Can You
Help?
These are books that, alas! Aunt Book has been
unable to identify. If you believe that you know the title or the
author, or if you remember anything more about the book, please Tell
Aunt Book.
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Cowboys (only for Pigs)
"It's a picture book, probably in the 4-8 year
old category, and it's a cowboy theme, only instead of rustling up
cattle, they rustle up pigs! I believe the story starts with the
cowboys (pigboys?) around a camp fire and 'Cookie' is asked to retell a
story." Tell Aunt Book
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New Girl with a Barn
"First, there was a book about a girl who
moved with her family into a new neighborhood. She met a neighbor
girl who was overweight and they began to play together in the new
girl's barn in back of the house. The overweight girl began to be
jealous of the new girl and at one point she took some possession of
the new girl's, I think a painting, and hid it in the barn. Later
the barn caught on fire and the overweight girl risked her life to go
into the barn and save the new girl's painting and she ended up burning
her hands in the process. In the end, the girls came to a new
understanding and the book ended with their being friends." A
Dear Niece has written in to suggest that this book is The Pink Maple House, by Christine Noble Govan.
Alas, Aunt Book is unable to locate the address of the Dear Niece who
submitted the query to confirm the identification. The book
itself is scarcer than hens' teeth. Are you Dear Niece who
submitted the query? Can you confirm that this is the correct
book? If so, please Tell Aunt Book
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Emerald Green Ballet Slipper
"An orphan girl wants to be a dancer, is
adopted by a kind couple who help her become a ballerina, is given an
emerald green ballet slipper by a prima ballerina as a 'good luck
charm,' and at some point ends up throwing it into the wings behind the
stage for some reason or another. I've been looking through all
the 'ballet' books I know of and have never run across it again." Tell Aunt Book
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Mystery Puzzles Book
"It was a collection of short mysteries a la
Encyclopedia Brown, only there were some puzzles and more
illustrations. One puzzle was a drawing where you had to find a
female suspect wearing a white hat and a dress with black spots, and
carying a black umbrella, in a sea of women wearing similar
outfits. Another was a quick story about a bank robbery where a
teller was kidnapped by the robbers. She typed a message in code
before being taken. It turned out that she simply hit to the left
of each key." Tell Aunt Book
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Little Boy With Flying Donkey
"I can’t remember an author or title. but this
is an Arabian Nights type fantasy children’s book which I read in the
mid-1970s. The main character is a small boy called Little
Shireen or Shirin. He has an old, bad-tempered flying donkey
called Zanti or Xanti who has to run in circles to take flight and
makes breathless ‘blooh blah’ noises as he does so. " Tell Aunt Book
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Boy in Germany During World War II
"I read a book about 20 years ago where the
main character was a boy who was living in Germany during World War
II. He survived in the wreckage of a building that was near the
wall. It told of how he kept alive during the cold, managed to
eat with the use of a hot plate and went ice skating with a girl on the
other side of the wall. When they went skating, they drilled
holes into their shoes to attach the skates." Tell Aunt Book
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Bear, Alligator, Chess
"It's a book that features a bear and an
alligator playing chess." Tell Aunt Book
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Young Children on Maple Street
"I remember a book about 40-45 years ago about
some young kids who lived on Maple Street and in the end the house
burns down. If I remember correctly, the kids were about 8-9, and
the house was in a small city, and one story. It might have been
called Big House on Maple Street. I can remember the last chapter
talking about the pink hue of the sky, sunset (or maybe it was the
fire)." Tell Aunt Book
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Rabbit Who Misses a Trip to his
Grandparents' Because He Gets Sidetracked
"I am looking for a children's story that
involved a rabbit that was always too busy playing and missed an
anticipated journey to his grandparents' home. As I recall, he
was told several times when and where to be ready for the family outing
but got sidetracked playing and missed the event completely. He
was very distraught for having been left behind because of his own
doings and resolved to be more aware the next time. I remember
this story having made a big impression on me as a child not to be such
a slow poke and mindful of time and responsibility. I probably
read it in the '60's but don't recall how old a book it was. I
believe it is not a "Peter Rabbit" story."
Aunt Book thought this might be Hurry Up, Slowpoke, by
Crosby Newell, but the animal in that book is a mouse and it is not the
correct book. Can you help? Tell Aunt Book
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Grumpy Hedgehog Poet
"Author: Sadly Unknown
"Characters: Main protagonist, a
grumpy hedgehog; sheep; a farmer (maybe, I can’t remember); other
spring forest animals
"Plot: Our protagonist awakens from his
winter sleep and seeing the beautiful spring day decides to write some
poetry. However, he needs a quiet place to find his muse. Queue the
normal noises of a spring day in the forest and all the problems he has
trying to find a place. Eventually he comes across a sheep field where
the sheep have left some of their wool (handily) caught on a fence. The
hedgehog gathers up enough wool and stuffs his ears blocking out all
sound. However with the silence (and the handy woollen pillows) the
urge to write was overtaken by the urge to sleep. When he
wakes he goes (angrily) again on his search for his perfect spot. On
the way he spots some bluebells which he decides to smell; hah, not so
easy! One gets stuck to his nose! That is all I can
remember (and bear in mind that the memories are almost 20 years old,
so a little hazy) although he does find the perfect, quiet and
beautiful spot in the end.
