Can You Help?
page 3
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Hero, Bird, Splinter
"This book was read to me when I was about 5
or 6. If I can remember correctly I had borrowed the book from
the infant school library in Sheffield (England), some 30 years
ago. I don’t know if the story was old one or new back
then. What I can remember of the story is this: The
hero had to get some ball-shaped objects from a tree to save the life
of a girl (a princess?). There is something about a splinter and
a bird that was needed to pull the splinter. Now I don’t know if
the hero got the splinter from the tree, or he needed the ball-shaped
object from the tree to give to the bird to remove the splinter from
the girl. The hero had to climb a needle-shaped mountain
with an eye just below the peak. When the hero went through the
eye he got himself stuck in some goo of sorts." Tell Aunt Book
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Marmalade on Banoffee Pies
"I am trying to find a book I read at school
when I was about 9 years old, about six and a half years ago. I
don’t remember the name of the book, who it was by, or any of the
characters (sorry). I read it in the UK (England). I
remember it was about a boy who liked to put marmalade on banoffee
pies. There was something about moths and a tanning bed. I think the
city was in ruins and the boy lived with his grandma. There was
something about someone not liking roses, so they had to cut the
flowers off of all the rose bushes. It was a bizarre book, and
I'd love to be able to read it again."
Another query about what seems to be the same book: "There was
this child and all he wore was yellow. He made
banoffee pie with marmalade and, and a mum and he lived in an old
salon. He went to the city and found people under a bridge.
There was
something about moths and also a bald girl." Tell Aunt Book
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Post-apocalyptic Monastery and Plague
“There isn't a lot I can remember. I read the
book probably about 10 years ago. It was in the children's section of
Andover library, Hants, England. I think it had an 11+ sticker, which
they put on the slightly more scary or inappropriate books.
“As far as the plot goes, it was about a boy
who wakes up in a monastery in a strange, almost post-apocalyptic
version of the world, with no memory or idea of what his name is. The
monks look after him while he gets better (I can't remember why he was
ill). A girl comes into it, too, who I think does have her memory. All
the other characters are adults. They stay in the monastery, but they
hear stories of people dying of something like a plague. One day a car
comes to the monastery, with I think just two men in, one of whom has
no head. The boy is terrified, but the monk says they must help
everyone, and he lets the men in. The other man is sure he can fix his
friend. One day the boy is taken into the nearest town (I think by the
monk). They drive, and the girl goes, too. They find a body by
the road that has no blood left in it at all. This is what has been
happening to people. They don't let the girl see it. They go into a
building, and I think they're being chased by a man. That's all I can
recall.” Tell Aunt Book
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Mixed-Up Animals: Top, Middle,
Bottom
“I'm looking for a children's book from the 1970's or 1980's. It
featured illustrations, names, and descriptions of animals that could
be mixed up, as each page was divided into 3 sections: top
(head), middle (body), and bottom (legs). The names would be
muddled and the descriptions of the animals would get mixed up (where
they lived, what they ate etc.). The cover was hardback and had a
red border with a typical mixed-up animal illustration on the cover.
There is a contemporary book here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Very-Mixed-up-Animals-Ian-Jackson/dp/1901323056
that is very similar but it is not this one unless it has been redrawn
and republished. I think it had a one-word title mixing the word
animal with something else." Tell Aunt Book
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Yellow and White Story Collection
"Okay, the book was a big collection of
stories. It was yellow and white. It had a story about a bear, a story
about a boy whose grandfather owned a submarine and baseball cards, the
story Teeny-Tiny and the Soup Bone about the ghost and the bone and a
whole bunch of other stories. Anyone at least have an idea?" Tell Aunt Book
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Little Blond Boy in Red Sweater
"The main character was a little boy with
blond hair, and he always wore a red sweater. He might have had
glasses, but I can't quite remember. He was in various stories;
the two I remember the most are one about a lion and the boy, and the
other where the boy came across a group of toads having a tea party and
eating dragonflies. The book is somewhat old as I read it in
third grade (1999). That's about as much as I can remember."
"I believe it was a single book with many
short stories in it, all connected by the same little boy. This
was also a picture book that accompanied a short
story." Tell Aunt Book
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Mia, Whose Friend Had an Operation
"The book was about a girl called Mia who
became friends with a girl whose name began with R. The girl had
ear deformities or something and got laughed at. Then she went to
get an operation and died. There might also have been something
about a cliff and a dilapidated house. It was probably published in the
'90's and pretty definitely not the 2000's."
