This story was in a Language Arts textbook in the mid 90s. Each page spread described a different imaginary, Rube Goldberg-esque, fantastical machine. In my memory of the illustrations, they were very surreal, beautiful and detailed, in the style of William Joyce or David Wiesner.
Category Archives: Unsolved
345L: Children’s Book – Little Girl Trying to Hide a Giant (Cyclops?!)
This was a book my father used to read to me at bedtime in the early/mid-90s. There was a little girl (perhaps with a pageboy haircut, pretty sure she had brown hair and bangs!) who, for reasons I cannot remember, comes upon a giant (who if memory serves had one giant eye) whom she has to hide. I feel like there may be a scene in a library and/or one involving a fence or hedge. I’ve been searching for this book for YEARS!
345K: In Search Of a Children’s book called “The Bus Riding Book”
I’m looking for a children’s primer, a first reader series, and one of the books is called “The Bus Riding Book.” In the book, all of the animals get on the bus, one by one, and then a bee flies in and everyone runs out of the bus. I learned to read using it in 1976 in catholic school in Queens, NY. I believe the publisher was McGraw Hill, colorful drawings inside the book with animals getting on the bus, and the cover may have been soft.
345J: Young Girl Decries Dangers of Reading When Chased by a Bull
Read this book when I was around 8, which puts it at 1960. I am sure it was not new at that time.
Written by someone like Thurber or Ogden Nash, it was a collection of children’s short stories. The only one that I can remember clearly was about a little girl who couldn’t read. At the end, when she is being chased by a bull, she comes to the conclusion that reading (words?) are dangerous. The sign she couldn’t read said something like, ‘beware of bull.’
Hoping you can help me.
345F: Black Cat and Girl in Mountains
Searching for a Children’s book from about late 40s early 50s. A pen and ink drawing shows a child (girl I think) sitting in front of a cabin in the mountains (Alps?) holding a black cat. I believe the dust cover was white with black lettering.
Thank you.
345E: Walking Into the Sunset
I would love some help finding an old children’s book from my childhood. I seriously doubt that anyone will be able to locate it, but it’s worth a shot.
345D: Search for children’s book vaguely remembered – White Girl Joins African Tribe
345C: Children’s Princess book with a dress making competition to find new Queen
345B: Musical Love Story from Harlequin Era
I'm looking for a book which may be Harlequin from late 1970s or early 1980s, about a young widow of a rock and roll band member who may have committed suicide. She falls for his band mate, who has long been in love with her, and it turns out, she has a hidden singing talent. I believe the setting is at a beach house, in Florida perhaps.
344Z: Melting gold and first period
I read this book in 7th grade language arts in 1994/95 in Astoria, OR. Might have been by a regional author. The plot felt a little dystopian, maybe, and involved a young girl who was a member of a close-knit, sort of secluded community. Key plot points included a ritual that involved melting a piece of gold into a small shape and wearing a specific outfit (probably red) to a ceremony/festival after getting her first period. I don’t think the word “period” was ever mentioned. Sewing was involved, maybe by the whole community. It’s possible it took place in the distant past. I believe the title started with an S and was a single word like Stitchers, Spindles, or Spinners.