"Illustration: This is what I really
remember about this story, the illustration was beautiful! Comic-style
characters but definitely drawn by a loving hand. They have stuck with
me for two decades as the perfect cartoon woodland animals.)
"There were other books in this series but I
do not remember any details. " Can you help? Tell Aunt Book
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Disobedient Duckling Who Finds That
Home's the Place for Him
"This was my favorite book as a child but I
cannot remember the title or author. It was a Little Golden Book
about a duckling that disobeys mother and heads down the stream out of
the home pond. He has scary adventures and is finally helped back
to the pond by a swan, I think. The last page says something
like, 'This great big world is a wonderful place, but home's the
place for me!' That about sums up my life and I would love to
find a copy of that book." Tell Aunt Book
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Maureen the Mink, who is not a Muppet
"I hope someone can tell me the name of the
book that has a character named Maureen the Mink. Apparently
there was also a character by that name on a Muppet Show episode or
movie, but I heard about the book prior to that." Tell Aunt Book
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Penguin Stowaway
"The book was read by my daughter in the early
1980's. It came from a school library and was a picture
book. The story was about a penguin from the South Pole who
steals aboard a ship; a stowaway. He is discovered later and made
to swab the deck. I think he is found in a broom closet.
The word "swab" was a new word for my daughter, as I
recall. The book is not Mr. Popper's Penguins. Tell Aunt Book
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Which Pocketbook Should She Carry?
"The book starts out with a girl deciding on
what outfit to wear and specifically what pocketbook she is going to
carry on the first day of school. It is not The Luckiest Girl, but I
believe it is a teen romance of some type. Tell Aunt Book
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American Politician's Son and Daughter
of an Asian Prime Minister Explore America
"I am trying to find a young adult novel from
the early '80's, perhaps even the late '70's. The story is about
a young man in Washington D.C. who is the son of a politician and is
all rebellious and Kerouac-y. He meets the daughter of an Asian
president or Prime Minister. I think she is from China, but it
could be Korea. Anyway, they go on the road to see the "real
America". They take a cab out of town and try to pay for the fare
with her designer dress and there is a little aside about how the
cabbie's wife was mad becuase it was obviouly too small for her.
Anyway - of course they have all kind of adventures in poverty and fall
in love but in the end she goes back to her country and he stays in
his... for now. It is Roman Holiday meets Sullivan's
Travels. The book came out in 1984 or before. The Smithtown
Public Library had it in the young adult section. The author's
last name was probably near
the end of the alphabet because it was in the last bookcase of the
section. It had, if memory serves, a red cover. And the
title was two words and it was political sounding like 'Domestic
Affairs' or 'Cultural Detente' but not those..."
Tell Aunt Book
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Mother Bear Delivering Sticky Buns
"I am looking desperately for a book I had
when I was a child, perhaps published between 1984 and 1990.
I have no idea of the title, but here's a quick synopsis:
It's about a mother bear (possibly) who bakes some sticky buns and puts
them in a basket on her back. She has to walk through the forest to
deliver them and stops half way for a rest and falls asleep. While
she's sleeping a cheeky bear eats all of her sticky buns and climbs
into the basket himself. The mother wakes up and struggles on her
journey, not realising it's a bear in her basket and not sticky buns.
The only other thing I remember is it being illustrated in brown and
orangey colours, a little like the 'Rosie's walk' picture
books. If you can shed any light on this I would be so
grateful, I'm driving myself mad trying to remember!" Tell Aunt Book
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Little Boy With an Imaginary Friend
"I have been trying to find this book for about 10
years now. It's not the most pleasant book to describe, but it
was really a good scare.
"It is about a little boy who has an imaginary
friend. This friend starts to be very protective of the boy and
starts to hurt and kill people for him. The friend is kind of
living - in the sense that he is always in the shadows - the boy's
mother thinks she sees the shadows moving? I want to say that the
'imaginary friend' maybe had a pet dog as well?" Tell Aunt Book
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Gray Cat That Eats Lasagna
"...a book about a gray cat who would eat
lasagna. His owner gets sick." Tell Aunt Book
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Bear Who Lights Street Lamps
"I think it was from the 1980's. Book is about a bear that lights
street lamps at night. I remember he was also flying a kite in
the book and in bed dreaming at the end of the book. It was about
a day in the life of this bear. The main part I remember is the
lighting of the street lamps. Tell Aunt Book
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Decorating a Mother's Hat
"It is a children's book about decorating a mother's hat, possibly for
Easter Sunday, and it becomes a collection of lace, photographs,
flowers, etc., possibly delivered by birds. Tell Aunt Book
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Count On Ants?
