Category Archives: Unsolved

302P: Fiction, Pre U.S. Revolutionary War Saga

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This book probably was published before 1955 when I was in the fifth grade. It was the read-aloud after lunch by our teacher Miss Gambee. I met her again when I was an adult, but she didn’t remember its title. As I remember it, it begins with a boy sitting in his favorite oak tree trying to save it because the British navy has marked it for use as a mast. This scene sets up one of the many reasons for the eventual revolution of the colonies.

Another part of the saga deals with the moving of the French Canadians or Acadians, but I’m not sure how that fit in.

In another scene, a young lady is weaving wool for rebel uniforms when a wounded British soldier is brought to her house to recover. This part of the saga seemed to be trying to tell its readers that enemies are not always the villains we make them out to be.

I don’t remember the end of the book, but I’m fairly certain it took us through the revolution to its end, maybe to the formation of the new constitution, but I’m not sure. In Oregon, fifth graders study U.S. history up to the constitution, so this novel was a very good way of showing the reasons for the revolution and the turmoil of war. It was a lot more memorable than the text book. I hope you can find it. My daughter now teaches fifth grade and I would love to give it to her if it can be purchased.

302N: The Wisdom of the Weasel

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This is a story which I remember hearing on the radio when I was about four years old in 1948.  I’m pretty sure the radio program was the “No School Today” show with Big Jon and Sparkie.  I have the impression that this story was on a record Big John played, rather than a story he told or read himself.

The story as I remember it is that two young rabbits, one brown and one white, were friends and played together in the woods.  Someone (the fox?) started a rumor among the white rabbits that the brown rabbits were dangerous to them because the hunters could see the brown rabbits so easily when the snow was on the ground in the winter.  “And when the hunters find the brown rabbits, they’ll find you too.”  Another rumor (also from the fox?) started among the brown rabbits that the white rabbits were dangerous to be around because the hunters could see the white rabbits so easily when the leaves were on the ground in the fall.  “And when the hunters find the white rabbits, they’ll find you too.”  The rabbit community was split.

The two friends consulted the oldest and wisest animal in the woods, the great ermine weasel.  He told them that he knew both sides of this split because his coat was white in the winter (except for the tip of his tail that was then black) and brown the rest of the year (except for the tip of his tail that was then white.)  He told them that rather than being dangerous to each other, the white and brown rabbits should help each other.  In the fall, the brown rabbits should go out first in the morning, and tell the white rabbits to come out only when the brown rabbits had made sure that there were no hunters around.  And in the winter, the white rabbits should go out first and make sure it was safe.

The two friends carried this wisdom back to their rabbit village, the rumors were defeated, and the split in the community was healed.  (And the fox went away hungry?)

What is the name of this story, who wrote it, and where was it published?

302M: Gray binding and Wild Swans

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I am trying to identify and purchase a copy of a children’s lit anthology I had as a child. The copy I had was hardcover, gray binding with a bright green repeating motif on the cover. Among the stories included was HC Andersen’s “The Wild Swans.” There was another story about a princess sent to live with a family that had five girls whose last names ended in “-belle,” and a youngest sister Echo.

302K: Woodland animals prepare for war

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Illustrated book about woodland animals or maybe rodents preparing for some kind of war. I can't remember the author or title but it was illustrated similar to the 11th hour with beautiful detailed pictures. I remember one page was a spy station in a flower bulb, another detailed the animal navy. I think the animals could have been squirrels or badgers? Hope you can help I would check this book out every time I went to the library.

302J: Alien had Answers, but Earthlings treated him like an animal…until he became one

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The short story was in an 8th grade English reader (adopted by Uintah school district in the 1980s).  It was light blue and white.

The short story came from the section in the reader that was something like strangers in a strange land.

It was an excerpt from a science fiction writer (famous, I believe) so the short story might have come from a novel.  I have spent hours sifting through science fiction novels trying to come up with this story.  I found The Thing…but, I believe I’m going to have to find the reader itself.  Hence, I’m asking you.