Tell Aunt Book
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A Stork and a Hammock
"I am looking for a book that would be late
70s or early 80s that was my husband's favorite. He said that it was
about a stork and a hammock. This would be a children's book. This was
all he could remember. Any help would be appreciated." Tell Aunt Book
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Boy Helps Pampered Girl Escape
"I was hoping you could help me identify a
book I've been trying to find for over ten years. I don't know
the title, nor the author, but I can give you bits and pieces of the
plot. Basically, a boy helps a pampered girl break out of her
tower-like containment, and the two escape over the lands, being chased
by two thieves or kidnappers eager to get them for ransom. They stumble
upon a circus and a girl with a pet bear helps them out. There's also a
part with a sewer and some other things that my memory is so foggy I
can't remember. I read it here in the U.S.A., and the title
illustration was black and white, I think, with the thieves on either
side looking in on the scene, which portrayed the boy and girl running
across the land (I think holding hands?) and the girl (who I think
looked like a Native American) and her bear near the bottom." Can
you help? Tell Aunt Book
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Bluish Green Mother Goose with Old
Fashioned Pictures
"I am looking for an old Mother Goose nursery rhyme
book, possibly published in the late 60's early 70's, given to me by my
grandmother after I was born in 1972. If I remember correctly,
it was a bluish green color. Mother Goose was riding her
goose on the cover, and the pictures were of a Victorian style, not
cartoon like, as Mother Goose books are now. It was fairly thick,
possibly over 100 pages. Tell Aunt Book
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Father, Son, Hidden Beach
"The book is about a father and a son, and the
father brings the son to a hidden beach where no one ever was, and it
was very peaceful. I’m not sure but if I remember correctly they
may have gone hiking or done other activities. I believe they
wore ponchos and that’s where I discovered what ponchos were but I’m
not sure if I’m getting that mixed up with a different book. I don’t
think so though. Anyway, when they returned years later the beach was
full of people. I remember the illustrations as being very good.
Some pictures I remember were one in the beginning where they were
inside the house, and one at the end which showed the beach filled with
people." Tell Aunt Book
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Brother, Sister, and Cousin and
Grandfather's Curio Shop
"I read a book around 1969 - 1971 that I would love
to find.
"A brother and a sister, around junior high age, go
to their grandfather's for the summer. They have a male cousin in
that same age range who lives with the grandfather.
"The grandfather owns a store - a curio store or an
antique store, I believe. One scene describes the model ships
that are in the store and hanging from the ceiling. In another
chapter, one of the children is flipping through an old book and
discovers a message that was written at the edges of the pages.
The writing could only be seen if the pages were fanned back at just
the right angle.
"There is a mystery involved, and I believe that the
writing on one of these old books led to a search for more books with
the writing, and eventually to a hidden document or historical artifact
that was hidden in one of the model ships.
"The grandfather and the cousin were also volunteer
firefighters in their community. The grandfather was the chief
and had been for years. The position of chief was elected; every
firefighter drew either a black or a white marble from a bag and
dropped it into a box. When the box was opened, if all the
marbles were white, the candidate was elected. If there was even
one black marble, the person was rejected. Toward the end of the
book, it was time for a new election. The grandfather wanted
someone else to be the chief but everyone else wanted him to
continue. But when the brother and sister saw the grandfather and
cousin come out after the election, the grandfather's shoulders were
stooped and he looked sad. He had been rejected by one black
marble. It turned out that the cousin was the one who put the
black marble in the box, and he did so at the request of his
grandfather. So both grandfather and the cousin knew the
grandfather would not win the election.
"The cousin was not very easy to get along with
early in the book, but he and the brother and sister became very close
and did a lot of growing up by the end of the summer.
"My memory insists that the cousin's name was Doug,
but my memory has been known to file information in the wrong place and
the name might not be Doug after all." Can you help? Tell Aunt Book
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Bear Named Patrick Pog
"The character was a bear named Patrick Pog, I
think. He lived in Catfish Bay, but then his dad ran away to sea
and he and his mum moved to the country, where he made a friend called
Ted. The teachers at his school were rats called Peckinshaw, I
think." Tell Aunt Book
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Boy Who Hates Everything But Australia
"Many years ago I found a little children's book
about a boy who hated everything but Australia. He hated his
parents, his room, etc. I believe he ran away to a cave where a
bear was living. The boy got scared and ran back home. He
began loving his room, parents, etc. because he was back with them and
felt safe." Tell Aunt Book
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Middle School French Textbook
"Middle school French textbook, used in late 1960s /
early 1970s. Aqua hardcover. Lessons are an ongoing story
about Pierre and Nicole. Their diagrams have aqua
backgrounds. Tell Aunt Book
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Boy Who Sees Wild Animals In Room at
Night
"I had a book when I was a child (in the '50's)
about a boy who either got scared when he turned out the light to
go to bed or was told to clean up his room and didn't. What I
truly remember about the book was that he saw wild animals in his room
one night. A monkey hanging from the ceiling light, a serpent
etc. His mother turns on the bedroom light and all the animals turn
into clothes." Tell Aunt Book
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Kitten, Turtle, and Others Go Camping
and Fishing
"I saw this picture:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b114/poppyboy/43.jpg and I
immediately thought about a children's book that I had from the
1980's. It was illustrated by the same person who drew the
picture in the link, or by someone with a similar style of
drawing. Here's all the information I can remember:
"Published in the 80's.
"Book has a pink boarder around the cover.
