Tag Archives: England
358C: Rabbits are Screaming, Stars are Melting
Looking for a 1970s British book about a girl, stars with a celestial force/virus, rabbits and humans being infected and changing. Rabbits are screaming, stars are . . . melting? It sounds crazy, but that’s what I remember. Someone on GoodReads posted this description and it’s been driving me crazy because I remember it, too.
356P: Trying to find a novel set in England during World War II (Solved!)
353V: Orphan Cathy Runs Away to Scotland and Learns True Name (Solved!)
I’m looking for a British children’s book, likely from the late 1940s, about an orphan girl who lost her parents in the Blitz. She’s found wandering London with a torn tag that says only “Cat” so the orphanage calls her Cathy. Several years later she has a sudden recollection that makes her feel that her family is in Scotland and runs away to find them. Meets some siblings who help her and have a kind uncle named Alastair. Lo and behold, the kids end up being her cousins, her name isn’t Cathy, it’s Catriona(?) and she is reunited with the family who have been searching for her all these years. Might be the first in a series, a la the Boxcar Children. Thank you!
353U: English collection of children’s stories
Looking for a children’s collection of stories – Peddlar Pat, Sometimes It’s Fun to be Fooled, Edward’s Magic Marble, The Talking Cat. Possibly an English collection.
353I: Coal Eating Dragon With Big Appetite
1960s? children's book, full-page B&W illustrations except for red dragon, boy feeds dragon with big appetite with coal, possibly takes place in UK or Wales.
347Y: Galoshes Raincoat Boy
A picture of my grandson reminded both me and my son of a book (two books at least in the series) by an English author that centered on a young boy who lived in the city with his mother. We both have vivid memories of him in his raincoat and putting on his galoshes. Everything about the book was quintessentially English – sort of Paddington mood. The boy lived in an urban setting, maybe working to middle class (not as posh as Paddington’s digs). The stories were about routine things – doing errands, the mail, etc. It’s driving us both crazy!
347W: On the Wing of a Lark – Children’s Poems
This was a short book of children’s poetry I had as a child and it seemed like an older book even then. So it is at least 35 years old but likely more. I remember a few of the poems vaguely. One was about the changing seasons, I remember Autumn had apple trees and children collecting them. And another about the day passing using birds i.e. the sun rises with the robin…night come on the wing of a lark or something like that? There was also one about a toothache. What I remember the most is the illustrations. They were very delicate with children that had chubby cheeks. The trees were drawn with curly cues. For the toothache one the little girl had a handkerchief tied around her face. It was in English but maybe British because of the words that were used like lark and morning tea.
The book itself was about the size of a sheet of paper and covered in light blue cloth. The cloth was much like my Hardy Boys books. The title was on the binding and for the life of me, I can’t remember what it was. Something like: The Robin Brings the Sun or the Robin Sings the Morning…I’ve tried googling a lot of variations but since the book is older I’ve given up trying to find it that way. Due to how I remember it and since the front of the book didn’t have the title I’d assume it may have had a dust jacket that had gotten removed at some point. I was hoping to get it from my mom for my daughter but they’ve moved so many times it got given away at some point. Would love to find it as it was a favorite when I was little.
347A: Peace/Anti-Nuclear Chunky White book with Colourful Stick People
Just thought of this book today because it seems somewhat prophetic given the more recent school strikes for climate, referencing it not being fair that it’s the children having to be the ones to make the grown-ups wake up! I think the subject was about nuclear bombs more than environment, nuclear threat being the threat of the day in the UK in 1980s/early 90s.
The book is very striking, minimalist and arty, the cover and pages being mainly white, with few words, and many small colourful stick people (each max 1” high).
I’m not sure which age range it was aimed at, could be teens or young adults or just any adults.
It is written naively as if by children for adults.
The format is large and chunky, perhaps about 8 - 9” wide by 10 - 12” tall and 1 - 2” thick. The cover as mentioned is white with some colourful stick people.
I think I bought in UK (tho could possibly have been in the USA) in the early 1990s (so published no later than 1992).
I cannot remember the title but I think it MIGHT have ‘Peace' in it… but it might not!!
It would be great to find it again.
Thanks for your help.
346I: Large format, landscape oriented, pen and ink book of old farm life
The book is from the 1990s or 2000s. i think it’s just called “Farm” and it’s quite large – 18 inches wide by 10 inches tall or so. The spine is on the top – it opens upwards. It’s completely hand lettered with pen & watercolor drawings of life on an old farm (English I think). The cover is broth cloth. It may be more of an art book than a children’s book. I believe the author might have a French name. Thanks for your help!