The story line is:  An alien crash lands on earth.  Earthlings find him.  He is walking on two feet, but he looks different than them.  They struggle accepting him because of his looks.  *there is a painting picture in the book itself of an alien trying to talk with people and the people look mob-like angry*

The alien explains to them that his people have advanced technology and that he would share it with them.  At one point, he even tried to tell them that he had the answers to the universe and God.  The Earthlings laugh at him, shun him, and tell him he is an animal.

Eventually, the Earthlings put him in a cage.  They continually call him an animal.  He tries talking to them until he finally gives up and becomes quiet.  He sees the other animals in cages and watches the interaction between animals and humans.  Somewhere I remember them using the word creature.

In the end, the cage door is left open and the alien (like an animal) runs away into the forest …”running on all fours.”  I’m pretty sure I’m quoting this correctly as I remember it being a powerful key statement.

I remember this science fiction story being in a section with pioneer and moving west stories.  It seemed oddly placed until you read and realized it was placed there to take a next step in cognitive thinking and applying it to the future.

Thank you for helping me with this.  I want to use it to teach through the story the idea of intolerance vs. tolerance and what can happen if we don’t treat someone with respect.  It definitely a story that made one think.

302I: The title has stone in it

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I’ve been trying to find this book forever now and haven’t been able to find anything close.  I’m pretty sure the title has stone in it. The story follows a young boy on an adventure with a girl named Meg, I think there was a hobby horse that could talk. It starts in the boys house where he lives with his sister or step sister who uses him as a housekeeper.  He meets some brownies when sees them at the milk bowl left out for the cat.  There may be an older male character that goes on the adventure as well.  Fairy tales or myths are discovered to be real as the adventure unfolds. I think they have to hide in a well from hunting dogs at one point. The dogs are part of some legendary/mythical hunting party.

302H: The Happy Baker

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There is a book from my childhood, which had a title like, “The Happy Hobo” or “The Happy Baker”.  In it, a down-at-the-heels tramp arrives in a small village.  He first visits the keepers of the General Store and asks for help, food or money.  They rebuke him and send him running.  Then he visits a small bakery.  The baker offers him a few crusty rolls and some warm beverage.  The tramp is magical and offers the blessing that whatever the baker would do, would be successful and happy all day.  The baker gets to work baking and soon the whole town was lined up for his baked goods.

Across the street, the General Store keepers look on enviously.  They lure the tramp over and offer him money or food.  Then they set about clearing room in there store for all of the money they would rake in from the magical tramp.  They spend the whole day cleaning their store (no additional money appears to come in).  Do you know this book’s title and author?

302G: Upside Down Man

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I'm looking for a children's book from late 1950- mid 1970s. I thought it was called the upside down man. However, it is not either of the books by Ellentuck or Baker. It's about kids at home and their parents leave and tell them whatever you do if the door bell rings, don't open the door for the upside down man. But they let him in and he turns everything in the house upside down. It is done in line drawings, black and white. I think it was from a small publisher around Boston.

302F: Winter Bear Wakes Up

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I’m looking for a children’s book my mother always took out of the library in the 70s. Unfortunately, I don’t have very much information on it. What I do know is that its about a bear that woke up from its hibernation too early so that it was still winter. She was reading it in the 70s so it would have needed to be published prior to this.

302E: The protagonist, a scarecrow, was stuck in a garden

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I’ve looked everywhere online for a book I read as a child.  It would have been published in the 50s or early 60s; I read it when I was in the first to third grades which would have been 1964-1967 or 1968.  I’ve forgotten the title and author but remember the story line vividly.  The protagonist, a scarecrow, was stuck in a garden or field and wanted more than anything to be free.  When autumn came and the garden had been harvested, the farmer began to burn all of the refuse, including the scarecrow who, at last, was turned into smoke and was finally free to drift through the air.  It’s a beautiful book and I’ve searched for so long but am limited when I can’t come up with a title or anything else to aid me in my search.  If you could find the book, I’d be very grateful and would even be happy if you could come up with a title and author.