"There is a kitten, a turtle, and many other animals
I can't think of. They go camping, fishing, pitch a tent, and do
other activities I do not remember." Remember it? Tell Aunt Book
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Little Girl Describes Everything She
Sees
"I've been trying my best to remember this book I
read when when I was a little girl, back in the 1980's. It was
about a girl who describes everything she sees. Each paragraph
begins with 'I See...'. She sees the postman bringing mail and
she asks the postman if he's brought any mail for her. She also
sees her mother in the kitchen and her older sister doing something or
the other; maybe making a cake, I forget. The language is very simple
and it was one of those books where every page is made of hard board
instead of regular paper. I could swear that the name of the book was
simply I See, but I
could be wrong.
"I don't remember the cover of the book at
all. I think the little girl had dark hair. I remember the page
with the postman. The lines for that page go something like, "I
see the Postman bringing the mail. Is there one for me?" and
there's a picture of the postman in a blue uniform, I think, and the
little girl's there asking him if he brought any letters for her.
It was a little squarish board book and as far as I can recall the
illustrations were quite simple with bright colors. I'm thinking
the book was from the late 1980's or early 1990's." Can you
help? Tell Aunt Book
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Bird Woman Teaches Readers Not to
Procrastinate
"When I was young, my mother use to buy me all these
reading books and so I was able to read by 4 years of age. I was
born in 1975 and therefore figure the estimated years of production for
this book was in the early 1980's. Anyway, I vaguely remember
this
book and will try to give you what details that I remember. The
main character is a bird dressed up as a person would dress. The
bird is drawn as a woman. The book deals with procrastinating and
tries to convince the reader (child) not to procrastinate. From
what I remember, each situation was a mess created by the bird.
The bird (or person) would say, 'I will do it tomorrow.' It seems
that there are many instances in this book where the character says
this. By the end of the story, the bird is faced with a lot of
messes and therefore becomes frustrated. Then the author
establishes the moral of the story.
"I know its not a Dr. Seuss and I do not believe it
was a Golden Book. From what I do remember, there was a series of
books that I had to go along with this. It may even have come in
a colored box that contained these books." Tell Aunt Book
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Bullied Boy Turns Into Apple Tree
"It is a picture book (at least 20 years old) about
a boy who is bullied (by his brother?) and eats lots and lots of apples
because someone tells him that will make him grow big and strong. The
boy eats so many he turns into a huge apple tree." Tell Aunt Book
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Boy Walks Through City Scenes
"I'm looking for a children's book that I read in
the early 1970's in Evanston, Illinois. I recollect its being a
yellow hard cover book, sort of large - rectangular and laid out the
long way. It was about a boy walking through a series of city
scenes where the buildings were mostly apartments with stores
below. On each page, the scenes changed a bit. I don't
recollect there being any words, just illustrations." Tell Aunt Book
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Children on Cherry Street
"A children's book about the children of a
neighborhood (mainly Cherry Street). The first few pages introduced
each child with an oval drawing and a description of their
street." Tell Aunt Book
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Space Ship and Alien Boy With Six
Fingers
"I am looking for a book I read in the 4th grade in El
Segundo Ca. The school was Imperial Street School and it no
longer exists. The year was 1960. This book was
about a space ship that came to earth. It either crashed or had
mechanical problems. There was a young boy who was left
behind and he had six fingers. He was befriended by local kids
who had to hide his hands. Then at the end either the
craft was fixed or his people came back to get him and he left.
"I have been looking for this book for years.
I don't know if the word 'visitor' or 'Earth' is in the
title. I figured it was published between 1945 and
1960 since it was on the shelf for check-out. It would be
wonderful if you could find this book because I have never forgotten it
in 50 years." Tell Aunt Book
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Children's Book With Baba Yaga and
Wiley and the Hairy Man
"What is the name of the illustrated children's book
which includes Baba Yaga and Wiley and the Hairy Man? The
illustrator's style of drawing had people with lots of wrinkles, and he
drew mostly short people. He had more of a cartoony style to his
work, and the people in his drawings had wide eyes. He did tons
of other work, but I can't, for the life of me, recall the title of the
book or the illustrator's name. The book had tons of other
multicultural tales in it. I got it in the United States." Tell Aunt Book
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"Wild" Horse Saves Girl
"I am not sure if this counts as a children's book,
but I received this email from a former student at my school so if you
could help that would
be great!
"It is about a young girl who lives in the country
and I believe it may have been set in the earlier 1900s. There is
a "wild" horse that the girl
is not allowed to ride because it bucked a little boy off who hit his
head on a rock and died. An elderly lady that lives down the road
tells her
that the horse is "possessed" and bad. In the end the horse ends
up saving the girl and I think it may have happened during a
thunderstorm. I
loved this book and would like to find it again, however I am having
difficulty due to the fact that I cannot recall the title, author,
character's name, etc..." Tell Aunt Book
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Immortal Riders Who Can Die Only By
Drowning
"Please could you tell me if you know what a series
of books was called where the main characters are all immortal horse
riders who can die only by drowning. They were set in the medieval
times and the covers were blue. My boyfriend read these books when he
was younger (around the 1980's) in England." Tell Aunt Book
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Russian Boy Whose Gang Helps Community
Secretly
"This book was written by a Russian author. I read
its translation in Farsi.