"Scholastic children's book from the
mid-'60's. Yellow paperback cover with a number of enlarged ants,
realistic but not scientifically so. This was not a science book,
but rather has a plot about ants. It might be a counting
book." Recognize it? Tell Aunt Book
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Neilsen-like TV Family
"Scholastic children's book from the
mid-'60's. The book is about the children in a family that is
like the Neilsen TV ratings family but the company has a different
name." Can you help? Tell Aunt Book
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Adventures of a Camel
"This book had an orange cover with a drawing
of a camel. It told the adventures of a camel in desert
country." Tell Aunt Book
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Origins of Phrases
"This book was published by Pocket
Books. It was a paperback with 9-12 squares of different
colors. It was written by a rabbi in simple language, and
explained the origins of language items; for example, why 13 is
unlucky, etc." Tell Aunt Book
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Garage Monkey
"The title of this book is something like
Grease Monkey, or Monkey Shines. It tells about a boy who is
hired to work in a car garage. Tell Aunt Book
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Horse on a Ranch
"The author's name is something like
Gates. The story is about a horse on a ranch, and the title is
something like Stallion at Green Gates Ranch." Tell Aunt Book
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Colonial (Probably) Girl, Rich Old
Man, Scarf or Cord
"The book was published before 1995. I'm
pretty sure it was set in colonial America, but not 100%. The
main character was a girl. I think she started out pretty young,
but by the end was old enough to engage in a romance. The girl
was quite clumsy. I think the book started off with her in bed
because she'd hurt herself and then she tried to get up to do something
and ended up breaking the rod that held the cooking pot. And I
seem to remember a goose around this part.
"The girl lived with her mother and they
boarded the male school teacher.
"There was a boy. He was an
outcast. I don't remember if it was because he was part Native
American or had been raised by Native Americans, or if it was because
his parents were dead or some combination of all three or something
else altogether.
"Boy and Girl were friends. Boy went
away (I think for a long time). When he came back, Girl fed him
blueberries.
"At one point, Girl is running through a storm
and falls, hurting her knee. She is saved or helped by a rich old
man of whom she is terrified, because when he was young he killed or
accidentally killed another girl. But he turns out not to be a
bad guy, and Girl starts going to see him and helping him. The
old man's punishment had been deferred until he was older, and the
night that it was supposed to be carried out, Girl is with him,
waiting. When the appointed time passes and no one comes for the
old man, they both realize that everybody had forgotten. Girl
takes from around his neck the silk scarf or cord that the old man has
worn in remembrance of his crime and punishment, and takes to wearing
it in her hair.
"I'm pretty sure that at the end of the book
Girl and Boy become involved, but not 100% sure." Does this sound
familiar? Tell Aunt Book
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Little Girl In an Old Schoolhouse
"The main character was a little girl and,
from what I remember, most of the activity in the book involved her
school and her classmates. The book binding was red cloth and I
think it had a black drawing of the little schoolhouse and the children
playing outside. I'm not sure, but it seems like the picture of
the children playing was sort of like the painting called "Crack the
Whip." The time frame of the story was late 1800's to early
1900's; maybe a little later than that, but no later than the
1940's. Oh, I do wish I could remember more about the book.
The only thing I can remember is that it's about a little girl who goes
to a very small school somewhere in the long-ago USA. It seems
that there was a bad little boy who caused some sort of mischief in the
school, but that's all I can remember. Tell Aunt Book
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Dreamlike Book, Water
"The cover was dark blue and had some sort of
white flower on it, I think. The girl was poor and her name was short
and weird like Abel or something. It was really dreamy-like and there
was some sort of water, I think a flood, and she floated past a
house and her mom or something. I think she was underwater
at some point, too." Recognize it? Tell Aunt Book
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World That Doesn't Spin But Has
Vampires
"The story is about a world that has stopped
spinning and there is one side that is always light and the other is
always dark. On the dark side live vampires and on the light side live
normal people and every solar eclipse the vampires come attack the
humans and take them to the dark side." Sound familiar? Tell Aunt Book
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Avoiding a Nursing Home
"This book is about an elderly man or woman who
doesn't want to go to
the nursing home so he buys a house and takes in the
elderly." Tell Aunt Book
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Man Riding Pegasus
"This is going to be rather vague since I can't
remember much about the book because I read it a long time ago. I
think it was the last(?) book in a series. The cover was blue,
and on it there was a Pegasus with a man on its back, and the man was
holding something. I think the plot had something to do with
finding pieces of something, and I read it in Australia. Tell Aunt Book
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Fantasy and Horror Short Stories
Compilation
"Over 30 years ago, I read a book which was a
compilation of fantasy / horror short stories (it could be classified
under juvenile fiction) wherein these tales were told:
"1) a story about a woman very proud of her 'green
thumb.' One day she accidentally cuts off the tip of her thumb
and on a whim decides to plant it in her garden. Result: it grows
into a clone and, I believe, kills her...or at least, the story led the
reader to believe that the clone did this.
