Category Archives: Solved

303R: WWII evacuated kids hiding in English country house ruins. (Solved!)

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C​hildren’s fiction book set during WWII in England.​ A group of evacuated children, abandoned or lost are hiding from enemy troops in ruined building or cellar in rural England.

​The oldest girl is the “mum” taking care of the little ones.​ They make it homely using stencils of pineapples?  (that may be a different book?)

When they are finally rescued by friendly troops, they are given treats by soldiers: a bar of chocolate and one orange to share between them. The youngest girl slowly unwraps chocolate foil like it is priceless treasure, but ultimately decides the orange is the best thing she has ever eaten.

Thanks!

303L: By the Sea, By the Sea (Solved)

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I am looking for a novel which I read in the early 1960s, a gently humorous story of the eccentric inhabitants of a seaside town located along the Atlantic Ocean. The name of the town was “Plankton”. Three of the inhabitants were retired school teachers who shared a house, one of whom spent her days entering and winning contests. There were other residents, but since I was in either the 7th or 8th grade at the time, it was the school teachers who made the biggest impression on me.

A young single woman and a young man who loved insects and the study of bugs came into Plankton, eventually falling in love.

The young man was recruited to appear on a game show on television, where he dazzled the audience with his knowledge of bugs.

Of course, he won large sums of money.

The three school teachers took these two lonely people under their collective wing. Living in Plankton seemed to restore their confidence and their purpose in life.

When the two young people do fall in love and marry, they decide to live in Plankton. Their house was outfitted by the household items won by the content-winning school teachers.

I thought the title of the book was “By the Sea, By the Sea”, and the author’s name was Barkley or Berkely.

I remember that I had a paperback edition; the book may have been published in the mid to late 1950s. While I was a young teenager when I read this book, it was definitely a grown-up’s book.

I hope one of the book researchers will be able to find this charming, memorable book for me.

303G: 80s Children’s Chapter Story Anthology Big Book (Solved)

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I think from the 80s, it was an anthology with chapters of different kids stories in it. I think there was a Judy Blume chapter (Fudge), a story about a boy picking between a blue or red toothbrush, a story about a kid not wanting to touch the gunk in the bottom of the sink that is left after the dishes, maybe the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle story about the kids not hearing their parents so they put powder in their ears, maybe a Wayside story chapter. I think it was a big white book (hardcover with a white jacket).

303D: A boy draws pictures that come alive (Solved!)

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I am looking for the name of a book about a boy who draws pictures that come alive(read in the 80’s to my kids). He draws money/treasure for a “gimpy old man” in the park.(And other things for other people?) People fight over it so he rips up or erases the drawing and the money/treasure disappears. He decides to draw a small dragon which comes to life and he goes home. Thank you

303C: Beauty and the Beast fiction anthology (Solved)

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I’m hunting down a fiction anthology that involved “Beauty and the Beast” riffs. One of the riffs involved a perfect couple (I think New Yorkers) with a perfect life–and the wife was slowly beginning to think that her beautiful, flawless, successful, doting husband had a terrible double life as a beast in a city reeling from a series of bloody, violent attacks. I’m fairly sure it was published in softcover in the late 1980s to mid 1990s. One detail that really stands out to me is that when the husband came home late one night, the wife noticed a drop of blood on his cheek and realized that he was the beast–which left her in a whole bunch of serious dilemmas, most of which were left as cliffhangers. This was only one of many stories in the book, but it really left an impression. If I recall correctly, most of the writers in the anthology were women. I was way into Sheri S. Tepper and other female authors at the time, if that helps, but I don’t think it was her story collection “Beauty.” I hope you can find it! Thanks 🙂

302R: Monsters in Rain (Solved)

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This children’s storybook is no later than late 70’s or early to mid 80’s, it had pictures. There were some evil monsters or something that hated rain and were vulnerable to water, so some people went out to confront them during a rainstorm by putting their coats in jars to keep them dry. The people then put on their dry coats when they approached the monsters, and when the monsters asked why the people weren’t wet, the people said they were able to move between the raindrops without getting wet. The people told the the monsters how they could do the same, but when the monsters tried it the water got them.

302O: Chapter Book about Young Man and a Bicycle Race (Solved)

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My memory is of a chapter book that I checked out from an elementary school library in the late 60’s. It was about a young man participating in a bicycle race, perhaps the Tour de France, or modeled after that race. It was more advanced than a simple picture book, and my recollections are that the style of writing and illustrations could have been from the 50’s to early 60’s. The grueling race was seen through this young participant’s eyes, and I recall the descriptions being quite vivid. Again, my memory is that it was an upper-elementary or perhaps middle grade reading level. It was a realistic account of a long, multi-day bicycle race but was definitely a novel. Thanks for any help you can give.

302L: In a little cottage by the sea (Solved)

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Looking for a children’s picture book about an old woman who lives alone with her cat in a little cottage by the sea. One day she and the cat find a bottle on the beach and a genie appears – very threatening illustration of this. She and cat do outwit the genie and all is well. I feel that the author is well-known. For some reason, I cannot recall the title or author’s name.

301Q: Choosing a bear (Solved)

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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)

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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!