"The book in Farsi was called Teimour and His Gang (or
his team, group, club). It must have been written in the late
1950's. It was about a little girl to whom Teimour gives a ride
on his motor bike when she misses the last train to join her family in
the cottage country somewhere in Russia).
"Teimour seems to be a rough kid, but we will find
out that Teimour and his team actually help the community secretly. The
book had black and white photos. Chances are there must have been a
movie made of it. The time was set somewhere in the 50's."
Tell Aunt Book
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Bear Bakes Cookies, Illustrated by
Photos
"Recently, I remembered a book from when I was a a
kid. I can't for the life of me remember the name, though.
I remember it was a children's picture book and there were words
narrating the story, about a bear who was baking honey cookies, or some
kind of cookies. The pictures in the book weren't drawn or
anything; they were real photos, as if someone set up a mini kitchen,
put a teddy bear in it, and took individual shots of the bear making
the cookies step by step, kind of like stop motion." Tell Aunt Book
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"Lass" With Magical Powers
"I remember reading this novel during my
seventh/eighth grade year(s). That was back in 1997-1999. I
remember that it was a hardcover and that the cover had a girl
(possibly in furs), surrounded by snow, holding fire. I believe
the author's last name was started with an M-S, as it was around that
shelf area.
"I remember that the girl's father called her 'lass'
and that the family was very poor. It was also very often cold,
as the weather was mentioned often. The girl had lots of
brothers, and one male friend who was in love with her. I remember that
she left home to train in her new powers and came back to find her
friend a now married warrior. I recall a scene (maybe before a
big battle) with the girl going into her friend's tent, and the friend
getting scared, telling her 'I'm married now.' I seem to remember
a lot of details, but I cannot remember the author or the title, though
I want to say that 'Fire', 'Ice,' or 'Snow' may have been in the
title." Tell Aunt Book
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Wealthy Girl Decides To Become Nurse
"The book is about a young woman who grows up with
in a wealthy family. Her younger sibling gets sick, and she calls
on a doctor who brings his apprentice. After this incident she
decides to go to nursing school, against her family's wishes.
Another small aspect of the book is that her friend's name is Annabel,
and Poe's poem Annabel Lee is referenced." Tell Aunt Book
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African Story About Princess Stolen By
Witch
"I am looking for an African story. It's about
a little girl who is the princess of a king and queen in
Africa. She is taken away from her family at birth by a witch who
then
loses her. The princess is raised by a older women. Years
go by and
when the witch finally finds her she locks her in a castle.
Meanwhile, the king and queen do not lose hope of finding her ,so they
offer a reward to whoever can find her. A prince finds her.
I can't
remember the rest of the story. I know that the princess was also
known for her tattoo of the content of Africa on her arm. I am
not
sure that this is a book but when I was little I used to watch this
video at my school's library." Tell Aunt Book
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Magpie Gets Ice Cream For Echidna
"I am looking for the name of a book or tape I read
or heard as a kid. It was about a magpie and an echidna in the
Australian outback. It is hot and the magpie goes and gets ice
cream for them both, but when the magpie gets to the ice cream store he
forgets the flavour the echidna wanted. He buys the echidna plain
vanilla, but on the way home he drops it and thousand of ants start to
cover the ice cream. He takes it back to the echidna, and the
echidna is so happy that the magpie remembered the flavour he asked
for. A line in the book goes: 'Oh Sticky Sticky Sticky, you
are my bestest friend in the whole wide bush, you figured out that
plain old vanilla ice cream, covered in hundreds of thousands of ants,
is my very favourite kind!'
The book was read in Australia; I am guessing it's a Australian author
who wrote it, as it is based around the Australian outback."
Tell Aunt Book
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Boy Finds Dead Skunk or Possum In a
Pond; Short Stories
"I read in elementary school (late 1960's /
early 1970's) a book of scary illustrated short stories. Among
those were a story about a boy who finds a dead animal, I think a skunk
or perhaps a possum, in a pond near his house and brings it home maybe
for the family to eat. It then keeps reappearing (as a remember
it) in the pond afterwards. Maybe it does not reappear, but
I think it did. Another story in this book involved, I believe, a
quarry in Vermont, and a third story concerned a greedy, wasteful
fisherman in an open boat out in the ocean who encounters some sort of
squid-like sea monster, a variation of the hunter becoming the hunted
theme. The most compelling thing about this book was the
illustrations, which were darkly humorous, much in the vein of Charles
Addams' work. I distinctly remember the family of the boy who
brought home the dead animal depicted as sort of 'trashy,' including a
houseful of unbathed and unruly siblings, something a little unusual in
a book for smaller children. The fisherman story was also richly
illustrated with great detail, including, I think, old side-wheeler
steamships on the horizon in the distance, as the fisherman
netted/reeled in the monster who was going to eat him. Any help
would be appreciated. This seems to be a hard one." Tell Aunt Book
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Brother and Sister With Mentally
Challenged Mother Who Keeps Bees
"I'm looking for a book about a brother and
sister who have a mentally challenged mother and an evil stepfather or
father. The father tries to poison them and they find out.