"2) a story about an antique mirror, given to a
young girl. The girl sees several scenes in this mirror involving
another young girl from long ago. The scenes play out to the
eventual murder of the historical young girl (by her father), and the
modern young girl is inextricably drawn in.
"3) a story about a young girl vacationing at a lake
with her family. One night she walks to the lake and discovers
lights flickering beneath the surface. There was once a town
which was flooded, and the ghosts still haunt the lake. The young
girl interacts with a ghostly young man and eventually decides to join
him beneath the lake. I remember quite vividly how the writer
described the young girl entering the water and becoming colder and
colder, even as her family called out for her in vain.
"4) a story about a boy who finds a strange
mummified bird-like creature, and decides to bring it home. I
don't recall much about this one other than the creature comes back to
life and eats the boy's puppy.
"5) a story about a witch cat (grey, I
think?). I believe a fisherman was involved; somehow he killed
the cat and then discovered that it was a witch (his wife, perhaps?) -
sorry, I'm very vague on this one." Tell Aunt Book
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Two Boys Living in a NY Apartment
Building
"I am looking for a book from my wife's childhood
about 25 years ago. It was the first book she ever read. In
the story, there are two little boys living in a NY apartment
building. I know that one of them is named Jamie and he has a
sister named Aurora. She was named Aurora because she was born at
dawn." Tell Aunt Book
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Flower Story, Possibly by Poe
"Once I read a short story about a flower falling in
to a river and floating under a bridge. I believe it was written
by Edgar Allan Poe but it might have been by someone associated with
him." Tell Aunt Book
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Girl in the Scottish Isles, Americans
Set Up Camp
"I'm looking for a book I read in maybe the 5th or
6th grade (about 13 years ago) in California. It takes place in
the Scottish Isles, or the Western
Hebrides, or Outer Hebrides. There's a girl that lives in a
village. Americans (I think) set up camp on the other side of the
island. She can see them from a cliff. I think she has a brother,
also. That's about all I can remember. I believe there was
a war going on? I'm not sure." Tell Aunt Book
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Girl Writes Journals, Meets Savages
"I read a series of chapter books about six years
ago. They were set in a fictional place a long time ago.
The main character was a teenage girl and I think she ran away, but I'm
not entirely sure on that particular point. She falls into the
company of a man (and possibly his brother?), who are 'savages.'
She eventually marries one of them. She's constantly writing
things down in journals. I seem to remember something like
'Tiger' or 'Star' in one of the titles." Do you recognize
this? Tell Aunt Book
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Contest to Cook In Unusual Ways
"Children's book where they're in a contest to see
new ways to cook food. Someone cooks fish in the dishwasher,
someone cooks hamburgers on the car engine. A new kid moves into
town and his parents have a soul food restaurant where they sell okra
and collard greens." Does this sound familiar? Tell Aunt Book
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Children's Librarian Who Told Or Read
Stories
"I read a novel which featured a children's
librarian. I have no memory of the details of the story, except
that children in the neighbourhood would be waiting for her to return
from work so that they could listen to her tell or read them stories. I
did read this book in 1957 - borrowed from a library in Dartmouth, Nova
Scotia, Canada." Tell Aunt Book
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Girl Goes Back In Time Via Riot
"I’m pretty sure the plot goes: a girl was
stuck in a riot, in modern times, and was sent back in time to live
with a poor family who lived in a tiny house and had to wash in a
river. They lived off the land and also built a school during the
story. She met a boy at the beginning and they rode to his home
town, under the tarp of a train carriage so they did not have to pay
because he was so poor. I’m fairly sure she returns back to
modern times in the end.
"I read this book as a child, I thought it was
one of the ‘My story’ books but I don’t think it is." What is
it? Tell Aunt Book
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Girl in Wheelchair Has Adventures With
Friends
"I have been looking for this book for years—I read
it over and over as a young child around 1957 or 1958—and I believe it
was old at that time. The story is about a young girl who is
confined to a wheelchair. I believe she was adopted by a wealthy
man. She and her group of friends have all sorts of
adventures.
I believe the young girl’s name started with an “M,”
but I’m not sure.
