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Chess Pieces Mystery
"Next, there was a girl who went to live in a strange place, maybe a lighthouse, with her father. There was some secret being held, perhaps involving secret passageways, and the whole plot hinged on something to do with chess pieces. I remember the binding of this book was blue (perhaps library rebinding) and featured a rook from a chess set on the cover. There was a segment where the girl was sick and feverish and while in this condition discovered something about the secreet her father was keeping but upon gettinig well she couldn't exactly figure it out. The book ended with the girl discovering that her father had kept the secret because he loved her so much and wanted to protect her."
Solution: A Spell is Cast, by Eleanor Cameron. Illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush. Little, Brown, 1964. The girl in the book is named Cory, and she goes to stay with her Uncle Dirk at his house, Tarnhelm. Part of the mystery involves a unicorn necklace that Cory wears.
(Note: Aunt Book is assuming that this is the correct book. Alas, the original inquiry was sent to her some years ago, and she has since changed computers, and somehow in the transfer of information the address of the person who was searching for this book was lost).
No Golden Spot on Him
"I'm trying to find a children's book by Max Lucado. Here's what I remember (somewhat fuzzily): It's about a little guy who - because he's not handsome enough - doesn't ahve a golden spot on him like the others, so he starts going up the hill to the woodcarver to talk things over. He goes every day, and begins to feel better. He meets a sweet young female who helps him realize wthat who we are is on the inside..."
Solution: You Are Special, by Max Lucado, illustrated by Sergio Martinez. Crossway Books, 1997.
A Little Cowboy's Birthday
"It told the story of a little boy, growing up on a ranch, I think, who, each year for his birthday, received a present appropriate to a cowboy. At his first birthday, he got a cowboy hat (I remember an illustration of an infant, maybe in a highchair, with the hat down over his head). In subsequent years, he got chaps, etc., until on his tenth birthday he received his own horse!"
Solution: Read to Me About the Littlest Cowboy, by Inez Hogan. Dutton, 1951. The little boy's name is Corky, and on his fifth birthday a colt is born, and the colt is his present. Aunt Book is grateful to Dorothy Meyer, Bookseller, for her help in identifying this book.
A Frog and a Toad and a Motor Car
"I remember a book about a frog or a toad and there were several other characters in the book. They all talked and had a system of government (of sorts) - not sure if I am mixing up my books but I am pretty sure that one of the characters had a motor car, too."
Solution: The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame. Many different editions over the years.
Dogs named Dumb Jumbo and Lovely Lulu
"I am trying to find out the title of a children's picture book from the late 1940's and early 50's about some dogs named Dumb Jumbo and Lovely Lulu. A little boy shares a cinnamon roll with another mutt type of dog."
Solution: Little Wiener, by Sally Scott. Illustrated by Beth Krush. Harcourt, Brace, 1951.