Category Archives: Unsolved

124B: Collection of Ghost Stories for Young Adults

I don’t remember the title, but I think it may have been from Scholastic. I want to say in the 1980-1983 range.                                                                

I do remember the very first story was called “Hugh” and it was the classic hitchhiker story, and in this case Hugh the ghost saves the driver (if I’m not mistaken) from an accident.

 

123D: “Susan” Who Feeds the Fish

 

I have submitted two stumpers.   We believe they’re by the same author, but don’t remember.  We think the author is also the illustrator, but could be mistaken.  These aren’t quite board books, but little hardback picture books for very young readers.

This second book is about a little girl, possibly named Susan, who feeds fish by the water’s edge.  She falls in one day and is rescued and carried to shore by a big fish she has been kind to.  Probably published in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

A remarkable and memorable thing about this book was its illustration.

The graphics were geometrical and simple, almost primitive, and the colors were bold.  I don’t remember as well what “Susan” looked like, but her body may have been a triangle.

My parents bought the books for me at a little bookstore in Elmira, NY, when I was small, probably right around 1980-83.  Would love to find these books for my own boy.  Thanks for any help!

123C: Prince Who Wants to Play


I have submitted two stumpers.  We believe they’re by the same author, but don’t remember.  We think the author is also the illustrator, but could be mistaken.  These aren’t quite board books, but little hardback picture books for very young readers.
The first book is about a little prince who wants to play with other people, but he’s considered too special.  In the end he gets to play with the others.  Probably published in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

A remarkable and memorable thing about this book was its illustration.

The graphics were geometrical and simple, almost primitive, and the colors were bold.  The prince had black hair and the main colors in that book were green, red, yellow, black, and white.

My parents bought the books for me at a little bookstore in Elmira, NY, when I was small, probably right around 1980-83.  Would love to find these books for my own boy.  Thanks for any help!

 

123B:Boy, dog, girl, cat, more colors as boy got happier

It is a gift and I’d make someone VERY happy.  All I could get from her is that the book probably from 1970’s, maybe earlier. The main character was a boy with a dog, there was also a girl in book that a cat. Book went from colorless to having colors (or maybe dull to colorful) as more colors appeared, the boy became more happy. Flowers became colorful, each petal would have different fabric in different colors.  Other items changed colors too and they were all patchwork-looking.  

I know this isn’t a ton to go from, but it is a unique-sounding book, so my fingers are crossed.  Many thanks, you may be my new hero if you can assist.  

 

122C: Romance Between White Woman and Native American Man

Romance between a white woman and a Native American man. Set in New England. She was unhappy with her home life (being forced to marry some lout?), and ran away. It was winter; they fell in love and had a child. One section that I recall vividly – she was ill during pregnancy and having difficulty urinating (it was made more romantic than it sounds!) and he brewed herbs and cured her. The title was something like Eagle and Dove or Fox and Rose – one of those Blank and Blank titles. I read this book in the late 1970’s and it was new.

122B: Children’s book, Friends on Countryside Trip

This is what I remember – a group of friends went on a trip to the countryside and stayed in a house together. One of the rooms was described in great detail with lovely furniture, all child sized. It was the room I craved the rest of my childhood. There was a tree house, and an orchard. They met up with gypsies, and I think a fairie ring was involved somewhere. They were all friends from the same neighborhood. Do not recall if any of them were related. I read this book before 1968, it was not new.