Category Archives: Unsolved

321C: Illustrated little girl travels around the world taking pictures and sending postcards (children’s book)

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It was an illustrated children’s book that I read around 1994 or 1995 that followed a little girl who traveled the world taking photos and sending postcards. She went to lots of interesting destinations. The style of the illustration was kind of similar to Adele and Simon but I’m pretty sure the setting was more contemporary than the 19th century (she had a portable camera). I remember a few pages of illustration that looked like a bunch of different travel images (possibly the postcards or her photographs) stacked over each other in an illustrated pile.

321B: Two boys go to Switzerland.

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A family takes their two boys to Switzerland, and they have many adventures. My aunt can’t recall whether it was a fiction or non-fiction book or whether it was written for children or adults. She read it as a child, and it belonged to her grandparents who lived on a ranch in Southern California. My aunt thinks it may have been written in the 1800’s (she was a child in the 40’s).

Anything you can do to help will be much appreciated!!

321A: Halloween Tales For Kids

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I had this book when I was a kid, so around 15 years ago, and it might have been a few years old by then. I can’t remember the title, but here’s what I do remember. It was large. Not just thick, but tall and wide. (I was a kid though, so it might be smaller than I’m remembering.) The one I had was hardcover. The cover might have been dark blue/purple/green, but I don’t remember what was actually on it. It had full-page illustrations, I think through most or all of the book. It had several stories about Halloween characters for kids: – King Neptune was lonely, so he became friends with the ghost of a whale or dolphin. – The ghost of a castle was rambunctious and scared people off from his treasure. – Two witches lived near each other and didn’t get along. – A vampire wanted to act in his school play, and his vampire parents attended in the end. Please help! I love this book, and I would really like to have it for my kids someday! Thank you!

320Y: Lost Doll Brought Home By Father

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As a child, my wife had a book from her father (1950s+/- publication date), about a doll she loses after taking it for a bath, going on a carriage ride, having a tea party, etc.  The girl’s father arrives home and goes back out into the night to look for the doll and eventually finds her and brings her home, somewhat tattered.  Can you please help?

320X: Kid Has Dragon Breath

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Hi, I was trying to find a book my mom used to read to me that I wanted to read to him. The book was a children’s book that the story follows a phone conversation between a mom and son and she calls him “Dragon Breath”. I thought I had found it when I found “I love you stinky face” but the story didn’t have the mother not home and calling the son (never mind calling the kid dragon breath). My mom remembers the book too because she found a picture of a dragon for my son that looked like one of the pages. I really hope you can help my find this book. Thank you

320W: Children’s anthology: Billy Goats Gruff and others

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This was a hardcover anthology of stories for children. I believe it measured about 6” wide by 8” long, but I could be wrong about that.
The book contained a number of stories, but I can only remember two of them: one was the classic Three Billy Goats Gruff. In fact, I think that was the very first story in the book. I remember it had very stark illustrations; thinking about it now, they kind of remind me of Picasso’s “Guernica.”
 The other was a story about making pies, and I remember it very clearly because it was the first time I’d ever heard of a mince pie.

320V: Snail says slug needs to get a house

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Dear Stump-Solvers, I'd love to find a children's book I read to my kids in the late 80s-early 90s. Here's what I remember: A slug is moving along and ridiculed by a snail, because the slug doesn't have a shell. The slug suffers a loss of confidence and sadly slimes along. I remember the slime to cross hot pavement. SPOILER: Eventually the slug meets another slug and is happy. Thank you!

320T: Kid Wants To Solve Mystery

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In the 90s my class read a book about murder mystery. Maybe just a mystery. I think his uncle was killed but not really. I want to say he had an uncle Sam or he was born on Fourth of July. He went to a hotel and questions everyone everything. It was my first mystery book.

320S: Owl Tells True Story Of Christmas

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Hello, I am looking for a Christmas book from when I was a child. The story is about a brother and sister staying at their grandparents for Christmas. The girl is spoiled and when she doesn’t get what she wants for Christmas, she throws a tantrum and walks out of the house. She walks to a barn where she hears voices, she looks inside and sees an owl telling the barn animals the true story of Christmas, and when they see her, they invite her to come in and hear the story. The book cover is bright electric blue with barn animals and star on one side and then a house decorated on the other. Thank you so much for your help!