The mother is mentally challenged and I think she keeps bees. The
brother and sister run away eventually and meet up with a tomboy (I
think her name is Percy). The brother and sister go back
home. The runaway girl was sent to juvi and she escaped.
The brother falls in love with her and they send letters back and
forth. She sends secret messages under the stamp so no one can
see them. The paperback was purple/lavender with a yellow
hibiscus on the front. It's about an American family." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crossword Puzzle Word and One-Legged
Green Toy Both "Abode"
"I am looking for a green and white print children's
book from the 1970's about an abode in a cereal box. There are a
mom and a dad and a little boy in the story. The mom is
looking for a five-letter word that means 'monster,' and the little boy
eating his breakfast asks his dad what his one-legged, green toy is
called, and his father says 'abode' to answer them both." Tell Aunt Book
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Boy in Train Wreck Ends Up In Coma
"The book was about a young boy who was going to see
his dad do opera or something. He got on a train, and there was a
boy that kept staring at him, I think, but all of a sudden the lights
were flickering and there was a crash or something. Then he ended
up in a coma. I can’t remember the specific details, but there
was another book of the author's that I saw at the back which was about
a girl who got told she was going to die on her 16th birthday or
something, and she had to try finding a way to stop it from
happening." Tell Aunt Book
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Arabian Girl Visits Gabrielle; Horse
Show Circuit
"I read a book in the 1970's, probably older,
about an Arabian girl who comes to stay a year with a girl in the
States whose name is Gabrielle. They go to horse shows, meet a
couple of boys, and stop in Murdo, SD, where the time line runs down
Main Street. The Arabian girl's father sold some horses with
Arabian names to the other girl's father. One of the boys turns
out to be her fiance, who doesn't tell her till the end of the
book. There was also a girl called Peaches, who was nice, and one
who wasn't so nice, on the horse show circuit." Tell Aunt Book
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Boy Goes To Sea; Antagonist Is Named
Greg
"The second book, I know, was serialized in 'Jack
and Jill' and may possibly take place in the 1700's or 1800's.
Again, I believe I read it in the late 'fifties. A boy goes
to sea, leaving a sister behind. I cannot remember his name but
his antagonist on board is a boy named Greg. At one point the
hero has to fight Greg for his shoes. Later there is some sort of
crisis and the boys have to run for their lives. I think they may end
up in France. Naturally they become close friends during their
adventures. This may possibly be a British story but I am not
sure." Tell Aunt Book
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Boy's Father Loses Memory
"I am from Ontario, Canada. My teacher read
this book to the class when I was in grade 5 (I am now in grade
10). I have tried to look for the title everywhere, but I can not
find it anywhere. I am not sure whether it was a child's
book. I think it was more young adult. It was a paper back,
and of course had no pictures.
"I know the main character was a boy. I
think his parents must have been divorced or something, because I know
the father took the son somewhere, and he hadn't seen him in a long
time, and they didn't have the best relationship. For some reason
I remember their going to space on a planet or something (I could be
completely wrong). There were some creatures on the planet or
something, and I thought there was a girl his age with whom he was
friends. I know for sure that at the end the father lost his
memory. It ended with them back home. They were
boating/canoing down the river. The father wanted to know what
happened. The boy was hesitant at first, as the father could get
his memory back, but he told the father he would tell him if he
promised to let everything stay the same between them. Also, I
know for sure that his home was in Lethbridge, Alberta (although the
majority of the story did not take place there).