"It is not the Maida's Little Shop series, or the
Wheelchair adventures series." Tell Aunt Book
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Man With Crazy House
"I remember having this book read to me during art
class. It was about a man whose house was really crazy, but his
neighbors had normal houses. Then in the end I think he convinced
the other neighbors to get crazy houses and one had one that looked
like a boat but on land. I think the cover might have been
yellow." Tell Aunt Book
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Elderly Terrier Has To Put Up With
Kitten
"I read this book about 20 years ago (in the UK) but
the book itself was much older. The copy I had was a faded
hardback, olive/drab colour with a small picture of the terrier in gold
(I think) on the spine.
"I think the title is 'A Cat and Dog's Life.'
"I think it was a written in a biographical style
about a male author (gentleman of leisure) in his twenties, and set
during the 1920's. It charts his life with his elderly terrier
(possibly a black Scottish terrier?), and he gets a kitten that the
terrier has to put up with. The author has also anthropomorphized
them so they can talk to each other and him. Each chapter is a
stand alone little story / adventure about incidents in their everyday
lives. It ends with a postscript about the old terrier dying of
old age.
"There were ink illustrations throughout of the cat
and the dog but never of the author. I can't remember any lines
particularly apart from that the dog would say 'hullo' whenever
something new happened such as another character appearing. I
have the lingering impression of him as a blustery old dog like an
upper class old gentleman. They lived in an urban environment,
possibly London. It's mainly the two characters but sometimes the
cat has friends who sit on the garden wall and the dog has to chase
them off.
"I know it is not 'Thy Servant a Dog' by Rudyard
Kipling." Tell Aunt Book
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Cityscape With a Flying Yellow Clock
"I am looking for a children's book that my
boyfriend read when he was in kindergarten in the early 1990's.
I'm assuming the book is from that time period (before 1993) and may
possibly be from the late 1980's. The only thing that he can remember
is the cover. He said it was almost all blue and had a picture of
a cityscape and a flying yellow clock on it." Tell Aunt Book
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Teacher Is Kidnapped, Students Try to
Rescue Her
"I'm looking for a book about a teacher who gets
kidnapped. Her students then try to find her and rescue
her. I read this book in the 8th grade and I can't seem to find
it anywhere." Tell Aunt Book
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Train Named Mr. Rupp
"I am looking for help identifying a storybook I had
as a child. This would have been the early 1970's in
Canada. The book was about a train named Mr. Rupp. It
explained that Mr. Rupp loved children and would blow his blow his horn
for them." Tell Aunt Book
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Boy Makes Helicopter Out of Bike
"I remember reading a children's book that I
believe I had ordered from the Scholastic Book Club in the early
1970's. I remember the paperback had blue on the cover, and it
was the story of a boy who made a helicopter out of a bike (I think)
and flew around to different places." Tell Aunt Book
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Mopey Dog Turned Into Weird Monster
"I've been trying to find a book for quite some
time. All I remember is that it was about a dog who was mopey;
maybe didn't enjoy life as he should, was bad, etc. There was
some kind of a witch who turned him into this weird monster. He
had different animal parts. I remember he was in the country, and
one illustration was of him hiding in a rickety old barn in the
rain. Maybe crows on telephone lines? It's been about 10
years since I've read it." Tell Aunt Book
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Birds And How They View Others
"In the 1960's I attended a weeklong church
revival. The evangelist read a story each night from a very small
book, probably 6 or 7 inches high by 3 or 4 inches wide. It
contained several stories. Each story was only a few pages
long. The stories were all about birds. The bird told his
story, if I remember correctly, about his everyday life and how he
viewed other birds and their attitudes, vices, feelings, etc. The
evangelist read the story and then compared the story of the bird to
people. One was about a mockingbird who, of course, had a
terrible outlook on other people. I was a young girl at the time,
but I remember loving those stories. I so looked forward to
hearing a new one each night.
"I hope that you are able to shed some light
on this little book. I am in my 60's now and I still think often
about how birds are so like people, just from hearing about them from
this book." Can you help? Tell Aunt Book
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Father Tells Child "I'll Be Here"
"My father read a book to me every night before I
went to sleep about 13 years ago. The book was about a father
telling his child how much he loved him and that he'd always be
there. I remember that the book was blue and it had a father and
his child sitting on a hill at night. The book repeated 'I'll be
here' in it a lot." Tell Aunt Book
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Fish Going to School
"I am also searching for a book about a school of
fish going to school. One may be named Arabella. This book
is also from the early 1960's or before." Tell Aunt Book
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Huge Collection of Nursery Rhymes and
Children's Stories
"I am at a loss for what this book from my childhood
is called or who wrote it (there may be more than one
author). I read it in the early '90's when I was about 6 or
7 years old.
