure it’s about colours. I have no title or author but I was about 5 or 6 reading it, making that 1963-64.
What I remember most are the deep rich vibrant colours. It was nothing like the washed out, pastel-riddled books I mostly had.
One page was a drawing of a bunch of grapes and they were the deepest, purplest, most mouth-watering colour imaginable.
I think I remember a cloudy storm page…all blues,blacks,grey’s. Images were large and loud. Maybe a new book in the vibrant 60’s!

There was an orangey page. A bold page of sun, I think.

I remember no people and if there was text it was very limited… maybe “a purple bunch of grapes” or just “grapes are purple”. No story.
Only about 8- 10pgs perhaps.
Hardback. paper pages.

We grew up in Canada so either an American or British book, not likely Canadian.

It was stunning. I would love to find it

185C: Cream puffs in European Village, 19th/early 20th century

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This children’s picture book was written at the latest in the 70s. I believe it is set in a European village, probably French, and a cream puff bakery figures prominently (the baker may have been name pierre or a similar french name). the protagonist, a little boy, loves cream puffs and somehow either witnesses the bad guys (soldier/government agents/thieves?), and has to escape from them through a coal chute. I think the bad guys get stuck in the coal chute and the little boy escapes through a hole into a snowy place. It may be set in WWI or earlier. The style of drawings may be maurice sendak-ish.

185B: Fox in a Box hunted by Joe (solved)

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My entire family thinks I’m crazy now. Was challenged by one of those ‘name 10 books that have stayed with you’ and could not think of the name of a children’s picture book that we read almost daily when I was growing up.

The book included the rhyme: A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go,
We’ll catch a fox and put him in a box,
And then we’ll let him go!

But I do not think it included the remainder of the rhyme, only that part with the fox in the box. As I recall the cover of the book was green, and about 1/4 to 1/2″ in depth. Maybe 12″ in length, and 10″ in height. Probably published in the 1960s, because it was something I learned to read as a child.

The plot of the book was that Joe wanted to go fox hunting, catch a fox and put him in the box, and then let him go. I believe, he was going to hunt the fox with a bow and arrow, and did shoot the fox in the leg with the arrow. He put the fox in the box, and the fox pleaded with him to remove the arrow and let him go, as Joe promised. But Joe wanted to keep the fox. Ultimately, the fox was let go.

I always thought the book was called Fox in a Box, but cannot find it under that name. It was definitely not a Dr. Seuss book.

Would be awesome if you could find this book.

184F: Blue bear injured while racing bike

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I am looking for a children’s book, I am unsure of title but the (I believe) main character was a blue bear. He was injured while racing a dirt bike or motorcycle. I think he had his head bandaged after the injury. The book was a large, hardcover book (larger than a typical Dr Suess book, but about as long) and the cover was primarily yellow I believe.
My little brother checked this book out repeatedly around 1990-1994, I’m not sure how old the book is.
Thank you for your time.

 

184E: Child and dog growing up together

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It would make a friend’s year if I could find this…
Kid’s book. White cover. Most likely from the 60’s or 70’s. Maybe 50’s.
Child and dog growing up together. At end of book dog is huge and doesn’t fit on rug that is throughout the book. Almost written as a dog care guide. Kid gets the puppy, feeds and takes care of puppy as they grow together. Sketch style artwork. Subdued colors. Irish settler like dog. Probably 8″ x 11″ book. Maybe 20 pages.

184D: Man wins hand of King’s daughter with help from friends

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Hello! I am reaching out to you in hopes you can help me locate a book I have been searching for for years. It’s about a quest nonetheless! 🙂 I do not know the title, I do not know the author. I remember it was a large hardbound book, the kind they used to make in the 70’s, that kind of story book. It was about a man who wanted to win the hand of the kings daughter, so he set up wild tasks for him to accomplish, and he did, with the help of his friends. One could run so fast he set things aflame, one could turn himself into a pig and eat and eat. One task was to get a golden egg maybe? I remember him climbing a mountain and trying to get into a nest that was far out of reach.
The pictures were amazing! When I think back, they remind me of Hildebrant type, like the old hobbit,very fantasy, very detailed. The man had a whole group of friends with him who could do amazing things that helped him pass his tasks. They did it without the king knowing how he did it.

 

184C: The musician and the horrendously ugly giant (solved)

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I can’t remember its name. I’ll title it “The musician and the horrendously ugly giant” for now.

This was a book about a small town terrorized by a giant. A mother tells her son to not go outside, but he runs outside with his musical instrument (banjo? fiddle?) and somehow drives away the giant. The book’s description of the giant with ugly nails and teeth was chilling. It had an accompanying book on tape. I listened every day, terrified, when I was in first grade circa 1996.