Category Archives: Unsolved

354B: Crocus Walk

This children’s book is about a mother and daughter who take a walk outside and look at different things on their walk. In particular, I remember that they looked at crocuses. The book was a large hardback book with a matte white cover. The illustrations were pastel colored, maybe using colored pencils. I remember that in at least one illustration the mother and daughter were holding hands. It was probably written around 1985 or a bit earlier, because I remember reading it with my mother when I was five or so. That’s all I can remember. Hopefully there are enough clues!

354A: Dog who can drive and lives in a mansion

When I was young (likely about 5-9 in 1987-1991) my mom would often read me a hardcover kids book about a dog who wanted to live like a human. He could drive a car and he lived in a mansion.

The cover was a turquoise-shade and on the cover was the dog and the mansion he lived in. It was the size and shape of a Doctor Seuss book and about a similar number of pages.

Likely relevant: we lived in Nova Scotia, Canada and the book was in English.

353Z: Children’s Book with a red cover about a flying bunny

It’s a children’s book for about 3rd or 4th graders.  It’s thin, but it is a chapter book.  The paperback version cover has a little girl on it with short hair and it’s red and yellow.  The girl’s name might be in the title and is possibly Sally.  She finds a bunny (pretty sure it’s a bunny) with wings and there may or may not be a circus. The book was older.  She knows it from the early 1990’s, but it had like a 40’s or 50’s art style with simple line drawings with water colors.  I saw some Golden Books that seemed promising, but she said those were all too young.
I’ve tried the below books and none of them were int.
The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes
Lettice
Pookie
Operation Bunny
Felix and the Flying Suitcase
The Little Rabbit who Wanted Red Wings
My Little Rabbit Tale
Reader Rabbit
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present

353X: Child gives last ration of chocolate away

This was a book I read in the 70s, but it might have been written anytime after WWII and it had a certain 50s or 60s vibe to it.
I am pretty sure it took place during WWII and was set somewhere in Europe.
I recall the character — a boy (I think) of around 12 — had a couple squares of his chocolate ration left. He was very hungry and they didn’t have much food, but he gave his ration away to another child — I think a girl, around the same age.
For the longest time I thought it was from Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan but I tracked down that book and read it to my son and there is no such scene.

353W: Hoaxes and Frauds Collection for Kids

I am looking for a book I got in a school book order around 1978-1983, either Scholastic or the other one (Troll, was it?) It was a collection of short accounts of historical hoaxes, like the Piltdown Man, the Cardiff Giant, the War of the Worlds radio broadcast, the New York Sun reports of life on the moon — I think it even had Howard Hughes’s autobiography. I have searched library catalogs and Ebay for “Hoaxes and Frauds,” but I see a book that is far too recent for me to have bought it in elementary school.

353T: Teen girl road trips with grandma & kidnappers

The book I’m seeking was written in the 1960s or 70s.  A young lady (probably a teenager) was going on a cross-country road trip with her grandmother.  They were to meet up with her boyfriend coming from the other direction.  The girl drove, not the grandmother.  They each put colorful pieces of material on their antennae so they could spot each other on the road.  At some point, the ladies decided to give a ride to hitchhikers who ended up ‘hijacking’ them and holding them hostage as they drove for days.  Eventually, all turned out well and they met up with the boyfriend.

353S: Dad Makes Funny Faces to Get Daughter to Sleep

The kid’s book I’m looking for was something my dad read to me in the 1980s. (I don’t know the vintage of the book. It could be from before the ’80s.)
The book is about a dad making various funny faces with his daughter before she goes to sleep. I seem to recall that the last page shows just their eyes in the dark.
Please help me find it!

353Q: Doppelgangers With Magic Powers

My book stumper is 2 books I’m pretty sure are in the same series. Both feature a main character who meets her doppelganger who has magic powers. In one they are at the pool in the summer and the main girl is afraid to jump off the high dive. In the other they are at the girls middle school and she wishes to fit in. She ends up making her own trends that catch on where people wear gypsy skirts with tank tops and padlocks on their belts. I’ve googled everything I can.