"The book was a HUGE collection of nursery rhymes
and children's stories. It was a hardcover and very heavy and
thick. I remember the cover was actually a bit frightning when I
was so little. It had a ghost-like thing on it with a pumpkin
head, perhaps something to do with the headless horsemen as one of it's
stories. I think there were other characters on the cover as well
but I can't remember them. It had some lovely illustrations in it
and it kills me that I can't remember it.
"I will soon have my own baby to read to and I would
be heartbroken if I could not share the wonder of this book as my
parents did with me."
Can you help? Tell Aunt Book
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Egg at the Center of the Earth
"I'm looking for a book I read about 10 years ago.
"It was a book about a journey to the center
of the earth (no, not THAT book...). In the book there was a
theory about there being an egg inside the center of the earth, with a
lizard/reptile crawling on the outside of the eggshell. We experience
that crawling around as earthquakes.
"Not sure about this part, but I think that the man
who made the theory disappeared, causing his daughter/son to go look
for him together with a few people on a journey to the center of the
earth.
"Arriving there, they find creatures/humans...?
"The only other thing I remember is that the cover
(or at least the cover of the Dutch translation) featured an image of a
lizard/reptile crawling on an egg." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everyone and Everything Is Called
Jacqueline
"I'm trying to identify a book which I had as a
child, and which I found quite disturbing (maybe if I know what it is,
I can avoid it!). I remember having it when I was at least 7, so
I owned it in the late 1980's, but the illustrations seemed
'60's/'70's. I was in England, but I'm fairly sure it was a
European book, probably German, but translated into English. It
was a picture book, but not for the very very young as I remember it
had a decent amount of text. I remember the illustrations' having
a lot of brown, and if I could compare them to anything (via my
possibly warped memory) it would be a combination of Where the Wild
Things Are (but darker/scarier) and the Cabbage Patch Kids. I
don't think the book was meant to be terrifying, but something about
the plot and the illustrations gave me the chills!
"The one bit I really remember about the plot of the
book is that one character goes to the park and finds that everyone and
everything is called Jacqueline. Men, women and children are all
called Jacqueline (not sure but possibly they all end up having the
same face) and even the architecture in the park turns into the same
face, all with the name Jacqueline.
"I'd love to know what has been scaring me all these
years! Hope you can help me." Can you help her? Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sailing Ship Mutiny Told by Cabin Boy
"This book is about a ship which is sailing to the
Orient to pay off a debt which is owed to an Oriental gentleman.
The story is told in the first person by the cabin boy. The
second mate decides to take over the ship and keep the money.
During a battle with pirates (Barbary pirates, I think), the first mate
is wounded and the second mate shoots the Captain in the back.
Only the black cook notices that the wound is from behind, but he is
afraid to tell anyone besides the cabin boy. The new captain and
his new first mate allow Bill (forgot surname) to die when he becomes
sick. I think this leads to the ship's treasurer and the cook
leading a mutiny and taking back the ship. They cast the new
captain and his confederates adrift. The new captain finds
another ship (possibly more pirates) and attacks them again
later." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Girl and a Dragon
"The book I am looking for is an old
hardcover. I thought I remembered the title, but searches have
been futile. I must be wrong, but
the title is something like 'Horace the Dragon.' The beginning
scene is somewhat like this: A young girl is crossing a bridge at
dusk. The lamps (gas?) are lit, the atmosphere is misty,
dusk... She sees a young dragon sitting on the edge of the
bridge. They talk with each other. He is quite a nice
dragon.
"At one point early in the story, he (Horace?) takes
her down under the bridge to meet his Mother. She is also
kind. Lives in a cottage of sorts...
"Another time they go out after dark into the city,
late at night. There they find the stone statuary animals have
come to life. The little girl knows how not to pet a cat (along
the top of the spine?), so she pets a stone lion in a more gentle way
that the lion likes.
"This is about all I can remember. During the
early 1960's I would have borrowed this book (several times) from the
Perkiomen Avenue branch of the Reading PublicLibrary in Reading,
PA. I remember even at that time the book had an older
appearance. In retrospect, the story setting seems like
England." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Boy Finds Open Shaft in Walls of Old
House
"This is a book from around the 1970's or so.
I have a feeling it's an English fantasy novel and is well known.
In it, a child has come to stay in a big old house and, exploring it,
finds a way inside one of the walls. There he finds a big open shaft,
like an elevator shaft, between that wall and the one opposite. I
think it enables him to eavesdrop on conversations in other rooms of
the house." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Girl Has Fairies in the Garden
"Our third grade teacher read this to us
(1966-1967). All I can remember is that it is about a girl who
lived with her aunts and had fairies in the garden." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Woman With Cats and Lavender
"It's about a woman who lives in a house, who may be
single or widowed. In the illustrations she has a lot of cats in
her yard and a large field of lavender. She may have lived in
France, but I'm not sure about it. I can't really remember
anything about the story, but I remember liking this book a lot.