"I also remember thinking the author was a
woman, but I also could be wrong." Tell Aunt Book
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Closed Community Recycles Everything
"I read a book about 15 years ago. It was
about a closed scientific community. Members of this
community wore or had a medallion to identify them. In this
community everything was recycled. They had in-house recycling
bins to recycle everything. Roads where made of a
material that allowed water to go through, and basically rolled out
like
carpet. I think that's about all I've got. This would
definitely be in the young adult to adult category so you may not be
able to find it." Tell Aunt Book
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Little Girl's Ribbon in a Bird's Nest
"As much as I think I remember about this story
is: a little girl has a (some) ribbon(s) and does different
things with it (them). In the end they are in a bird’s
nest. I believed the story to be titled something in the manner
of: 'A Surprise for (Sarah)' or 'A Rainbow for (Sarah)' or
'(Sarah’s)Surprise.' It is a picture book. I have always
checked it out from the juvenile section of the public library. I
have an image in my head of the book that seems as if all the
illustrations are in black and white except for the ribbon. In
the end the little girl finds that the ribbon has been used by a bird
to build a nest in a tree in her back yard." The book is not Rosie and the Yellow Ribbon, by
Paula DePaolo. Do you know what it is? Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Girl Lives With Aunts and Imaginary
Friends Who May Actually Be Real
"I read a book in junior high (in the mid-1980s)
that has been haunting my memory. It is about a girl who goes to
live with her aunts(?) who live in a big old house that maybe used to
be a girl’s orphanage? The aunts try to involve her in social
life in the area but the girl is a loner. There is also a kindly
old male figure who initially picks the girl up and takes her to the
aunt’s house who seems to understand the girl. She explores the
big house and finds a room or hidden alcove that houses some
characters/imaginary friends. One of them is a kind woman who is
very proud of her flowers (they are the wallpaper flowers I think) and
she makes a to-do about watering them every so often and how beautiful
they are. The girl makes a friend and the characters don’t come
alive for the friend. At some point in the book the kindly old
male figure inquires about how Mrs. So-and-so’s flowers are doing
indicating that the imaginary friends really aren’t
imaginary." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Measles, Mumps, and Smugglers
"I am trying to find a book I read in the 1950's or
early 1960's. It was relatively new then. Two sets of
children had an extra-long holiday due to both being in quarantine for
measles and mumps, one each family. They had both been told not
to speak to other children but did get to know each other. They
ended up having an adventure where they track down smugglers. At
one point near the end of the book they stow away on a junk. The
female smuggler has her book taken by the children and claims it is a
library book, then says it is from her own library. The book was
hard-backed and green; I don’t remember the dust jacket." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Villagers Never Looked Up at Sky
"The book for which I am searching was read in the
late 1960’s. What I can remember is a village that never looked
up in the sky, except for one boy who decided to look up and discovered
the sky." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Little Girl and Tutus
"I have long wanted to find the name and perhaps a
copy of a book I read when I was a child (I am 36). I remember
that the book was old when I was reading it in the 1980's; it belonged
to my school library and was obviously well-loved. The story was
about a little girl who had been sick or something. She looks out
the window at the other children playing. Then she starts taking
ballet classes and is fascinated by the tutus. There are lots of
illustrations of the long and the short tutus. Finally, she gets
to wear one herself. I'm sorry that this is all I remember, but I
haven't read this book since I was around 7 [thus, in the early
1980's]. Any thoughts?" Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Confusion for Hard of Hearing Man
"When we lived in Cleveland, Ohio, we would take our
daughter to the library and she would always get the same book.
It was about a man and his wife and he was hard of hearing. When
his wife baked a pie she asked him if he wanted some and he replied,
"Tie? Why would I want my tie?" It was some thing like The Mahoneys or Mr. and Mrs. McGoony.
We just can't remember the name of the book. I would love to find
this book and bring back some of her childhood memories. She was
born in 1981 so it had to be about 1987 through 1990 when she would
have read this book." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Funny Book About Different Fears
"The book I seek is from the 1980's or possibly the
late 1970's; I am not sure of the exact year. It was a slim,
softcover book of average size. It was all about being
scared; different fears. From what I recall each turn of the page
had a different fear and was told with humor and rhyming. It was
illustrated with black outline drawings and only patches of orange and
green in some parts. There were cute little details in the
background
of worms and birds with little faces, too.
"The parts I remember are:
"-a girl scared of people; she imagines adults as bears, alligators and tigers.
"-a boy scared of haircuts; it
shows him letting his hair grow into sausage curls, licking a lollipop
or ice cream
"-a kid scared of using an
escalator or elevator; it said something like 'but really scary kids
take the stairway climb and climb and climb,' showing a never-ending
staircase.
"-a child afraid of getting lost or asking for help; it shows him lost in a big city
"-fear of swimming, showing a
bunch of kids playing in a pool or water with floaters, rings and swim
caps.
"-fear of ghosts, showing a haunted house with a witch and a ghost.