The story isn't very long either. I remember the book was kind of
wide and thin. Also, I read it in the United States." Do
you recognize this? Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
House Haunted by Past Murder
"I read this book couple of years ago (young adult)
I think it was called 'Haunted.' It was two parts. The
first part talked about the history of the house and what happened, and
it was about a grandmother whose grandson lived with her. He met
the girl next door, who helped him read and became his good
friend. At the end the little girl got murdered buy his
grandmother for magic and scarves.
"The second part is about the woman who buys the
house and the nightmare begins with seeing the old woman walking around
the halls and having nightmares of the boy and the girl. The
woman will not move from the house and she too ends up dead at the same
place the girl got murdered, but finally the girl and the boy are
together and finding happiness after death." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Children Discovering World at the
Bottom of a Well
"I read a reference to a children's book, describing
the theme of the book as children discovering a world at the bottom of
a well. This sounds like a book I'd like to discover, if only I
knew what the book was." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Girl Wants Answers About Mother's Death
"It's about an attractive and popular teen girl who
keeps getting in trouble. Her parents send her away, I'm not sure
where. Not long after, her mom is killed and she returns home to
her dad and wants answers about her mom's death. From what I can
remember there is lake house and a dock on the front cover, but I' m
not sure." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cupid Drops Arrows Into Hades
"Do you know the story of how Cupid dropped
his arrows into Hades by accident? I remember reading it a long
time ago but I can't remember it any more. It was very short, and
somewhere in a place where all these other fairy tales
were." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Farm Animals Shelter from Rain With
Little Boy and Grandmother
"I had this book when I was little but I forgot the
title. It was about these farm animals who take shelter from the
rain in the home of a little boy and his grandmother. At first
the grandma is upset about having all these animals in her house, but
soon gets used to the idea and offers them a bowl of
oatmeal." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elf or Fairy Prince Falls In Love With
Human Girl
"I am trying to find a book I read in high
school. This would have been around 1997-1999. It is either
an elf or a fairie prince that falls in love with a human girl.
The girl is treated badly by her family and they live in two different
worlds but I think he goes in to her time to save her or
something." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Children and Monsters Play Baseball
"The book is about children and monsters playing
baseball and one of the key phrases in the story is 'Harkle Snarkle
Sniggly Snoo.' If you could please get me the title of this book
or the author that would be awesome. This book was very important
to pme of my friends but he has been unable to locate the
book." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Poor Boy Loves Tap Dancing
"I can't remember much about the story, but the main
character was a poor child who loves tap dancing and tapes bits to his
normal shoes to make them noisy. It's not 'Billy Elliot,'
though. It was an illustrated book with the most amazing
drawings. The artist had a really distinctive style with lots of
swirls and stars. I think the author also wrote about a crocodile
living in the sewers." Aunt Book believes that this is Oliver Button is a Sissy,
by Tomie de Paola. However, the Dear Niece who submitted the
query has not replied to confirm this. Are you she? Please
Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Girl Turns Into Raven
"The book I'm looking for is one I picked up in
Waterstone's bookshop about 5 or 6 years ago. It was a 9-12 book
or a teenage book. It had a dark-ish front cover and was a
standard size book, like a normal A5 size with a normal
thickness. The first page (couple of sentances) began with a
young girl talking about love and herself (I think) while looking out
of a window (a bedroom window, I think, or possibly a tower). Then she
jumped out of the window and turned into a raven." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leaf That Stays On the Tree All Year
"What is the name of the story of the leaf who stays
on the tree all year?
"The story is about how a leaf doesn't want to fall
like the rest
of the leaves in autumn. He holds on all year through the winter
and
the rain, until the next summer when new leaves start to grow and I
think that year it finally decides to fall with the rest of the
leaves.
"This is a story I vaguely remember from my
childhood. I am not
sure how popular this story was, but it was definitively a children's
book and I am pretty sure it had lots of pictures in it." The
book is not The Fall of
Freddie the Leaf, by Leo Buscaglia. Do you know what it is?
Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Girl With Frog Friend Passes Dragons
with Password
"My 4th
grade teacher read this book to my class and I can't remember much
about it. I know the main character is a girl and she goes on an
(I think magical) adventure. I think she has a frog as a
friend. I'm sure the frog can talk. There is this one part
I remember especially: she needs to pass dragons but she cannot
without a password. When she finally gets the password it is
'dragon scales.'
"I somewhat remember the cover of the book. It
was green with a girl and frog in the center. I think there was a
mention of a castle in the book." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grandmother's House in Pittsburgh
"I am looking for book about a family that
move to their grandmother's house in Pittsburgh. One child is
Poppy, I think, and there is a scary old lady neighbor who fights with
their grandma." Can you help? Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Creatures Recycle Junk from Lake
"I am looking for a story about a group of
creatures who go to a lake for a picnic only to find that the lake is
polluted with lots of rubbish. They proceed to clean up the lake
and make useful things from the junk!" Do you recognize this?
Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Items on Shelf Come to Life
"I have very sketchy details about a book that my
father had in the late 1970's, possibly 1980. All I can remember
about this book is that the opening chapter began with different items
on a shelf (possibly a chemist shelf?) coming to life and speaking to
one another. I think I remember rubber bands' being one of the
items. I wasn't really supposed to read it, which makes me think
the book was possibly meant for someone older as I was about 6 or 7 at
the time. I read it in the UK. I think it was a large,
blue-covered hardback." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Puppy, Boy, "Star Light, Star Bright" Wish
"I am trying to find a book for my sister. She
has been searching for over fifteen years for it and unfortunately it's
become a joke in our family that it never existed so she must have
dreamt it. I would love to find it for her to give her the last
laugh!
"Here's everything she remembers:
"1. It was a children's picture or short story (first reader) type book.
"2. Roughly the size and shape of a Golden
Book, but we have looked through all the Golden Books ever published,
and it is not included. She doesn't think it had the gold
binding, just the size and thickness of one.
"3. The story was about a small boy who loses his
dog, and goes to look for him. While out looking, his parents
become worried about him because he is now missing. But, the boy
is oblivious to their worry. This is the most vivid memory of the
book she has: just when the boy thinks he has lost his dog forever,
night has fallen and it becomes dark out and a star appears in the
sky. He recites the old rhyme, "Starlight, star-bright, first
star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have
this wish I wish tonight." And, that is when the dog comes
running home.
"4. She can remember that there were pictures and she believes they were in color.
"5. She thinks the dog was a black or golden lab.
"6. She was born in 1973, and she remembers this
book from early childhood, so it would have been published no later
than 1983. But, it may have been a hand-me-down, so it could have come
from ANY time before that.
"7. She has described one picture in particular many
times. The mother of the boy is standing at the door of their home,
calling him to come home.
"8. A well (as in water source) may have factored into the story somehow, but she is vague about this point.
"9. The book may have any combination of the words,
star, bright, light or wish in the title. But we can't be sure.
"We have tried calling old book stores, tried doing
keyword searches, everything. I really think it probably does (or
did) exist, but was such a small insignificant book to everyone besides
my sister, it has been forgotten. Any help you could provide
would be greatly appreciated!"
Aunt Book has sent a message to the Dear Niece who
submitted this request, wondering if perhaps the book might be A Brown Puppy and a Falling Star,
by Elizabeth Ross, illustrated by Florence Sarah Winship. It is a
Whitman Tell-a-Tale book, similar in size to the Golden Books, and
although some details do not match it involves a puppy, the Star Light
wish, a boy, and even, in one illustration, a pond. Is this the
correct book? Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brother, Pet Lizard, Sister in Rabbit Slippers
"I think this book was published in the 1960's or
early 1970's, and I read it as a young child. As far as I can
recall the story centers around a boy and his pet newt or lizard.
He is stuck indoors with his younger sister as I think it is
raining. It is an illustrated book and the young sister is
wearing sleep suit and a pair of rabbit slippers, one of which flips
off in the air when she is playing with her brother.
"I cannot really remember anymore than this.
My memories are more of the illustrations; they are black line drawings
which are accented with orange and yellow rather than being 'coloured
illustrations.' It was a hard-back book which had a rather grainy
or bobbled quality to the cover." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Funny Book About Girl Who Cleans Houses
"I read a children's book about a girl who cleans
houses to my daughter in the early '90's. The character's name
might have been Lizzie; I am not really sure. She also might have
been a musician or music student. It was a picture book.
The story was about her cleaning houses, and I am pretty sure there was
no other plot line. Also, the author's name, first or last, may
have begun with an 'M.' The story was hilarious; also, there was
something about a pet bird in the story. I don't think it was
part of a series." Do you recognize this? Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mouse Family, Book With Little Envelopes
"I am looking for a book I read back in 1991 (my
freshman year). I read it here in the United States. No
clue what it is called and honestly I can’t remember what the story is
about. I can tell you what I remember was a little mouse and his
family. Included in the book were pictures and also on the pages
were little envelopes that included something in them that had to do
with the story or that page. Example: if they were leaving
on a plane, there would be an envelope and inside the envelope there
would be plane tickets." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Little Girl Paints Souls
"This book was written before 1987. It's about
a little girl who paints and has a wonderful talent of painting
people's souls or some such. My memory fails me but I vaguely
recall a rich nasty woman asking the girl to paint her and the girl
paints an awful picture depicting the woman's soul." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unidentified books
page 2 page 3 page 4
Return to Aunt Book's parlor
Ask Aunt Book
Read the list of
books Aunt Book has
identified
Aunt Book's recommendations
Aunt Book expresses outrage