"I remember that the title pages had an illustration
similar to the one for fear of water, with kids playing in water with
floaters and swim caps." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note in a Library Book
"I read this in the late 1980's or early
1990's. I am pretty sure it is a young adult book. It may
be from the 1960's or 1970's. A young woman finds a note in a
library book, finds out who had the book last, and then becomes
governess to a small child via the child's uncle. She ends up on an
island where a relative, I think, of the uncle is smuggling
drugs. There may be a tower and someone falls down the
steps. The drug smuggler is handsome and charming, but in the end
he is stopped and the girl has fallen in love with the child's
uncle." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seance to Get Back at Mean Kids
"I am looking for a young adult book. It was
something about mean kids from school, and a girl and a boy stage a
fake seance to get back at them. There's a glass that breaks and
then appears to have fixed itself, and a glove. I think it is
from the 1980's or early 1990's." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two Sisters, Cabin, Intruder
"I believe this book was from the 1980's or early
1990's. It had a beautiful girl and her younger sister at a house
or cabin in the woods. There was something about an intruder who
was trying to get in; maybe the power went out. It turned out to
be the older sister's husband and she shots him; she planned the whole
thing. I think the title was something like This Side of Evil or The Other Side of Evil. I think the cover had a face, half beautiful, half a skull." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Child Finds Small Cute Creature
"It was a children’s picture book with text that
wasn’t too long. I read it at my school library 12 years ago or
so [i.e. around 2000]. It was about this cute, small, white creature
that may have had short fur. I think it washed up on shore or
something (maybe there was a storm?) and I think a child (a little
girl?) may have found it and brought it home and dried it
off." Tell Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Magic Top Hat
"I'm almost positive that the title was The Magic Top Hat. It
was a hardcover book, illustrated with a nighttime scene of tall city
buildings along a street, with a picture of a black top hat with, I
believe, a lavender or purple sash. I don't remember the author
or publisher, as I owned the book when I was in the first grade which
was in 1971-72. I may have gotten the books through a 'Weekly
Reader' paper from school, the kind that they send home and you choose
books to order through the classroom. That's highly probable
since we had no bookstores where I grew up nor did we have places that
sold books like the ones I'm talking about." The Dear Niece who
submitted this request says that the book was not The Hat, by Tomi Ungerer. Can you help? Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monster With a Messy Room
"When I was little (late 1980's, early 1990's) I had
a board book that was a touch and feel book. It was about a child
monster with a messy bedroom that his parents made him clean. I
believe the cover was white with a green border and had the Little
Monster on it. He was brown, with a long tail, and I want to say
he had spikes down his back. I distinctly remember that on one
page he was wearing a robe with green and white vertical
stripes." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kitten Into Tiger
"I am looking for a Little Golden Book about a girl who has a kitten that grows into a tiger." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Parents Can Decide Whether to Keep Children
"Parents in this book can decide whether or not to
keep their child when the child reaches the age of 16. It is a
new book." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mind Control Levels
"A scientist trains his daughter to develop mind
control. He himself has ability, but only to a certain
point. He pushes his daughter to achieve the highest
level. I think the name of the book was The 13th Floor
or something like that; it had to do with the level of mind
control. It may have been 'staircase' or something like that.
I think it had a number in the title. I read it in middle
or high school, in the late 1970's or early 1980's. I know this
is more of a young adult novel. It may have been adult
sci-fi." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Secluded House; Red
"I read a book in elementary about a secluded house
in the woods or something. I remember that the house was
big. (Well, it looked big on the cover). The cover had the
house, a pathway, and a bunch of trees around it. I think it may
have had the words 'Red Hollow' in it, but I can't be sure. I'm
pretty sure the word red is in the title, though." Recognize
it? Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Flower Girls
"I'm looking for a book about two young girls who I
believe are sisters. Their parents may or may not have died; I
honestly don't remember much about the book since I read it in
elementary school and am now a college student, but I remember taking a
particular liking to it. I believe the title was something along
the lines of Flower Girls or Flower Children or something of the sort." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Feral Beast Dragons
"Genre: Fantasy. Topic: Dragons or dragonspeak?
"The very, very basic plot is that there is a mother
and daughter living fairly remotely, without a father. The mother
gets called into the city to tame (perhaps) or interact with dragons,
who are essentially feral beasts; nothing like most dragon novels
The gist of the matter is that the mother gets caught up in some plot,
which I vaguely remember being a coup or struggle for power. The
daughter then goes to try to save her. That is all I can remember
about the first novel; I know there is another one or maybe two
in the series. The only thing I remember from the second (or
third?) book is that she saves her mother and her father gets
introduced into the book, and he is a very dangerous character with a
power similar to the mother's. One scene involving the father
is particularly vivid: the mother describes him as having
a tattoo of a serpent(?) around his navel."
Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Girl, Her Horse, Death
"I read this in 2007, in Australia, and it
was a newish release then. It was about a girl and her horse, but
at the end you find out her mother has died and it is really about her
grief. It was very sad, but beautiful. It was aimed at about 9-
to 11-year-olds." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Potion Against Freckles
"I read a book in middle school (about 2002-2005)
that I believe was a children's or a preteen book. All I remember is
that it was a about a girl who was possibly an orphan. She used a
witch's potion to get rid of her freckles and had to put it on in the
moonlight and go into the river, and she was very upset that it didn't
work." Ring any bells? Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Girl and Friend, Country Home, Thunderstorm, Grandmother
"In the mid-1970s in British Columbia, Canada, we
subscribed to some sort of book of the month club – Grolier? We
received books by various authors that included How Fletcher was Hatched by the Devlins, and Donkey Donkey
by Roger Duvoisin among others. The book I am after had
illustrations that were cozy and wonderful, like the Cranberry series
or Old Black Witch, both also by the Devlins, of course. My
much-pined-for book was about a granddaughter who brings a friend with
her to visit her grandmother in the country. There is a
thunderstorm in the night, the power possibly goes out, and the girls
are scared. Grandmother comforts them with a story about little
creatures - kind of little monster-type things. I can’t recall
the story of the monsters but I recall the book was very cozy and
wonderful. I recall a picture of the country road - two big ruts
in a dirt road. I recall pictures of the monsters - kind of
little toad-like things. I don’t think the Devlins wrote this
book although it is completely possible. I have tried to find it
all over the place. I don’t recall the author or title, just the
wonderful feelings it evoked - mystery/thriller with that cozy element
of the grandmother soothing their nerves." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Charm Bracelet from Unknown Admirer
"I remember reading a short story about a young
woman who received a charm from an unknown admirer every year on her
birthday from the time she was a young girl. The woman cherished
her charm bracelet because every charm had a special meaning. I
remember that one birthday she received a charm that was a eagle and it
symbolized that she was spreading her wings because at that time she
was planning on taking a trip to another country. When she got
engaged, a sad clown charm was given to her for her birthday that
year. I would love to read that story again, but I can't remember
the title or author. Please help!" Can you
help? Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Old Woman Finds Bone
"I used to read a picture book when I was
younger, and in it, an old woman finds a bone at the graveyard (I
think). She takes it home and puts it in the cupboard, and at
night after that, she keeps hearing a voice saying, 'Give me back my
bone.' I think finally she goes and puts it back where she found
it." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time Travel Well, Amazon Stock
"My sister is looking for a book about a girl who
falls into a well. She goes back in time and meets some children
her age. She tells them about the future, including which stocks
do the best. They help her return to the present time. Then
the girl inherits some Amazon stock." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Text in a Spiral, Another Day
"There is a children's book, I believe from the
1960's, and I also think possibly it was purchased through a book
club. The most vivid memory I have of it is a one page where the
text was written in a spiral, and there was another part where one page
said, 'tomorrow is another day,' and when you turned the page the next
page said, 'another day!'" Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Magic Water Skin or Canteen
"I read a book in the late 1970's or early
1980's. I read it when i was around 9 or 10. It was a
fantasy. There were two characters, a boy and girl. They
were traveling and were each given a gift to help them. One of
the gifts was a magical water skin or canteen. It would contain
whatever they wished to drink." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Teeny Tiny, and Little Pot Boil
"I remember that the book included a retelling of
the folktale 'Teeny Tiny,' and I believe it also featured the tale of
'Sweet Porridge.' The special thing I recall about it is the
pictures. I believe they were some sort of puppets or clay
figures that were photographed - some kind of stop motion
aesthetic. The pictures in the book did not appear to be
two-dimensional. I couldn't really tell; I read this book when I
was very young not to mention the copy I had was quite damaged. I
read this book in the late 1990's in the United States." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Little Pig Lost in Wash
"I had this book in the 1960's in the USA. It
was about a little pig that accidentally got lost in the wash. I
believe that he hid in a basket and the laundry was sent out in a
truck, maybe a diaper service. I just remember how sad and cute
the piggy looked when his mother found him as she peeled a sheet or
something off of his teary face. Please help!" Can you
help? Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Donkey Gets in Trouble for Biting
"I used to get this book out of the library in
London again and again in the 1970's. Vague details are: a
donkey gets in trouble (maybe goes to prison) for biting someone's
hand, a little girl knows it wasn't his fault and that you must keep
your hand flat when feeding animals. The title may begin with an
M or sound like a donkey walking." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Boy Turns Sister into a Fish
"Looking for a book from the 1980's or possibly
1990's about a young boy who discovers that he can do magic tricks, and
ends up turning his sister into a fish. Very
colorful illustrations throughout." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Short Stories with Little Witch and House Imp
"It's a children's book I had when I was very
wee. I can barely recall some of the details. I know that
there was a witch and she was a protagonist. She was leading a
child or a group of children around on an adventure. It had high
quality illustrations, and the one I recall best was of a witch flying
near a moated Gothic castle.
"It was a collection of short stories with the
common theme. Besides the little witch there was a house imp as
well. The stories were based upon their adventures. The
book size was like a Mother Goose book, 8" by 11" and perhaps a couple
of inches or more thick. It was perhaps purchased circa 1975 or
1976. It was very much a hardcover book. The book cover had
red on it. The illusions were wonderful, done like water
colours." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lizard Runs Away
"I am looking for a book I remember reading when I
was about three to five. I am thirty one now [therefore, around
the mid-1980's]. I read the book in the USA. The plot was
about a lizard that wanted to run away from home. I remember the
lizard's making sandwiches, and packing up. I think they lived in
a cave." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Children Hide in Treehouse, Search for Something in Mansion
"I read this book in the '70's. A boy discovers in the park
of a nearby mansion two children. The siblings (Clive and Sally?) hide
themselves in a treehouse. They are searching for something in
the mansion, which belonged to their family. There are people
trying to catch the children." Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I'm the Mom
"I am looking for a book my sister read my niece in
the 1980's. It says something in it like 'When I'm the
Mom.'" Tell
Aunt Book
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unidentified Books
page 1 page 2 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